Captain Lawrence Smoke from the Oak (Bourbon Barrel)

Formerly brewed at Captain Lawrence Brewing Company
Style: Porter
Elmsford, New York USA

Serve in English pint, Stem glass

send corrections   |   shelftag   |   edit barcodes   |   add pic

This has to be my favorite of the great SFTO series. A ton of oak, smoke (of course) and bourbon mix with some dark fruits and a cherry tartness. They are all great, this is my favorite.

(Bottle) Pours black with brown edges. Small, light brown head. The aroma is sourish with buttery and woodsy bourbon. Light fruity and smoky undertones. Hints of dust and light horse blanket. The roast and the fruitiness play well together. The flavour is light sweet to dry, light bitter and medium sourish. Tones of vinegar, fruits, light roasted malt and citrus acid. Bit earthy and mouldy. The mouthfeel is tart with a light carbonation. Citric tart finish. Medium bodied.

It pours thick dark rum brown with a caramel head. The aroma has big sour notes with some chocolate bourbon as well. The flavor is super sour dominant, but good with not any wild phenyl notes but pure delicous sour.

750 ml bottle from trade. Thanks! Pours a rich dark blackish brown hue, with a thick creamy light brown milk chocolate head. Thicker film, good lacing. Aromas are sour cherries, red wine, touches of oak, vanilla, roast, and cocoa. Initial is sour cherries, red wine, some vanilla. Touches of cocoa, roast, toast, and biscuits. Some mellow vanilla, as the sour cherry asserts itself fully. Into the backend, lingering vanilla, toffee, sour cherries, red wine, and lingering touches of acidity. Really became a wild beast, but in a fairly enjoyable way. Sour cherries, oak, touches of dry red wine, light Bourbon spirit, vanilla, a touch dry and roasty. Really nice, but much different than anticipated. Still fairly complex, the base and original concept still have flashes, but an enjoyable sour cherry presence rues the day.

Sampled at an East Side Bottle Liberation Society tasting. This was black with a nice tan head. Big smoke in the nose along with wood. This stout is big and smoky with plenty of bourbon notes. It is very good.

This poured a dark brown color with a small tan head. Aroma was lots of bourbon opfront, with smokey peaty malt there too. Some light chocolate and coffee is barely there as well. Flavor was almost all bourbon and roast with light smokey oak. Decent/pretty good.

Bottle generously shared at the RBSG grand tasting. Pours the color of milk chocolate with thin khaki lacing. Aroma is richer as it warms of dark chocolate, bourbon, and applewood. Flavor starts with bourbon, then figs, and finally milk chocolate. Thin body but plenty of milk chocolate and bourbon in the finish. A nice milk chocolate-bourbon hybrid but not overly oaky.

14th June 2009
Opaque black beer. Light dry palate. After the joys of the Rum and Red Wine barrel versions this came as a rude shock. This is a sour beer. Not a bad thing by itself but there is not much else going on here. Where is the malt, the bourbon? Just a bare hint of barreling. More lambic than porter. Very dissapointing.

750 ml. bottle. A nice murky brown color. Bourbon comes through nice. A lot of lacto is present as this beer is tart.

08 bottle with BuckeyeSammy: pours muddy black with a fizzy, tan head. Peat, dank, Brett notes, charred wood on the nose. Light seltzer carbonation. Tart,Flemish sour notes. Medium finish. Distinctive porter for sure.

Looks like a glass of Pepsi. yeast settling on the bottom of my glass. Nice seltzery carbonation on the front end. sour notes throughout! So unique for a porter! More like a flemish sour than a porter. Bottle from 08’