Captain Lawrence Smoke from the Oak (Wine Barrel)

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

(Bottle 75 cl) Courtesy of BrianK. Pours an almost opaque black with a vague tint of orange and a dense, creamy beige head. Tart aroma of Brett with lots of pleasant woody accents. Medium body, some burned malt but in a subdued fashion. Again wood and a lightly sour astringent Brett. Light and dry finish. Very refreshing and highly drinkable due to the low ABV. 250608 and 260708

Fine brew with a nice balance between the sweetness from the porter and the sourness from the wine barrel. Extremely drinkable and a really nice take on a flemish sour. Roasty Duchesse? I want another one. Thanks Paps.

Bottle, thanks to Papsoe for sharing. Black coloured with a medium sized beige head. Roasted aroma of red wine, vanilla, oak and liquorice. Roasted flavour of red wine, liquorice, oak and vanilla with acidic notes (from the wine). Long roasted finish.

750ml bottle. Batch 2. Yup... it’s a gusher alright. Rating based on two separate tastings. Much less brett initially in the aroma than the bourbon and rum finishes. Still lovely though. Pleasant wine influence. Softer red wine tannin. Dried cherry tartness. A slight suggestion of chocolate... More along the lines of cocoa. A mild funk a la dusty and slightly dank basement gently emerges. Not nearly as pungent as the other barrel releases, but this one weaves a much more delicate tapestry of aromas. A very, very faint smokiness permeates the tartness of the wine tannin. Pours a thick, completely opaque brown with a rich and creamy khaki head that lingers for the duration of the of the glass. Flavor is quite dry with plenty of subtle but well structured wine tannin. Cocoa and tart cherries. Earthy Malbec. A touch of smoke and plenty of wine soaked oak. Much more subtle and refined than the bourbon and rum finishes. For whatever reason, the wild yeast, red wine and smoked porter work wonders with each other. Quite firm on the tongue with creamy, lively, but far from overbearing carbonation. Finishes with a lengthy dose of wood and grape tannin. Top notch! Damn, I love this brewery! Huge thanks to Eugene and Joe for this awesome treat!

750 ml split in Duvel glass. Near black with lasting flat brown head and lace. Slight foamover when opening bottle. Oaky smoky tart grassy aroma. Extremely complex red wine tartness, smokiness, chocolate, earthy flavor with mild finish bitterness and lingering red wine finish. Medium-full body and medium carbo. Could use less carbo. The wine barrel aging adds complexity but the wine fruitiness seems to overwhelm the smokiness, which is the character I like. Still, excellent, but I might prefer the regular smoked porter. Also, not sure why this is categorized as a "porter" while Alaskan’s is categorized as a "smoked."

sampled with the phoenix crew... pours a dark brown burgundy color with a long lasting light brown head. it smells rather tart and fruity... more wine than beer. aromas of tannin, fruit, roast, smoke and oaky dryness. the wine mingles well in the flavor and doesn’t cover up the porter.. fruity, malty, cocoa, coffee and smoky astringency. it’s quite tart on the finish. medium body with an acidic mouth feel and parching quality from the tannins in the wood. this is the most porter-like and smoky of the three...

Batch 2. Unlike others have noted, my bottle did not gush at all. Pours a very dark mahogany color that appears black at arm’s length. A dense, spongy, light brown head displays excellent retention, sticking around to the very end and leaving thick, cobweb-like rings behind. The nose is a symphony of roasty, smoked chocolate malts, charred oak, tannic red wine, and dry, funky brett. Flavors continue this wonderful trend, with dry cocoa and bitter dark chocolate being accompanied by brett-laden, scorched oak and distinct vinous notes. The wine is more apparent in this one than the rum or bourbon is in the previous releases. A medium-full, finely carbonated body sports a dry, almost chalky feel that makes me feel that this one has already dried out enough, and won’t improve that much with age. Overall, it’s like a very fine, lightly smoked porter that’s been infused with Oerbier Reserva. For me, this was a real treat, and probably my favorite of the 3 barrel-aged versions I have tried so far. Excellent beer.

750 ml bottle from Capone’s. Opaque dark brown with a lasting tan head that lasts til the end of the glass. Lots of oak with some tannins from grapes. Very little character from the original beer. Very light porter flavor taken over by ridiculous barrel and tannins. The palate is totally over ran by carbonation, and just not very good. I don’t understand how people can drink this.