Captain Lawrence Smoke from the Oak (Bourbon Barrel)

Brewed by Captain Lawrence Brewing Company
Style: Porter
Pleasantville, New York USA

Aroma is sweet accented with sour notes. Straight black with a lacey heaad. Lightly sweet and grapefruit peel bitter.

Bottle, batch 2, thanks to Summer Secret Santa 2009. Pours murky brown with a bit of a reddish hue, capped with a thin brown head. Really unique aroma; primarily tart with notes of cherry, wild yeast, and oak in the forefront, and trace amounts of chocolate, vanilla and smoke. Flavor is tart as well. Sour cherry, smoke, green pepper, chocolate, oak, and lactic tartness interact well. Finish is tart, with lactic acid, vegetal notes, and a little chocolate. Thin body. This is a lot different than I expected, but as a sourhead, I enjoyed it.

Smokey and rubbing alcohol nose with added roasty notes, dark pour...tan head. Smokey malty flavors with some added oak notes, and a crisp finish. Nice smokey and clean beer, drinkable fo sho

Blind tasting at Papsø’s
Black color; medium creamy head. The aroma shows some roasted malt, wood, vanilla, light sourness. The flavor mixes equally the chocolate and the roasted malt; the body is medium, there is light sourness; alcohol warmth; strange but dynamic. Interesting, but I’m undecided if I’m impressed or less.

Bottle 75cl. @ Papsoes blindtasting. [ Bottle #12. ]
Clear dark brown color with a large, creamy, good lacing, fully lasting, beige head. Aroma is light heavy malty, roasted, caramel, berry sour, moderate wood, bourbon - red wine, cherry notes. Flavor is heavy sweet, moderate acidic and light to moderate bitter with a long duration. Body is medium, texture is oily to watery, carbonation is soft. [20090612]

Another drain pour here...and another infected mess. The aroma of the bourbon was noticeable on the nose as well as some cherry wood smoke. Massive tan head rests above a deep dark brown body. Flavor again is incredibly sour and undrinkable. Thin mouthfeel...WHAT THE HELL!!!

bottle batch 2 poured a black in color with a thick frothy dark tan head that retained a beautiful layer through the whole glass. aroma has bourbon barrel, wild yeasty funk, vanilla, and some alcohol. I will say I have had several from this release and these bottles are definitely souring. flavor has nice bourbon barrel, sour yeasty snap, roasted malt, and a bit of dark fruit. finishes dry with good lingering flavors. I love this just as much as the day it was released although this has transformed into a completely different beer

20090626 750 bottle from Batch 1. Deep dark brown, opaque, with creamy tan head that lasts and lasts. I was surprised that this one didn’t gush, but rather a mild pfft when I cracked it. Tremendous, mouth watering aromas like a roasty Flemish sour with definite notes of bourbon and smoky hints. It’s like smelling a charred cherry pie. Oh boy! the body is creamy and rich with surprisingly soft eff and a lingering combination of acidity and roasty bitterness. Vanilla and bourbon have really come through from the wood and the beer maintains its basic hearty smoked porter character. I fully expected to hate this one, was even ready to dump it, but wow what a turnaround. I definitely did not enjoy it nearly as much when it was "fresh". I don’t know if this was Scott’s intent, or if this was more Bakeresque good fortune but, whatever, it’s delicious. this score reflects only this bottle, not the samples I had when it was new.