Captain Lawrence Smoke from the Oak (Wine Barrel)

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

In short: An original half-funky, highly roasted, fruity and slightly sour dark ale of some kind.
How: Bottle 750ml. Batch 2. Many times. Fresh a few months after its release up until this bottle that is over 1 year of age.
The look: Near black body topped by a large light-brown head (a real gusher)
In long: Nose is a funky empty red-wine barrel. Taste is not as funky as the nose and the funky turns sour and dry. Taste has a rather weird mix of green apples sourness, highly roasted grainy malts, oak barrel, dark grapes, red wine, hint of chocolate. The beer is rather dry with a mix of tannins and high roastiness. Foamy body and expansive carbonation. I hear that starting with batch 3 they’re taking the funk out of the beer to resolve the notorious gushing/explosion “problems” of this beer. But if you ask me I think the funk of that beer is what made it great. That beer definitely has a better exit strategy than a certain former government…

Bottle from The Ginger Man. Black body, soapy head.chocolate aroma, with wine. Malted tastes, but sourness is clearly there and cumulative. The bulk of the mouthfeel is above average. Late in the bottle, more wine, more sour aroma, and more lace.Oak in minority, perhaps this doesn’t age all that well.

C&C 750 emacgee was kind enough to share. Unfortunately, a good portion got shared all over my hotel’s mirror as it blew up and gushed. Anyway, murky brown with a tan head. nose is rather smoky and oaky (hence the name, I guess) , tart fruitiness (grape?) and a touch of funkiness. Flavors is odd, chocolate and earth, tannic and tart, woody... a crazy beer that works well.

I’ve had batch 2 of this beer like 3 times now, I need to go a ahead and rate it. Alright, so definitely refrigerate this one for 24 hours. I blew a bottle all over Immy’s hotel room bc one was underchilled. So it pours a nice dark brown that allows some light. Generous foamy tan head. The nose is tart and tannic, nice oak character, barrel shows for sure, some sweetness, earthy. Flavor is reminiscent of a JP beer. Tart and tannic, higher than normal carbonation. nice sourness blended with the porter character, barrel gives a nice feel. Enjoyed every time.

[Bottle] Pours a clear brown with lots of floaties out of a gushing bottle. Aroma is quite smoky, earthy, brett, oak, and not a whole lot of wine character. Flavor is smoky and funky, but not really in a way that complements the flavors or aromas of the beer, an odd, confusing sourness, and a meatiness that is not something I really attribute to something sour.

750ml bottle from DLD 09. Pours dark brown black with a beige head. Rich caramel and roasted malts with an unappealing ashiness. Similar bland of caramel and roasted malts with some muted red fruit/red wine notes. Solid beer.

SourFest II. Courtesy of MattSciGuy. Black color with a large head. Light smoky aroma; definite oak. Smoke is much stronger in the taste. Dry chocolate malt and roastiness. No distinct wine notes, but a little vinous. Tasty.

Sampled at Skyview Sourfest II and shared by MatSciGuy. Pours a hazy dark brown brew with an average beige head that slowly dissipates to a thin ring and some spotty lacing. Aroma of roasted dark malt, some chocolate, smoked wood, a hint of Pinot Noir, and some tart grapes. Taste is medium bodied and highly carbonated, with flavors of smoked dark malt, tart red grapes, a little yeast funk and chocolate. Finish has a mild smoked dark malt aftertaste with a chocolate and tart red grape flavor.