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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One of the thanksgiving beers. A very effervescent grape dominated flavor. The porter part of this beer is dwarfed by the barrel ageing and wine qualities the treatment has imparted. As the beer warms you get more porter like qualites in teh form of a light roasty malt flavor. A touch of chocolate as well. The balance here is a little out of whack.

Gusher be ready! Aroma was immediately vinous with lots of dark fruit, and some funk. Taste supplied most of the chocolate and dark malt along with some oak and vanilla. Finishes with some tangy, fruity funk. Nicely blended.

Bottle (Batch 4) shared by badnewsbeers. Murky dark brown body, thick, creamy beige gushing head that leaves good lacing. Tannic, dusty nose, tangy, with coffee and chocolate notes. Tangy Euro-porter body with coffee and red grape, dusty oak/sawdust, vinaigrette, smoke, coffee, and dark chocolate. Silky palate, sharply carbonated. Complex, rich, and exquisite.

Bottle - batch 4 from hbmason...thanks Tim! - Pours dark brown with a tan foamy head. Smells smoky, a bit chocolatey, with a weird tannic red wine note. Lots of oak, with light, sour funk. Complex and lovely. Taste is pretty much the same, with some bretty funk to round it all out. I wasn’t sure how the red wine and porter was going to play, but it’s so nice. Busted this out at a wine and cheese party because it was one of the few beers I had that fit the theme.

Bottle shared by Matlzilla. This is my third beer from captain lawrence, they have all been disappointing. Lots of hype, but nothing to back it up...

Black pour from a batch four bottle. Gusher. Black pour with massive brown head. Aroma of vinous fruit, tart berry, dark fruits, milky chocolate, and oak. Lovely. Flavor of sour grape, woody smoke, burnt toast, resin, and citrus hops. Slightly bitterness in the finish cuts out the early tart kick. Superb. One of the best beers I have had.

batch 3 from Wavers1, pours dark brown, medium tan head. Aroma is red grape, vanilla, oak, and roasted malts. Flavor is mellow smoke and wood with a mildly tart finish of dry red wine. Nice stuff.

UPDATED: NOV 16, 2010 Batch 4. Bottle from blklab2007. Thanks Gianni. Per Gianni’s suggestion, along with the label on the bottle, I had this in the fridge for a few days and poured cold. Probably a good thing because it still poured out with a thick tan head. Deep brown color. I let it warm a little in the glass. Funky cherries and grapes in the aroma along with chocolate, smoke, and ash. I can definitely pick up the wine. Smells wonderful. There’s some roasty chocolate and oak flavors but there’s a lot of funky tart fruit. Lots of wine character. If you were expecting a traditional Porter with a slight wine influence then I could see being disappointed here. I enjoyed it although one pour was enough and I admit it grew old fast. The carbonation is high and that’s the only real drawback as the palate is a bit spritzy but otherwise this is rather tasty. I look forward to the other versions.

Batch# 2 Finally got around to rating this! Very dark, almost opaque, and has a lasting light beige head. The aroma is roasty, woody, and has a brett like sourness. A bit phenolic (from smoke, plasticky) and barnyardy, but just a touch; Not overpowering. Some toasty malt and brown sugary notes as well as vanilla and caramel; Some chocolate notes as it warms. The wine barrel to me is not evident up front. At least not a wine barrel characteristic. Flavor is a bit bretty with some tartness from both the barrel and dark grain acidity. Roasty flavors take a back seat and are a bit overpowered by tartness from the barrel. Finish is dry and slightly acidic. Some toasty notes. Lighter body, medium carbonation, dry m/f from carbonation, dark grains, and barrel aging. Not really my cup of "tea." I was hoping for more barrel character from wine rather than from bugs. If you like tart beers and what barrel aging can offer with said styles, this one may be for you! I can appreciate it for what it is, but I can’t say I’m a huge fan.

GABF 2009 Sample. Dark, malty, of course smoky, with malt and alcohol sweetness, bitterness, and a darkly fruity red wine edge combined with some barrel re-fermentation aspects.