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

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Batch 2; Sampled January 2008
Pours with a frothy, initially three-finger thick, pale cocoa tinged, tan colored head that leaves some light lacing on the sides of the glass as it subsides. The beer is quite opaque (even when held up to the light) and is pretty close to being black in color. The aroma has a nice, concentrated fruit note to it that reminds me of rum soaked raisins, a bright, though dried berry note and a bit of estery banana. Underneath this, and in fact contributing to the initially noticed rum note, is a noticeable barrel influence; Aromas of vanillin, spicy wood, butterscotch-like oak and a finish of light bourbon notes are all noticeable, but at a really nice level. Unlike so many Bourbon barrel aged beers the brewer has kept the barrel notes at a secondary, almost subtle level here, though it does contribute lots of aromatics to the nose of this brew. Much of the fruitiness and some subtle spiciness (made more subtle by the more noticeable barrel notes) seems contributed by a Belgian-type yeast strain.

Sweet, fruity flavors greet my taste buds up front. The beer is actually a bit lighter in heft than the fruitiness might suggest; this definitely is a rich sipping brew though. A soft, almost velvety, creaminess accompanies the up front sweetness and continues to envelope the mouth as the beer passes through. A light, tickle of carbonation provides some structure, but does not disrupt the creaminess. Fruit flavors of prunes, raisins, and concentrated berries yield to soft oak notes of vanillin and buttery oak. More towards the finish the spicy oak character and subtle Bourbon notes provide a bit of a bite and a touch of warming character. For how dark this brew is, it has an awful small amount of roast character; it makes me wonder if much of the color came from the elderberries. Still there is some roasty notes in the finish that contribute a touch of chalky, dark grain astringency, notes of deeply toasted bread crust and even some burnt grain acidity. Perhaps a lot of the otherwise easily noticed dark grain character is just well balanced / hidden by the sweet fruit notes and barrel character.

Interestingly, when I suck in a lot of air after taking a sip I really get a strong, warming alcohol note, not unlike straight Bourbon. As the brew warms up a bit (coinciding with my second pour of this brew) from it’s initial 60°F / 15°C, the oak character becomes more noticeable; strangely, or not so considering Bourbon gets most of its flavor from oak, the Bourbon character does not become more pronounced. Still the barrel notes are held well in check by the other flavor notes that are happening in this beer. Upon further reflection though, I think that it was the piquant sweetness that has become tempered, and not the jump in barrel flavors; the sweetness is not quit so much now, even if it was never cloying, instead the beer is much more integrated, mellow somehow and just plain harmonious.

What I really like about this brew is that the Bourbon barrel was really held in check; it provides noticeable character to both the aroma and flavor, but I don’t feel like it drown out any of the base beer’s character (which is certainly the case with 90% of the barrel / oak beers being made right now). The sweetness without the bourbon / oak character would more than likely be overwhelming and detracting, but as couple here with the Bourbon and oak notes it provides a nice balance that really keeps the barrel flavors from becoming too obtrusive and overwhelming. This was a very good beer in the first, cooler pour, but once it warmed up it has become much more harmonious, more balanced and really just a great drinking experience; the fact that I drank a full 750ml bottle of this brew definitely improved the overall experience.

Bottle, many thanks coldbrewky. Dark red brown color with huge beige head. Aroma of dark berries, caramel, some flowers, pear, oak. Taste, elderberries, roasted malt, chocolate, bourbon, liquorice, wood. Long sour finish. Nice, tasty beer.

Pours a barely translucent deep sable. Aroma has notes of maple syrup and bourbon. Mouth-filling flavor has a sour apple overtone plus caramel, smoky and licorice notes. Body is average but has plenty of fizz.

Pours dark brown with a medium tan head. Aroma has light chocolate and a bit of fruit...notable sour notes...raisins and light bourbon. Flavor has a soury fruitiness and light bourbon vanilla character...mild chocolate. Mouthfeel is medium/full and creamy with a warming oaky finish that hints of bourbon. Not a fan of the soury qualities here.

Batch 5 shared with coldbrewky. dark amber color. sweet burbon, light clove, elderberry, bourbon, flowers, a tad tart. complex to a point of over kill. slightly drying mouth.

A gift from SJ. This was a nice change of pace. I always liked the American strong, but I don’t know why I don’t buy more of them. Any way, here’s what I loved about this one. The pleasant caramel malt, bourbon, wood, dark fruit with asoury / tart finish. Very enjoyable.

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!