Latest reviews from Elmsford
| 86 /100 444 SAW MILL RIVER RD “This place is outstanding. A little tricky to find. Great patio, cheap sampler sizes, food onsite. Good beer.“ |
| 82 /100 444 SAW MILL RIVER RD “Nice brewery for visiting. They’ve taken the standard brewery in an industrial park look, and taken it up a bit with some actual light in the tasting room, big glass windows, and a pretty nice looking backyard with lots of seating and some live music. Tours left every hour maybe? I didn’t go, but it seemed like they would have a solid tour. Sampling and 12 oz cups available, as well as bottles to go (6-packs and cases) and growlers to go (64 and 32). They do fill others growlers, which is handy if you happen to have a car full of empty ones as I did this particular day. The sampling is $2 for the glass and then you buy tokens (5 for $5 or 12 for $10). Most samples are 1 token, though they were charging 2 tokens for the Palate Shiftier. (A little overpriced for a sampler in my opinion, and the growler prices are a touch high as well). They had on 6 or so beers I’d not seen before in addition to 5 or 6 their beers that you can find in bottles around town. No sours on my visit. Decent sized crowd for a Sunday afternoon, but there was still seating to be found. Definitely seems like a cool place to hang out in for locals on a nice weekend afternoon, and certainly worth a stop if you are driving through area. I’m not sure I’d go really far out of the way to get here, but I wouldn’t judge you if you did. I think they had some sort of guest food/snacks, but I didn’t try it.
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| 82 /100 444 SAW MILL RIVER RD “Visited during Sour’ed in September. Nice size taproom. Beer is great of course. Not a lot of beers other than the regular stuff you usually see when I was there as they saved most of their special brews for the fest. Awesome food outside.“ |
| 84 /100 444 SAW MILL RIVER RD “The tasting room was comfortable with high seats and tables or stand around oak cask tables. They had a dozen or so beers on tap including some experimental brews. Taste beers in a 4 oz logo cup, buy pints, fill growlers, buy bottled selections. Sip delicious beers by the glass wall looking out to the production area. A local restaurant was serving some delicious sandwiches at a decent price. I enjoyed the tour of the brewery given by an enthusiastic ausie. I really enjoyed the visit and look forward to going back again soon.“ |
| 68 /100 444 SAW MILL RIVER RD “As someone who has frequented Captain Lawrence for years, it’s tough to give the new location a helpful review. Gone are the days of the bottle release bottle shares, and the tiny cramped tasting/growler fill room. Now it’s a much bigger space with more room to spread out and a more professional setup. That said, the people that fill growlers and tasters run the gamut from knowledgeable and friendly to, well, I won’t call them any names. The selection on tap also widely varies... the staples are almost always on and on the lucky days, you might get three or four small batch experimental offerings. On the unlucky days, you might be stuck tasting just their pale ale, kolsch, and IPA. They have outside food vendors come in and provide the food--and I’ve had some great gourmet dogs and bbq sandwiches. It’s worth the stop if you haven’t had much from them (or if you want to chance it for some pilot batch beers).“ |
| 70 /100 444 SAW MILL RIVER RD “Been by twice to fill growlers. FYI, they do not fill 32oz growlers. Industrial section of a fairly nondescript town. Big tasting area, wood bar. A little drinking area inside the actual brewery. You have to pay for a tasting glass, which you keep, and then pay for tokens for samples. I’ve been once when it was packed and once when it was empty. The crowd is always interesting (traditional beer people, blue collar types, hipsters, guidos). Always 8-10 offerings on tap for samples and growlers. Another 10 or so items in bottles. Bottle prices are a touch high, everything else is right in line. Work a stop of you’re heading through the area.“ |
