Captain Lawrence Smoke from the Oak (Wine Barrel)

Brewed by Captain Lawrence Brewing Company
Style: Porter
Pleasantville, New York USA

750 bottle batch 2 poured a dark brown in color with a one finger head of dark tan froth that settled to a thin layer. with a bit more vigor on the pour the head could become out of control. aroma has cherry, oak, funky yeast, wine, and lurking beneath it all is the porter smells it started with. flavor is such a rush initially. wood and wine mixes with funky sour, then leads on to the roasted malt and bitters of the porter. finishes dry with some acid and it just makes my tongue curl a bit. this is just fantastic, talk about totally rearranging a porter. one of the most unique blends of flavors i have tried so far.

Sampled at Hellbilly’s Hellraiser II, along with the bourbon and rum varieties. This is my second favorite of the three, after the bourbon. Dark brown pour with a medium tan head. Lots of smoke and wine fruits the aroma. Roasted maltiness and coffee in the flavor, with the wine coming through on the slightly sour finish. An interesting brew.

My Bottom Line:
Brett-like barrel dryness suffuses the raisiny fruitiness which slowly morphs into caramel before returning to fat grapes in this most complex and creative Porter.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-Geyser-like gushing eventually produces a veil of head to top the brownish ebony.
-Smoke does not stand out at all in the flavor profile.
-All flavors are perfectly integrated and work as one.
-The bubbly effervescence increases drinkability, even though it might be a bit harsh at first.
-The impression of warming alcohol must be brought forth by the barrel use.

Bottle.

Bottle shared by emacgee at the carolina crew tasting. Pours a dark brown with a small tan head. Nose is oak, funk, roasted malts. Flavor has some sour funk, coffee, deep tannins, a bit of cocoa, a bit of smoke. Vinous mouthfeel with a bit of roast. My favorite of the SFTO series so far.

Damnit, damnit, damnit. I read 20 times about the gushing bottles and had been planning on how to best deal with it and then it all slipped my mind as I casually popped the bottle. As it all gushed out, I did the ol’ "Doh!" and grabbed another glass to fill. I only lost a wee bit. Pours pitch black with a tan head that sticks around (surprise). Lots of lacing on the way down as well. Nose is strong with wood tones. Sweet wood tones. Flavor is intense. The wood that’s in this is so deep, it’s not just proper to say it’s wood. This is the living wood that rests well below the bark of the aged trees you might find. Almost a berry tone to it as well. But it’s just thick. Almost like the most robust blackberry you could ever find - multiplied by 20. Carbonation is smooth and the liquid is good too. This is very easy to drink, but I am going to say that this could use at least another year to age and mellow. Still pretty nice though. What were the type of barrels used here? Merlot? I can’t remember, but that’d be my guess.

A- Poured into the snifter very quickly as I had heard that this one is a gusher. Pours a deep reddish brown with a huge, creamy, fluffy, brown head which leaves tons of lacing as it goes down. S- The vinous red wine notes come through strong in the nose. Difficult to distinguish the varietal used but it is certainly potent. Sour, bretty notes fade to a very understated coffee smell. T- Much different than the nose let on. Lots of coffee all the way through, especially lingering towards the end. Red wine characteristics seem to float on top of the palate and are backed up by deep, rich, chocolaty maltiness. M- Strangely the carbonation in this one isn’t as agressive as you would suspect. Very creamy, medium bodied. D- Honestly, i’m not the biggest coffee fan and to me, that detracted a bit from the brew. Very interesting offering however i’m just not sure how well everything works together yet. Maybe in a year this one will grow into itself more.

(750ml bottle, Batch 2) Pours a dark brown body with a small beige head. Aroma of vinous, sour, and roasted malt. Flavor of roasted malt, vinous, prunes, light smoke, and wood with a dry finish.

Bottle shared by BlackForestCO. Thanks Jake!
Pours dark brownish with a medium tan head that it short lived. Smwll is roasty, sour and lightly funky. Taste is as advertised with a wine like flavor and sourness along with a roasty medium bodied beeriness to go along. Very well balanced and leaning slightly sour. Good stuff.