Captain Lawrence Imperial Smoke from the Oak (Apple Brandy Barrel)

Formerly brewed at Captain Lawrence Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Strong Porter
Elmsford, New York USA

Serve in Shaker, Snifter

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750mL bottle. Poured very deep brown with a short-ish, dense dark tan head.. looked good in the glass. The aroma picked up meaty campfire-smoked malts, baker’s chocolate, and some licorice.. a little peppery Calvados present, but more apple wood than liquor.. very nice. The flavor found near-burnt licorice, chocolate, and other black malts, with tasty smoke laced throughout.. spicier toward the back, with the brandy showing up.. Calvados, smoke, and dry roast on the belly-warming finish. Medium-plus bodied with enough carbonation to keep it moving through the palate.. excellent brew!

750mL that I forgot to upload a picture for. The pour is a clear, deep mahogany topped with a dark tan head. Aroma of bacon, giant smoked barbecue, sharp peat smoked malt, salty meat. Taste is sharp and sweet brandy, rich smoked malts, bacon, some light tartness and lactic acidity balance rich, meaty, oily smokiness. Palate is superlative- sharp, bitter, lavender soapy almost but not chemical. Very complex and well integrated. Pretty bad ass.

In short: A nice roasted black ale with a bit of some and mild brandy barrel
How: Bottle 750ml, consumed almost exactly one year after the beer release. Part of the 3 bottle + glass gift set. Thanks a million Jay for the gift set
The look: Black body topped by a medium tan head with medium retention
In long: Nose is a pleasant mix of sweet roastiness (burnt chocolate cake), some smoke, nice wood and a mild apple brandy presence. Taste is roasted smoked almonds, burnt malts, lots of wood, a bite in a red apple, some ashes, fudge, lots of roast, a bit of coffee, a bit of smoke. Quite sweet but roasted enough to hide most of it. This beer is actually quite drinkable, no problem drinking the full 750ml. Very good stuff here, one of the best beers I drank on that night, and I hate when the day after I got really drunk my wife tells me "we need to talk" and it’s never about which beer I preferred last night.

Bottle. Pours a dark bruin near black body with a tan coffee esk head with good retention and light lacing around the ring of the glass. This barrel seems to deviate the most from the smoked porter it self. Aromatic character under the smoke and peat was fruitier and sweeter than the rest of the beers in the CL gift set. Apple cores, bubble gum, brandy notes very strong on the nose of the beer. Seems sweeter and tart all at once. Soft and chewy almost a gummy note and somewhat reminiscent of faint watermelon sweetness, surely a complicated aroma. Body does have a similar inherent velvet texture from the smoky body but its a bit thinner a hint of acidity and apple cores. My least favorite of the trio.

Bottle. Pours black with tan head. Intense nose of smoked pork, apple, chocolate and vanilla. Taste is very strong BBQ pork, chocolate covered bacon, vanilla and spiced malts. Thick body. Absolutely delicious.

[RBSG11] Nearly opaque black / dark brown color with a small, tan head that left nice lacing on the glass. Aroma of smoked malts, roast, cocoa, vanilla, apple, and light alcohol. Taste of dark roasted malts, super burnt smoky wood, some lighter vanilla, apple brandy, and light alcohol in the finish.

Bottle shared by Adam, thanks! Pours a near clear dark brown with a brown head that dissipates to the edges. Aroma has a note of apples and brandy with roasted malts and a hint of dry dark grains. Flavor has a good amount of smokiness with a bit of apple and underlying dark roasted malts and dry dark grain.

Bottle at RBSG Grand Tasting. Pours deep brown with a beige head. Awesome big smokey aroma with peaty and sweet notes. The flavor has peaty smoke, light fruit, brandy, and more smokeed dark malts. Good stuff.

750 ml bottle from dmac. Thanks, dude. Shared in succession with the deyholla agenda. Pours a richer deep blackish pour, darker middle is near opaque, darker hue with gentle brownish edges and bottom. Good frothy tannish head laces ok, sticks around as an ok layer. Aromas are gentle smoke that grows, cocoa and toasty malts, firmer smoke and peaty malts, campfire and roasty. Some caramel and toast. Earth, woody smoke and oak. Gentle apple brandy struggles a bit more than Rum against the base. Initial is medium bodied, smokey and richer cherrywood, campfire, and dryness. A firm roastiness dies out into the middle with some nice brandy barrel, apple and vanilla, oak, wet oak, spirit is gentle. A bit sweeter and thicker in there. Backend quickly gets more smokey, iodine and peat, richer earth and smoke. Apple brandy integrates in quite the interesting manner. Finish is toasty, smokey, smoked apples really comes into play with the barrel and base here. I think Rum and Apple are similar in score, but different experiences completely. I’d give the edge to Apple here. Solid, smoked apple presence is enjoyable. Flavorful. Tasty. A touch better than Rum I think.

Bottle. Pours black with tan head. Nose has vanilla, coconut, apple brandy, cocoa, bacon. Flavors are papery, brandy, cocoa, raisin. Good.