| 86 /100 444 SAW MILL RIVER RD “Stopped by here recently on a Sunday afternoon. This is a really nice brewery for an afternoon visit. The first time you go I suppose it can be a little confusing to "get with the program" (buy a tasting glass, buy your casino tokens for the tastings, get on the sample line vs the growler or beerware line...immediately get on line again as soon as you have your first tasting in hand, repeat)...but I think it’s kind of silly to criticize the place or ding them in your ratings for something that basically works very well (reminds my of traffic circles...most efficient way to move cars vs traffic lights...but lots of people can’t figure them out and complain about them...lol!). Anyway, fun place...with outdoor beer garden...bocce court...comfortable chairs...food vendor (Village Dogs). I also like the glass doors and "porch" looking into the brewery operations. All in all I had a great afternoon there and the people I spoke with also seemed to be enjoying themselves. This is a great place to meet people and enjoy beer conversations. They had 8 good to great beers on tap when I visited. I especially enjoyed the IPA, Imperial IPA, and the Smoked Porter. Great place to visit with a group of friends...or alone.“ |
| 84 /100 444 SAW MILL RIVER RD “Went there right at 4pm when the tasting room just opened. The pocker chips you buy to get a 4 ounce taster is nice. Good beer selection. Great service and great atmosphere.“ |
| 86 /100 444 SAW MILL RIVER RD “Hey! It’s another brewery in an industrial warehouse park thingy. If I had a dollar for every brewery I’ve visited in an industrial park I can’t tell you how much money I’d have, but I could certainly by a nice dinner. It looks like they’ve put a lot of work into the place. They had an outdoor picnic area with entertainment. Inside they had some tables and barrels for folks to gather around. Apparently they use to give away samples which they no longer do. Now they sell poker chips which can be redeemed. $5 gets you 5 samples. $2 gets you a 4 ounce taster and you’re first sample. so 7 bucks for a 6 beer flight and a sample glass is a damn good deal. I hadn’t had a lot of their stuff before but what I had on the day was fantastic. They had 5-6 regulars as well as 5-6 seasonals/one-offs. Also if you buy bombers or merch they also give you additional sample chips which, btw, don’t expire. This place is a gem and I can’t wait to get back.“ |
| 86 /100 444 SAW MILL RIVER RD “Thought I reviewed this from earlier summer visit..guess not..so here goes..tucked into the side of an industrial building..long and narrow tasting area..gave out wristband style rip off tickets to sample brews..had quite a variety to sample..everything was fresh and tasty..tour was enjoyable..tasting area had food for sale..hummus platters and charcuterie..picked up a few bottles to bring home..worth the stop despite somewhat odd location and parking..“ |
| 90 /100 444 SAW MILL RIVER RD “odd location in an industrial park made it a little hard to find, but well worth a visit. beers ranged from good to excellent. very friendly service, and you can’t beat $2 for a sampler of anything and everything on tap. awesome deal.“ |
| 84 /100 444 SAW MILL RIVER RD “
[Visit 2012 Oct] New location with a outdoor beer garden with food, which I didn’t try. It’s much bigger and more or an establishment now than just a tasting room. It will develop a patina eventually I hope but it’s less warm and inclusive. Grower prices are still amazing. Bottle prices didn’t seem to be too much less than in the city. Staff was awesome and hilarious.
[Visit 2011] This is a great stop on your way up to dia:beacon or Storm King or just for a nice drive out of the City. On a saturday afternoon this place was hopping with locals and beer geeks alike. All were hanging out in a tiny bar like area for tastes as well growler fills and bottles takeaway. They had a handful of each for sale and super reasonable prices. People were spilling into the brewing and area where there were stacks of oak barrels. Quite a sight and a nice environment filled with the smell of good beer. Super awesome place and probably the best brewery in the state!“ |
| 78 /100 444 SAW MILL RIVER RD “Stopped in on the way back from a visit to NYC. A small area with a good number of taps for sampling. Also had a decent number of bottles available for sale. Staff was very conversationable and knowledgeable. Prices were nice and definitely worth a stop if your in the area.“ |
