Captain Lawrence Saturday’s Sour 2011

Brewed by Captain Lawrence Brewing Company
Style: Sour Ale/Wild Ale
Elmsford, New York USA

Serve in Snifter, Tulip, Tumbler

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Pouring at the Saturday sessions of EBF. Pours a lightly hazed brown with a thin beige head. Big roast and some definite Nor’Easter notes. Bourbon, wood and toast. Very faint sourness, warm wood and bourbon. Nice malt. Thins just a touch before a big acetic acid and tangy finish. Acid lingers. Very interesting.

Multiple samples at ebf. Pour has a deep brown color and a thin head on the surface. Aroma has Mild berry, some funk, brown base, and some light barrel. Mouth feel is light and there is little carbonation. Flavor has medium acidity, funky winter warmer, some fruit, mild barrel, and a touch of dark malt roast. Interesting but the blend is not quite right here.

Reviewed from notes. Draft at Extreme Beer Fest 2011. Pours a dark brown color with a moderate off-white head that fades quickly without much in the way of lacing. The nose carries a strong berry presence atop some acidity, a bit of oak, and very mild roast. The flavor has a good dosing of the berries as well. Also there is a mild acidity plus a fair amount of oak. Bit of malt in the background. Nothing too complex. Feel is the highlight of the beer, with the berries and the acidity that’s present mixing well. A pretty good brew, but not Captain Lawrence’s finest sour attempt.

In short: A fruity bourbonny dark ale with an oaky/sour edge
How: Tap at Extreme Beer Fest 2011
The look: Dark brown body with almost no head
In long: Nose is moderately bourbonny, fruity and with funky acidic edge. In the taste I got the complex fruity character of the Nor’ Easter along with its bourbon barrels. But there was also an oaky sournes, cherry skin and tannins reminiscent of a classic Flemish Sour. Sounds good on paper but I found the blend to be a bit of clash of inharmonious flavors, one could have guessed this was a blend. I much prefer the base Nor’ Easter (which made 2/3rd of this blend). Not the highlight of EBF for sure. I talked myself out of going to EBF again next year and have decided to stay home and save some money. But then I immediately talked myself out of this idea so I’ll be back. I’m really good at talking myself out of stuff.

Draft at EBF. Pours a cloudy bruin body with a tan head and light retentino. Aromatically get lots of the berries from the Nor Easter and plenty of acedic acid, funky bruin notes, flemish notes from the sour brown. Malted body light roasteiness, plenty of berries and funky fruit tones. Hints of cherry, light wood and pit. Finishes sour with a medium warming. Pretty good.

This was less ridiculous than the random beers brought last year by Captain Lawrence but still lacked a clear identity. Somewhat detectable alcohol, berry sweetness, a bit tart. Kind of like a fruited Rodenbach Grand Cru.

Sampled from the tap at EBF. Poured a hazy amber with minimal head that dissipated completely. Aroma was full of sour berries and fruits with a bit of acid and a hint of funk. Flavor was sour berries that mellowed to more of a tartness and a had a nice funky backing throughout. Lacked a bit of complexity.