Captain Lawrence Liquid Gold

Brewed by Captain Lawrence Brewing Company
Style: Belgian Ale
Elmsford, New York USA

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

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Pours from the growler’d bottle with a frothy, initially one-finger thick, pale, almost perfectly white colored head. The beer is a brilliantly clear, full gold color, that shows bright, yellow-gold highlights when held up to the light. Initially this smells of herbal, slightly lemon-like hops, but a deeper inspection reveals aromas of honey-like malt, grassy grain notes, soda-cracker aromatics and some light fermentation character. The fermentation character produces some fruit notes reminiscent of apples a distinct, yet subtle, note of metallic white-wine grape varietal and a sweet citrus aromatic. It also has a hint of phenolics, as well as a touch of ginger / peppery spice aromatics and a yeast-signature of earthy-spice note. Really the hops are the most noticeable note, but they in no way dominate the aromatic profile of this brew.

Fairly dry up front, but it does pick up some sweet malt notes reminiscent to honey and grain. Grassy, herbal hop notes are noticeable from the first and slowly morph into a biting, solid, mouth coating bitterness that lingers on in the finish. I should say that the bitterness is not any where near overwhelming, just the signature of an American brewer trying to put a personal signature into his interpretation of the style* (*whatever that means). The hop character towards the finish intermingles with spicy fermentation notes of pepper (also contributed by the carbonation, which has held up well), ginger and clove like turpenes. Light bodied enough to be quite drinkable, but it does have a soft body to it that is easily offset by the medium-light, yet persistent carbonation. As my palate gets used to the hop character a slightly tart fruit character becomes noticeable in the flavor; again notes of metallic white grapes (sauvignon Blanc, though more Chardonnay), a hint of pear and a touch of melon are noticeable especially towards the middle where the slight malt sweetness picks up a bit. The dry, grassy grain and soda cracker malt notes from the aroma are much subdued in the flavor, instead it has more of a sweet bready flavor. As the beer warms up a bit it picks up a touch more green/earthy spice character (if that makes any sense) and the complex fruitiness picks up a bit as well.

In a very rare occurrence for a bottle of this size, I am left wondering why I don’t have more of this beer to continue drinking. This is a very solid brew, sort of a cross between a Pale Ale and a Belgian Blond; I like the fresh hop character here and the light, spicy / fruity yeast contribution works quite well. I really do like the more recent twist of including a significant hop presence in these characterful yeast driven styles (by both Belgian & American Brewers). I might have wished for a more rustic yeast and / or fermentation temperature regime, but that would most likely be pushing this beer out of reach of the average consumer & more than likely outside what the brewer was trying to accomplish. This beer is tasty enough that I wouldn’t mind having this on tap as an every day beer, which is a soft way of saying this is quite tasty. If this beer had been less than 5% abv and still maintained the general flavor profile and balance, It would be perfection in a glass; it is a touch too strong to be that, but it still this is one damn good, more than the sum of its parts, just plain enjoyable brew.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Mrbendo kicks ass!

Pours a translucent gold with a paperthin head. Aroma of light Belgian yeast. Taste is light with a hint of banana and hops. Nothing too special but easy to drink. Nice on a hot day ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

Bottle, Realy golden color.. very attractive. not trhat much head...smells of citrus, lemon and spice.. pretty tangy and sweet..almost like a saison...really good

Heavy spices and grains in aroma. The flavor is sweet, grainy malts, a strong hint of bubblegum and a complex hop flavor in the finish.

Great easy drinking session beer. Well balanced and smooth with plenty of complexity of flavor.

Tap @ Captain Lawrence... Poured hazy, pale yellow with a lacy, white head. Solid belgian with a grassy, earthy floraliness, big time candiness and spicy yeast esters. Some citrus and cloves for complexity with a bubblegum or cotton candy probably from the yeast fermentation.

draft at the tasting room. pour has a golden color and a thin covering of white head. aroma has wet grass, yeast, malt, and some bitterness. mouth feel is medium but coats well with average carbonation. flavor has wet grass, mild bitterness, belgian yeast, citrus touches, and some light sweetness. nice beer and the texture is heavy enough while it stays easy drinking.

On tap at the brewery. Pours out a nice golden hue, white head, decent lacing. Aromas are nice, straw, citrus, a tad yeasty, but nothing overwhelming. Palate is quite balanced with the belgian yeast hitting up front with the citrus rolling over the mid and a dry finish. Nice grassy notes as well make this very sessionable. Well done.

Grassy, golden syrup flavor. Nice full body for a golden. Nice sessionable ale.

Cloudy, Sweet, Belgian style aroma. Tastes quite Belgian to me, sweet, fruity, banana, slight bitterness. Very drinkable.

On tap at Captain Lawrence brewery, Pleasantville, NY. A golden coloured pour with a healthy white head on top. Sweet, Belgian style aroma. Tastes quite Belgian to me, sweet, fruity, banana, slight bitterness. Very drinkable.