| 84 /100 444 SAW MILL RIVER RD “Tap room in a warehouse type brewery. The place was packed, but the people here were very nice anyway. $2 gets you a tasting glass to keep and pretty much all the samples you can drink. The beers ranged from solid to very good. Parking is plentiful around the industrial park. There are lots of tables and barrels around and a large outside area. The prices were good. I wish other breweries that serve tons of people did it this efficiently and this well. Well done.“ |
| 84 /100 444 SAW MILL RIVER RD “CL is a well designed taproom. The main room has different queues for growler fills and samples, with plenty of merchandise and bottles displayed for purchase. You can also stand in a fenced-off area on the brewery floor - I liked this, and spent some time watching the brewers run the bottling line. There’s also an outdoor patio area with picnic tables and a bocce court. Unfortunately, my world-class bocce skills didn’t shine on this occasion! The value is excellent: for $2 you get unlimited pours of their draft beers. When I visited, they had 5 of their core beers on plus another 2 experimental brews. The beers were of great quality. More limited bottles were available for sale. Unfortunately, you aren’t allowed to drink bottles on site, a minor inconvenience. The ambiance is laid-back and pleasant. The place seemed to be filled with locals. The service was fine. Overall, it’s a nice afternoon out. I didn’t regret my field trip up from Manhattan.“ |
| 92 /100 444 SAW MILL RIVER RD “The food is actually improving as they’ve added Chef Johnson to improve upon the more limited menu. Bocce court was added in June and an outside ’beer garden’. Always have drafts, growlers, bottles at the ready and typically have something on that isn’t part of the ’usual’ lineup. Well staffed the few times I’ve visited.“ |
| 84 /100 444 SAW MILL RIVER RD “Stopped by to grab a few bottles while visiting the area. Enjoyed the unlimited and free samples of fresh brews. You cant beat free. Also able to pick up a few bottles and beer gear. All the employees were great and had the chance to speak at length about their brewery.“ |
| 80 /100 444 SAW MILL RIVER RD “Been here tons of times when I lived in Westchester. Small place but free samples of whatever is on 6 taps. the staff is cool and i ’ve been for a few beer releases where they had free food in parking lot and everyone brought beers and had a really fun time out there. look forward to seeing new facility when it opens“ |
| 92 /100 444 SAW MILL RIVER RD “6 or so beers on tap and all free! Not much of a tour. And they were selling rosso e Marrone behind the bar. Really liked the place, extremely knowledgable staff.“ |
| 80 /100 444 SAW MILL RIVER RD “Now this is an interesting place to visit. The tap room is the front room of the brewery, with the entire brewing operation in the back. I think they are open on Saturdays, and the place gets packed. High end hot dogs, chicken sandwiches, and fries are available. The personable head guy sometimes gives the tours himself, and provides an interesting commentary on the operation. In the tap room you can have free samples and purchase growlers, bombers, and T-shirts. On the day I was there, a steady stream of folks showed up to have their growlers filled with 9-10 varieties of fresh CL from their taps. It is not located as close to public transportation as their former Pleasantville place was, but that doesn’t appear to be holding anyone back from visiting. Watch out for irritable drivers in the crowded parking lot.“ |
| 88 /100 444 SAW MILL RIVER RD “It’s a Saturday. Driving up, the blank white facade looks desolate and utilitarian. Immediately inside, though, the warehouse exterior is transformed into something between a cosy living room and a bar. Accolades dot the walls, a persian rug fills the space in front of the bar eagerly trampled by thirsty fans with empty cups and growlers. Chatter and stale beer fill the air. After grabbing our samples, my girlfriend and I head into the less crowded, yet (strangely) equally accessible brewery area. Later, Scott lead us around the brewery, and gave very knowledgeable information, which I thought was pretty cool. I know the place is small, but getting to actually meet the brewer adds a lot to the value in my opinion. Speaking of value, the samples and tour were free. What? We bought a lot of merchandise, and will definitely be back.“ |
| 98 /100 444 SAW MILL RIVER RD “Some of the best micro brews in the world are brewed here in the back room where you can look out amongst the operations and the stacks of kegs. Get pretty much anything on tap for your growler or pick up a case of 22 oz bottles. The Captains Reserve is the best beer I have ever had...the epitome of Double IPA.“ |
