Captain Lawrence Nor’ Easter Winter Warmer

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

I don’t like the cold. I like even less the freezing horrid storms that Old Man Winter brings; the Nor’Easter. Once you know one, you love them no more, the frosty romanticism frozen solid in the pit of your stomach as fear, loathing, and gloom looms heavy upon your soul. Sunny Florida, replete with sandy beaches, skin-replenishing humidity, tiki bars, and surf is where life is truly at. Don’t agree with me? I knew there was something wrong with you, but it’s ok. There is always hope. Whether they be honest fans of the crotchety ol Nor’Easter or just inserting a little tongue-in-cheek humor, Captain Lawrence Brewing out of Pleasantville, NY offers a Winter Warmer aptly named Nor’Easter. Maybe it’s a ward to warn off the real deal? Either way, it is hopefully far more enjoyable and much less dangerous than his bigger and badder brother.

His depths are stormy browns and blacks, swirling beneath patches of khaki clouds while a thick ring lingers. As the skies prepare to open up and rain hell and high water upon winter’s hapless denizens, the Nor’Easter Winter Warmer releases its own storm of candied fruit ala fruitcake, licorice root, fig, and dates, pits included of course. The pits offer a deep earthy nuttiness while alcohol offers an eye-opening slap right at the end. I’m awake; really I am. The abrupt hit of alcohol heat also offers a compromise of sweet warmth which blends with a gruit of brown spices and wood. Certainly more inviting than his blustery brother, I dive deep in to the approaching storm and find a welcoming embrace of brown spices, figs, dates, and dry wood steeped in alcohol warmth while a pervading sweetness prevents her palate from completely poaching mine. Each quaff finishes with an assertive dryness, almost like a dry rub of brown spices, wood, and pits atop my tongue. The dark fruits are unfortunately much less prominent in the palate than they were in the nose, though there is a gentle undercurrent of dry European chocolates that were not present in the nose but are present in his palate. Are those red apples sprinkled with cinnamon? Before I have a chance to discern, they are gone. A few more quaffs, and there is nothing more to find. The Nor’Easter Winter Warmer from Captain Lawrence Brewing has blown through, blustered about, and then fizzled away.

Not too bad, but nothing ground-breaking or inspiring. I’d certainly quaff another, but in the world of winter brews, he is like many of his fellow brothers and sisters of the winter storm.

Thanks Ucusty! After I pop the cap off, the beer starts to foam up like a gusher in slow motion. Pours dark brown with a good sized tan head. Aroma might be soured or infected and I’m not sure how intentional that is. Anyway, there’s a strong berry presence, cinnamon, raisin, clove, and maybe some brett or other "bug." Tastes more malty with caramel, wood, vanilla, berries, fruity funk, toast, and earth. Finishes with a big wood and roast presence, almost stout-like in nature with plenty of hops, coffee, caramel, and light bourbon. Great mouthfeel, the carbonation is effortless, body is thick, full, and unsyrupy. Very nice, but I wonder if it’s exactly as the brewer intended...

Interesting idea with a lot going on. Vanilla and dark malts and bourbon in the nose and in the flavor, with some sweetness and some sourness. Off putting notes of alcohol (at 12% not exactly a surprise) and vanilla again from the barrels, and elderberries (I don’t think I would do that again!) and bubble gum. Great concept, but it just doesn’t work for me.

2009 Bottle Batch 4 - Thanks eyedrinkale! - Pours a lively deep brown with a small lt tan head...aroma is dangerously similar to their SFTO bottles, of which all the ones I’ve tried have been moderately to extremely fucked, so this should be interesting...tart and tannic, oaky phenols and dk berries, bourbon and some vanilla...flavour is a nice surprise as I can tell that it hasn’t been accidently soured, dark berry fruit and skin, cherry and some light chocolate...subtle bourbon, with more oak barrel taste over the actual bourbon...finish is lightly spiced with some lingering tart berry in the back of the throat...better as it opens and warms for sure...

Brown body, tan head. Aroma is sweet berry and honey. Taste is sweet and tart with yeast. Has some bitterness in the finish and alcohol.

Bottle from Batch 4. Fruity malt aroma, tangy and vinous, with a bit of alcohol. Very dark pour. Taste is a heavy fruit and hop mix - sour berries, yeast, lots of citrus flavor, and a bit of smoke. The finish has a strong chocolate presence, and the high ABV does not really show its face. I didn’t fall in love with this stuff, but it certainly is a very interesting ale.

Draft. Pours dark brown with a tan head. Light roasty and sweet dark fruity aroma. The flavor... wow, where to start. Berry like sweetness, close to blackberry, with some toffee and caramel like sweetness as well. Bourbon notes don’t dominate, but round out the flavor, with some toasty malty notes lingering underneath. Really good.

Batch 3 750 mL bottle from New Beer Distributors in Manhattan, brought back to me by a friend. Pours a very dark bronze-tinged brown color with a medium tan head. Decent head retention and lacing. The aroma is strong bourbon, oak, vanilla and elderberry, along with some notes of maple, cherries, citrus and something very faintly vegetal. Taste is tart elderberry notes, along with chocolate, bourbon, vanilla, oak, citrus. Slight alcohol warmth. Full bodied.