Captain Lawrence Smoke from the Oak (Bourbon Barrel)

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

Bottle at blind tiger. As if CL’s smoked porter wasn’t good enough the bourbon aged version is great.

Thanks hophead75. Opens with an enormous pop but no gushing. Good. Pours a dark black brew that allows some light. Head is a good two fingers thick, foamy, tan. The nose shows a nice bourbon character, oaky, tannic, vanilla, mildly sweet, some cherry. The flavor is tart and tannic, interesting feel, bourbon and oak, vannilla, porter hides behind everything else going on. Taste some black cherry skins and a mild sweetness. Warmth and a little time shows some phenolic fingernail polish. Still a very interesting and tasty brew.

This has to be my favorite of the great SFTO series. A ton of oak, smoke (of course) and bourbon mix with some dark fruits and a cherry tartness. They are all great, this is my favorite.

Batch 1 bottle thanks to Cletus!
This is a beer perfect showing what temperature does... and you’ll want to drink this near room temp. Chilled, you’ll think you’re drinking a decent sour. Once you let it warm, the complexity and balance emerge for a stunning combo.

Dark brown, a beige head that won’t go away, lacing everywhere. Mixed nose of tart cherry, strong oak, rich bourbon, some vanilla and chocolate, roasted malt. The flavor exhibits less alcohol and fruit, more of a sweet porter character with roasted malt and sweet bourbon playing off of the slight sour cherry and wood, sticky vanilla that dries the mouth, a little chalky chocolate in the finish. Interplay top notch. This is another complex, controlled beer from CL, the bourbon so perfectly balanced that you can laugh away an entire section of sugar bomb barrel-aged imperial stouts while knocking back a 750 of refinement here. This defies style, but craft is ever present once it warms.

Poured black with a brown head. Aroma of bourbon, chocolate, and a hint of vanilla. Started off with bourbon flavors with chocolate and some fruit hints. Almost a smokey finish.

Bottle thanks to dchmela. Thanks, Dave! This was hugely different from the rum barrel SFTO, and a hell of a lot better. Pretty much black pour with huge pillowy light tan head that lasted all of the way down. Totally unique beer, almost like a Baltic porter mixed with a lambic, as odd as that sounds. Sour and metallic nose at first, but the metal mellowed out, leaving sour funky wood, a hint of chocolate, and some sour cherry notes. I swear there could be brett in this beer. taste, but with more of a bitter cocoa finish. Odd and wonderful.

Completely surprised by the sourness. Quite tasty, but sour tartness. Dark brown pour with nose of that sourness. It actually tastes like brett was added.

Deep brown in colour with a long lasting beige coloured head, rather creamy, very good lacing. The aroma is lightly sour and acidic, sweet, bourbon with some light alcohol. The flavour is lightly sour, some bourbon,oak, chalky chocolate, moderate sweetness. Lightly sour mouthfeel, medium body, high carbonation. Finishes sweet/sour with some bourbon heat.

Is this supposed to be so sour? Not a whole lot of bourbon which was just fine with me. Infected or intended sourness?

750ml bottle obtained in a trade with TheCheeseMan, thanks Dan.
Opened on July 22, 2008.
Batch #1.