| 84 /100 444 SAW MILL RIVER RD “Unpretentious and a bit crowded. Not a bad selection of beer on tap (all the samples are free). Scott is nice guy who usually is mulling around. Best part of the brewery is the crowd of beer geeks that forms outside the brewery during special releases.“ |
| 92 /100 444 SAW MILL RIVER RD “I man never disappointed with their excellent variety of delicious Ales!“ |
| 78 /100 444 SAW MILL RIVER RD “Very unsuspecting location that you would easily miss were it not for this site. Teeming with locals filling up their growlers. Fair bottle offerings and really nice samples. Very relaxed atmosphere and they allow you to mill about the brewery on the weekend.“ |
| 82 /100 444 SAW MILL RIVER RD “Updated rating after first visit to new location in Elmsford, NY that is much easier to get to than their old Pleasantville location (about 1/2 mile off 287). The new location has a much expanded tasting room, but still offers six different beers on draft. They’ve now expanded their bottling, which will help make Captain Lawrence grow. When I went there, the place was PACKED, literally 100+ people waiting in line for free samples. I skipped that line and went right to the front for growler refills. Smart choice to have a separate line just for that. They now offer snacks (dried meats, cheese plates, etc) at fair prices and growlers are $10 for a refill. Despite the expansion, the beer is still DELICIOUS. I highly recommend the Captain’s Reserve 2x IPA and the Xtra Gold.“ |
| 72 /100 444 SAW MILL RIVER RD “Went down on a Saturday, an hour before closing. The tasting room was cozy, but quite crowded. My girlfriend and I took a tour of the place, led by an enthusiastic guy who took us around the large vats and wood barrels. Overall, it is hard to knock the generous amount of free tastings they allow every customer, but given that I came roughly 1 1/2 hours to for just 5 beers on tap and no Smoke From the Oak, N’or Eastern, or Rosse Marrone, its hard not to feel let down.“ |
| 78 /100 444 SAW MILL RIVER RD “Excellent place to hit when you’ve got the time. Scott and Co. are happy to pour large free tastes of piles of tasty treats, and while brief, the tour is quite cool. Scott clearly loves what he’s doing and it shows. I’d go higher for service, but each time I’ve been in there for growlers and such, they’ve just been so slammed that service is often a bit behind. It’s not a bad thing perse, as the mobs of people just add to the overall experience. Parking lot tasting on releases... amazing.“ |
| 80 /100 444 SAW MILL RIVER RD “Although this brewery is almost two hours away from my home I have been there about a half dozen times already. Scott is a friendly guy but everytime I have been there he has been busy. Not that let me walk around and pretend to do something but actually jam packed busy. Ample free samples are happily poured by Scott’s family and friends as you sit there purchasing growlers, shirts, hats etc. I have never been on a guided tour of the brewery but you can walk around inside the brewery to check out the equipment on your own.“ |
| 80 /100 444 SAW MILL RIVER RD “Cool little place. Been here for a couple of their releases and it is always handled professionally. Everyone gets their alloted beers and goes home happy. I wish they had more taps though. If I remember correctly they only have 5 taps at the bar limiting your choices. They don’t have an Impy stout which also sucks. It is usually colder than warmer in New York so I don’t know why they don’t brew an impy stout. Other than that the DIPA is always on tap and that stuff is amazing.“ |
| 82 /100 444 SAW MILL RIVER RD “I feel myself very fortunate to live so close to this
top shelf brewery. I have been to many wonderful
breweries all over our great nation and I have to
report that the beer here at Captain Lawrence has got
to be one of the finest ambrosias available to mankind.
The Double IPA is not matched for flavor and
freshness! The Pale Ale is Magnificent! And you will
never be disappointed with any of there seasonal
favorites! Everyone that works there is very proud to work at this treasure-trove of taste.
I highly recommend visiting The Captain Lawrence Brewery next time
you are traveling up the Saw Mill Parkway through
Westchester New York! Hazza and Cheers!!!
