Captain Lawrence Nor’ Easter Winter Warmer

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

Serve in Snifter, Trappist glass

Tastes like a dark chocolate berry. Very nice appearance, but a bit too tart for my liking.

Dark brown/black color; Medium slightly creamy body; Aroma of toasted malt, oak/wood, vanilla, & dark fruit; Flavor of roasted sweet malt, caramel, chocolate, dark fruit (notably berries), raisons, and spice; Finish is slightly sour/tart; Nicely balanced & complex; Overall, nice bourbon quality to it - very good stuff.

Nor’ Easter pours a little bit like a stout. It’s dark. A very dark brown. A nice frothy 2 finger head is poured and has nice retention. Now I was expecting to get wow’ed by the smell of this beer for some reason. The mixture that it says on the front of the bottle got me ready for something awesome. Ale with elderberries aged in bourbon barrels. Yum sounds fantastic but what I got was very muted. The Elderberries gave off the biggest smell. They were sweet. But everything else like the ripe dark fruit, caramel, and bourbon was lingering there but just small. Taste was more of the same for me. Muted. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t good though. The bourbon woody flavor definitely came through more on the taste. The berries are there and make for a kind of sour and bitter combination. Under all of that caramel and dark fruits sit on the bottom. Mouthfeel was really nice. Thick and smooth. Silky and sits in your mouth.

25oz bottle, batch 4. Pours out a nice dark brown hue, medium carbonation. Aromas are wood, vanilla, cherry, lots of malt. Palate is fantastic, the cherry and sour levels pound through the entry to mid with the barrel aging finishing it off very smooth. The levels of vanilla and cocoa are still intact although not as potent as it is fresh, but still a well rounded beer.

750ml bottle shared by the Madison crew. Deep brown-black, pronounced fruity aroma, adds a deep heavy sourness. World Class mouthfeel. Brings to mind De Dolle Reserva. Hides the alcohol well. Delicious dark malt tones merge with the fruity sourness. Perfect balance. Phenomenal!

I think Deuane brought this one for us to try. Batch 5. A - Pours dark brown with a small half finger tall off-white head leaving spotty lace down the glass. S - Smells of elderberry’s dominate the nose initially slowly giving way to hints of wet oak, dark fruits, toffee, and some light spice. Not much booze initially but it grows as it warms up. T - Starts off with a bright berry twang slowly giving way to hints of raisins, toffee, oak, vanilla and warm bourbon. This one has a lot going on at once, leaving you guessing what is going to come through next. Finish is pretty dry, lingering for some time. M - Medium body and flavor with moderate carbonation. Smooth feel initially getting a tad watery toward the end, finish is pretty dry. O - This one was pretty good. It had plenty of flavor, which was both a good and bad thing. I liked some of the older vintages I have had more but this one was still pretty good.

750ml bottle in a snifter. Pours very dark brown with a lacy, light tan head. Aroma of roasted and chocolate malts, elderberries, bourbon, some light hops, and other dark fruits. Flavor about the same, with lots of berries and bourbon. Smooth texture. A pretty good beer, but the berries are a little too much.

750ml bottle (batch 4): This one pours an opaque, ruby tinged brown color. There was almost no head and left no lacing. Nice nose. There is a heavy, fruity aroma to it: that must be the elderberries. Also some faint hints of oak and bourbon. Interesting taste. Elderberries, with a bit of sourness. A fairly full malt bodied in the background. Hint of bitterness and chocolate in the background. Excellent!