Captain Lawrence Smoke from the Oak (Wine Barrel)

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

Batch #2. Popped the top and gushed all over the sink. Man, I hate that. Pours a slightly watery opaque black with a frothy, active tan head. Aroma is bretty, I was very surprised at the tartness of the brett on such a dark beer. Nose also has plenty of wood pulp, dark cherries, red grapes, heavily oaked red wine, smoke, burnt toast and some light sweetness. Flavor is again big on the brett, tart, sour, wood pulp, red wine, red grapes, toasted grains, bread, slight smoke, some brown sugar sweetness, chocolate. Finish is all at once slightly sweet, slightly tart and only medium bodied. Very unique. I was surprised at how well the brett flavors and the wine flavors and the porter flavors all came together.

Black with a large beige head. Sourish aroma with roasted malt, coffee and woody notes. Sweet and sour flavor with roasted malt, grapefruits, berries, barnyard and coffee notes. Finished sour.

750 ml courtesy of a couple possible people, but I remember TheEpeeist. Thanks, Chris! The next bottle in my CL Adventure. Pours a very dark brownish hue, ruby brown edges , near opaque except edges and bottom of the tulip, with a massive cakey brown head that stays fairly big, laces well. Aromas are sour from a mile away, sour cherries and red wine tannins mix liberally with oak, chocolate bitter and sweet malts beneath with a decent dose of roast, toast, and red wine. Very interesting, with the contrast between sour and roast, smells fairly potent, feels thick just on the nose. Initial is medium bodied, thinned out from the oak barrel, preaching red wine tannins up front, some sour cherries, wild yeast and wet oak, with some subtle smokiness. Moves into roasted and chocolate malts, really leaving an interesting chocolate coat on the back of the palate, very mocha-esque. Silky, yet not really sweet. Instead, the beer moves back into a more dominant red wine feel, tannins and oak, with a decent sourness come in, but all the while chocolate and creamy sweet malts hit just a bit, sticking on the end of the beer. Leaves an interesting mix in the aftertaste, tart and sweet, oaky... the balance and mouthfeel (or rather, the experience on the whole and the stages it goes through) are quite lovely. Sourness/tartness is at a moderate level, letting the roasted and sweeter chocolate malts and mocha, coffee still take an important element in the beer as a whole. Very enjoyable. Got me excited for the next beers in my CL Cellar run.. also happy to have another botte of this!

Bottle shared by alexsdad06. Poured a dark black color with a large frothy light brown head that mostly lasted with excellent lacing. Moderate toasted malt, wood and wine aroma. Medium body with a smooth texture and lively carbonation. Medium to heavy red wine bitter flavor with a medium to heavy bitter finish of moderate duration. My expectations where not met with what may be a bad bottle.

GABF ’09.
Pours a deep mahogany with an aroma of cedar and red wine. Flavor is chardonnay and cedar, with strawberry preserves emerging in the finish. Thick and full on the tongue. Subtle but assertive. A very nice beer.

Bottle, batch 3, dark brown with lasting tan foam, aroma of wine and chocolate , Flavors are dominated by the dry pinot with some good smoke and cherries, Finish is lively

750, capped and a bit of a gusher. Pours opaque very dark brown with a thick tan head. Aroma of funk, vinegar layered over chocolate. Medium-to-light body and medium-to-full carbonation. Sour taste of wood, chocolate, red wine. Dry,sour and somewhat astringent oak finish. I agree with the brewer that the marriage of beer and oak can be a truly wonderful thing. Unfortunately, oaking is not a silver bullet and this beer ends up being unbalanced. It is either infected or just plain lost the fight with the wine barrel.

Sample at GABF 2009. Pours a dark cola brown with thin tan head. Aroma is sour with notes of red wine, fresh berries, light vinegar, muted chocolate and coffee with an earthiness. Flavor is malty and lightly sour with notes of fresh berries, smoke, chocolate, light barnyard funk and caramel. Medium body with a pleasing finish.