“ |
| 80 /100 444 SAW MILL RIVER RD “Visited for the noon release of Cuvee de Castleton, and found the brewery small but enjoyable, in the vein of other taproom-only establishments that caters towards local fans for growler fills and friends of the brewery. There is only a taproom and it’s function is growler fills and samples (no pints sold by law), so be sure to tip well when you visit. The folks here are top-notch.“ |
| 88 /100 444 SAW MILL RIVER RD “What a fun place to go for their early Friday evening tasting. Excellent beers. Tons of growlers going out. Generous samples. Nice people. Excellent. Only took a point off for not having any bottles for sale. I was hoping to procure a bottle of smoke from the oak, but it was the wrong time of year.“ |
| 84 /100 444 SAW MILL RIVER RD “I had the good fortune of visiting in January and meeting Scott and the whole crew. This little industrial hole in the wall in a commuter town is a nice little gem. They have quite a bustling growler business in the evening and open some fun beers. Scott talked a little about what he’s done and what he plans on doing. I had samples of a number of their draft beers, scored a good selection of 750s and even got to do some trading. The tasting room is well decked out and accommodating. Lots of people coming and going. Nice!“ |
| 76 /100 444 SAW MILL RIVER RD “A fun place to come hang out at. All the normal beers are growler fillable for very cheap ($12 10% IIPA including glass, $10 without). Everything is good to sample for free. Pretty out of the way, though. Westchester is otherwise a beer wasteland. When special releases are on though this place is certainly worth the trek. Half a mile from the metro-north train station, and 2 minutes off the highway. Unfortunately Scott and the crew are super-busy during all opening hours at this point and its tough to get some time in to talk to him.“ |
| 86 /100 444 SAW MILL RIVER RD “just realized how close this is to me and got a friend to make the trip over. tasting room is small but welcoming. scott was friendly and poured up a sample of each of there beers on tap and i happily got a growler filled and left with two special release bottles as well. rates are reasonable for the quality and i liked the come on in and try them all and take a growler to go concept. definitely a busy place. non stop stream of people getting fills while i was there which i guess speaks of the beers quality. i give the beer highest praises, but the setup is a little strange.“ |
| 86 /100 444 SAW MILL RIVER RD “I love going to Captain. I am fortunate enough to be able to drive only about an hour to get there so picking up bottles and growlers especially at release time is key. The place is fun and has a nice tasting room and Scott or someone is usually around to give tours during tasting hours. The beers are always good and always fresh. Scott is also usually experimenting with something and has a ton of barrels that are aging something for you to see. The Vaccaro family are all stand up people and I recommend to anyone to make it to the brewery.“ |
| 76 /100 444 SAW MILL RIVER RD “As others have said, beer that is sold at the tasting room cannot be consumed on site, so all of their pours are free samples, which are generous pours by the way. Five beers currently on tap. The place was absolutely jammed with people. Growlers were being filled constantly and at times people were three deep at the bar. The folks behind the bar were friendly and helpful and kept the beer flowing. I had a chance to meet Scott who obviously loves what he is doing and to talk about beer. Behind the tasting room is the brewery operation, and Scott lead a very informative tour. A long trip for me to get there from the North Fork of Long Island, but very glad I went.“ |
| 66 /100 444 SAW MILL RIVER RD “This is a tasting room, this is NOT a pub. And because of funny NY state laws you can buy are bottled beer and growlers but you cannot consume them in the tasting room. Nothing can be purchased and consumed in the tasting room. So what they do is give customers free samples of the currently available beers. Do not expect a large selection, just what has been brewed recently. They don’t have vintage/special bottles for customers who visit the premise. The tasting room itself is a rather unpleasant place to sample their excellent beers. A lot (and I mean a lot) of people coming in and out to get their growlers filled and buy bottles. With kegs and cases coming in and out the tasting room is in a constant hectic state and can become quite stressful. Only a few stand up tables to drink your samples. On the plus side: a great view on the brewery and the chance to chat with this amazingly talented brewer. But the main reason to visit this place is get your hands on special releases. Judging how popular these special barrel-aged releases are getting I suspect it won’t be long before the brewery is the only place you can buy them. And for that main reason I give the place a high overall rating.“ |
