Captain Lawrence Smoke from the Oak (Wine Barrel)

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

Serve in English pint, Stem glass

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UPDATED: APR 7, 2007 Bottle shared by Hopdog, Thanks! Tasted side by side with the Smoked Porter. Wow, this had one great aroma. The aroma was like an aged red wine freshly popped open, oaky and some horseblanket detected - some funk. Black body with a nice head on it. Sugary taste, very smooth. The taste was really nothing like a porter - this would please wine lovers, did detect some vanilla and chocolate though. Alot going on here, I could drink this all night. Near the end it reached a nirvana like state. Very good. P.s. - I need more!

Thanks to hopdog for sharing this 750. Pours a deep dark black with an average bubbly darker tan head that left some lacing. Aroma of red wine, some oak, smoke buried in there. Great aroma but the porter and smoke gets covered up by the strong barrel aged thing going on here. Flavor of vanilla, oak, chocolate, woody, grapes and just a great mix of flavors. Really think the barrel aging did wonders with this one.

Blind Tiger. Nice oily deep brown almost black with some woody and amber hints- and a thinning head. Light smokey dark malts, chocolate and burnt malts, oak and vanilla with some winey characteristics- tannins and dark red fruits. Vanilla and chocolate flavor- wood, oak, wine, light smoke, and nice chocolate porter characterisitics. Complex, yet smooth. Nothing clashes in this one. Phenomenal stuff, too bad there was such a short amount of this made.

Tap at Blind Tiger...For me, this beer was great. It was somewhat like a porter, in that it was dark in color and it was smooth and easy to drink. There were even some roasty malts, vanilla and cocoa in both the aroma and the flavor. The cocoa stays through in the finish as well. BUT this beer is heavily filled with wine flavors, and it gives it a nice tartness not found in many beers today. I personally think that is great, but I think you do have to like wine to fully enjoy this. Because of the tartness, it reminds me of a Jolly Pumpkin beer. Nice Job, Captain Lawrence.

UPDATED: APR 1, 2008 [re-rate - batch 2 is even better - the tannic, red wine aroma is potent yet not brash, and the roasty notes of the porter are mild, yet present, and somehow, like magic, complimented by the wine - the same can be said of the flavor - I don’t know why wine and porter work so well together, but Scott sure found a way to make it work] Tap at Blind Tiger - dark brown with a frothy off-white head that is retained well - very oaky, slightly tart, highly tannic/red wine aroma, with very little of the original aroma of the beer remaining - this can also be said of the flavor - there is some light chocolate and a mild roastiness left from the original beer, but the smoke is very subdued, almost not even present - very dry and tannic, with lots of complex red wine flavors interminging well with the dry woodiness - it doesn’t really taste like any of the sourness comes from brett, but maybe as this beer ages this will become more clear - I really enjoyed this.

on draught at the Blind Tiger Alehouse. Very dark brown, almost black with a light brown/tan head. Aroma: A really nice of mix of red wine, chocolate, oak, and maybe even some brett. Taste is rich and chocolately, with alot of tannic,red wine, oak, vanilla. The sourness from the red wine, and perhaps some light brett, interwine very nicely with the chocolately and lightly roasty notes of the porter. The finish is lightly roasty, and lighty tart. I think this is my favorite Capt. Lawrence offering to date.

Bottle - Batch 1: Nice opaque, near black pour with a thick creamy light brown head, which is well retained. Very vinous aroma. Lively, Syrah like. Apparent oakeyness with the perfect amount of buttery malts. Fresh milk chocolate comes through with a gentle swirl of the glass. Mouthfeel is creamy, and very full, especially considering the ABV. The initial sip is a bit sour, then it mellows our perfectly with the following couple of sips. The oakey notes are subtle, and have a perfect presence. The red wine is apparent and compliments the depth of this brew. It also offers a very nice fruityness to this Porter. The sourish, vinous character surprisingly blends very well with the cocoa-like malts. There’s lots of wood, pruney notes, cherries, burnt green raisins, and lots of tart vinous qualities, with the perfect presence of late cocoa notes. The subtle roastyness in the finish gives a brief coffee like bitterness. This experimental brew is the perfect marriage of vinous qualities and a solid porter. Complex, quaffable; a nice job by the guys at Captain Lawrence. Looking foward to the other Barrel-Aged offerings.

UPDATED: MAR 26, 2007 Pours dark brown with a giant persistent head. Smells of oak, red wine, some sourness, butter, roasted malt, cherries, chocolate and nuts. Tastes of bitter hops, cherries, chocolate, nuts, underlying oak, splashes of pepper. Mouthfeel is slick and oily. Finish is of sweet malt and cherries. While this was a nice experiment, I think in this case the barrel aging detracts from the beer. It’ll be nice to see what the other BA Smoke from the Oak series have to offer.

UPDATED: APR 1, 2008 3/21/07 – 9/5/8/5/4.2: First rating for this fantastic beer. Pours black with an enormous, late-rising and resilient head. Sustained oak and vinous character in the nose nearly made me gasp the first time I smelled it. I was expecting much subtle oak notes in the aroma but this is full on buttery vanilla wood. The red wine hints that sit on top of it are like icing on the cake. Flavor is a ruddy caramel start, peanuty and oaky straight through with a touch of soy sauce, and a roasty bitter finish. The oak is more subdued, playing more of a backseat role to a winey aged porter. Very drinkable. Top notch stuff... I’m very impressed by this!

4/1/2007 – 8/5/8/5/4.2: Rerate, batch 2. Scott nailed this one in batch two, impressive as the first one was a bit of a mistake. At first pour there is little wine to be found, but a clean roast and light oak. As the beer warms, the wine comes to the fore, dominating the aroma, with a murky, complex, pinot noir expression. A touch of cedar and sour are apparent. Still a fantastic beer. I look forward to seeing how this is in a year.