| 68 /100 444 SAW MILL RIVER RD “A small and functional room that opens so rarely that such a popular microbrewery residing in makes it sure to be overcrowded. And it was! Still, with them having no permits, you get the chance to try everything free. Some rarer draught only offerings are really good like the impressive regular pale ale. It is not a place to hang around, but coming here to buy a new release has a certain pilgrimage feel to it that is a big part of the beer hunting life mode. Helpful and friendly staff, despite being in heavy demand, did their best to offer excellent service. With their increasing popularity, it will become very hard to speand more than an hour in this small room, but it can still be worth it.“ |
| 76 /100 444 SAW MILL RIVER RD “This microbrewery’s tasting room is quite charming but was so full of people coming in and out, getting growler fills and wanting to taste the week’s offerings that it didn’t feel that comfortable a place to stay for a while. They do not have a license to sell beer on tap on premises, so they have to give you free samples. What a shame. :) Scott was there to serve beer with a few of his acolytes/employees, so you cannot get more knowledgeable service than that. I would not hesitate to come back down for any of his special releases (like we did for the Nor’Easter last weekend), but I would not come here to spend a few hours. Scott is brewing masterpieces and will become the next Tomme Arthur, if I may venture into prophetic territory.“ |
| 78 /100 444 SAW MILL RIVER RD “It is what it is a brewery with a tasting room. Small wooden bar and pretty much the only thing to do is stand and drink. Pretty cool direct view of the equipment and barrels. Beers poured by Scott himself and you can take home growlers and bottles of what’s available, which I did. 2 free big samples of every beer that’s on. It’s out of the way from the city but do what I did and head there early then come back into town. I’ll go back.“ |
| 72 /100 444 SAW MILL RIVER RD “Nice little tasting room they’ve got here. Light wooden bar along one side of a small office-like area. A few small tables and a window that overlooks the brewing area. I was surprised at how much space they have here for potential future expansion. Friendly folks behind the bar who were jumping to keep up with the growler fills. NIce 6-8 oz samples in a proper UK-style half pint glass rather than the typical shaker style glass. Worth visiting.“ |
| 70 /100 444 SAW MILL RIVER RD “In a small office area, once you walk in you feel right at home. Only about 4 taps, but there are free samples of everything. Bottle selection was very limited, but at least I picked up a shirt. Some great beer, no food though.“ |
| 78 /100 444 SAW MILL RIVER RD “Scott and his staff are great and although there are precious few beers they are uniformly very good. Growlers nice way to get great draft beer without having to go out or buy a keg.“ |
| 84 /100 444 SAW MILL RIVER RD “Stopped up there in June after some debate as to whether or not to make the detour - Glad I did! Cool atmosphere where 5-6 offerings were poured and growlers were constantly being filled. The sample size is about 6-8 oz, so you really get to try the beer, not just take a small slurp. Both employees and locals were friendly - the locals were surprised that someone from PA would make the trip. It was also cool to see local pride in such a new (but very high quality) place. Bottles are for sale, but the rare stuff - Cuvee De Castleton, Smoke from the Oak, etc. - was long gone. Overall a cool stop thats worth it if you are anywhere near this place.“ |
| 76 /100 444 SAW MILL RIVER RD “Just got back from the one-year anniversary celebration. We had a blast! Friendly, laid-back people. Fabulous beer.Several rate beer folks were there and brought in some select bottles to share. We just hung out by the oak barrels and talked beer. Awesome!“ |
| 80 /100 444 SAW MILL RIVER RD “Great place. First time i was there, this place is huge. Scott is very personable. Very friendly atmosphere. We were there for a RB gathering. Good beer selection. He fills growlers to go. Beers are solid. Worth a visit.“ |
| 80 /100 444 SAW MILL RIVER RD “My 50th place rating - like many others, my first experience here was for a RB gathering, which was a blast - the brewer seems like a great guy, and he was very hospitable to us ratebeer nerds - aside from the gathering, I was very impressed by the large brewery space (and the cleanliness of the place!) and the small, but nicely designed tasting room - for a new, small brewery, they really have their sh-- together - and might I add, they had the nicest bathrooms I’ve ever seen in a brewery (or bar for that matter) - the line up on tap could be a bit more varied, but every beer is solid - worth a stop.“ |
| 78 /100 444 SAW MILL RIVER RD “Great place. I visited the brewery for the Ratebeer gathering. This place is amazing, especially for such a new and upcoming microbrewery. Nice ambiance at the bar. We actually spent our time in the brewing room. Fairly large with a good amount of fermenters. All the brews I’ve tried from their line-up so far are solid. I took home a growler of the Double IPA, and the stuff is great! Definitly a place to visit.“ |
