Captain Lawrence Smoked Porter

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

Serve in English pint, Stem glass

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My growler of this beer, with a little bit of rousing, pours with an initially fat-two-finger thick, dusty chocolate cream color that leaves some nice lacing on the sides of my glass. The beer is quite dark, definitely opaque and so close to black I am having a hard time saying it is not. The aroma is most noticeably smoky; in fact it seems characteristic of malt smoked over beech wood (rauch malz). Underneath the smoke is an interesting sweet, fruitiness; this is not always noticeable, but at times is distinctly noticed as sweetened raisins. That last is actually quite fleeting and now that I am looking for it I am having a hard time picking it out of the other aromatic components. Lots of rich malt aromatics linger around in the nose too; Aromas of toasted malt, touches of black coffee, roasted grain dust and perhaps a touch of liquorice.

Lightly sweet tasting, which accentuates notes of burnt prunes and roasted raisins. This fruit character plays second fiddle to the dark & smoke malt character though. The roasted malt flavors play a much bigger role, in comparison to the smoke flavors, than the aroma would have suggested. In fact the roasted character of this beer is the dominant flavor contributor; flavors of espresso, darkly toasted malt flower, toasted bread crust and a significant, though not overwhelming burnt acidity. This acidity from the roasted grain lingers on in the finish a bit (like the slightly acrid, sharp bit found in a dark roasted pull of espresso), it is tempered a bit by some malt sweetness, notes of chocolate and some sweet smoke flavors. The smoke for the most part plays a secondary supporting role here in the flavor. It is noticeable at all flavor points during a draught of this ale and serves as a nice foil for the roast grain flavors. Somehow it does meld and even accentuate the residual malt sweetness found in the beer. I nice mouthfeel to this beer and the body has a certain heft to it that allows the malt to cling to the palate. Medium full feeling, especially up front and through the middle; the roast acidity serves to lighten the fullness of this beer a bit starting in the middle through to the finish.

I like the heft of this beer, it could perhaps use a touch more body to offset the heavily roasted flavors, but it is almost where it needs to be. As someone who loves smoked beers, I could wish for a touch more smoke character to, but it certainly plays a significant role here (especially in the aroma). While I find that it is generally so, the contribution of the smoke to the perception of sweetness in this brew is definitely notable (this is certainly not an overly sweet beer though, it is just interesting that I am specifically noticing the interaction between smoke & perceived sweetness). I definitely can’t wait to try the barrel aged versions of this beer; I am almost quite curious to see how a beer of this heft will stand up to and not be overwhelmed by the various barrel types. This is quite a nice beer & I am certainly enjoying the ability to quaff a couple pints of this brew.

Tap @ Captain Lawrence... Poured near black with a thick, frothy brown head. Nose had an awesome smokey nose. Reminiscent of camp fire. Smokey, tobacco, leather, roasted malt. A little sweetness for balance. A little drying, nice full body too. Dark chocolate and coffee with a low bitterness despite all of the smokiness. This was one of the highlights of visiting the brewery.

On tap. Pours with a near black body with reddish highlights and a tan head that lasts. Aromas are of cola, vanilla, roast, dark fruits and smoke. Flavors are smokey, cola, dark fruits, anise, roast and a nice malty breadiness. Mouthfeel is a touch thin, medium dry, good stuff.

Pours pitch black and nearly opaque with faint mahogany edges and a half finger beige head that quickly settles into a lasting ring. Spotty lacing left behind. Nice smokey aroma with lots of burnt malt character balanced by some sweeter dark malt notes. Hints of charcoal, BBQ, meat and campfire dominating the nose but there are hits of dark chocolate, oatmeal and toffee underneath. Fuller bodied than expected. Tastes very similar to the aroma and even though there is a heavy dose of smokiness, there are some sweeter malt notes underneath. Lots of burnt malt, smoke, charcoal, smoked meat flavor up front followed by hints of toast, oatmeal and dark chocolate toward the end of the palate. A good balance of smoke and sweeter notes lingering into a dry finish. Overall I really enjoyed this beer. Most smoked porters are too tame for me but this was a bit of a smoke bomb without being one dimensional. Complex, very flavorful and easy to drink(for me at least). I would love to try the imperial version.

Fresh at the brewery for a really wonderful enveloping mouth feel. Pours darker black with a halo and nice head. Smell lightly of bacon, smoke, licorice, and more strongly of vanilla and malt. Tastes mostly sweet, vanilla, malty, more smoke forward than the smell. Modestly bitter finish. The flavor is more sweet milk stout (with a hint of lactose sour) than porter to me. If the smoke was more forward and it less sweet I’d give it a higher rating. Still really enjoyable and drinkable though.

Cask of Get Real NY - Dark malts with intense smokey notes. Smooth bodied with a light touch of hops. Finish is some astringency.

Cask at GBBF 2010. A pitch black beer with a thin brown head. The aroma has notes of roasted malt, wood, and smoke. The flavor is sweet with notes of roasted malt as well as lighter notes of smoke and wood, leading to a dry woody finish.

On tap. Served in a goblet. Reviewed from notes. Pours nearly black with a very large mocha head and really nice retention. Spotty lacing on the way down. The nose brings some light roast and smoke along with a bit of coffee. The flavor picks it back up with a really nice roast-to-coffee-to-smoke triangle going on. Well done. Medium body with a smokey finish. Good carbonation. Solid brew. Serving type: on-tap Reviewed on: 06-09-2011

Draft at Paradiso Georgetown. Murky brown color, brown head. Aroma of fireplace and charred piglets. Taste is watery roasted malt with a burnt edge.

A - Pours a dark black color with some brown hues and a nice finger of frothy tan head. The head fades slowly down to a ring around the glass leaving behind some nice lacing. S - The aroma is bursting with smoke and oak notes. There is also some sweet malt and some chocolate and coffee mixed in as well. T - Starts off with a nice mix of smoke and roasted flavors with some sweet malt and some oak and vanilla notes. Through the middle some sweet chocolate and some coffee flavors come through. The finish is a mix of some roasted and smoky flavors with some oak and chocolate that linger nicely. M - Medium-full bodied with moderate carbonation. Feels just a bit creamy. The smoke flavor feels great and balanced throughout the beer. The finish especially has some nice warming oak and smoke flavor. D - Very drinkable. Really nicely balanced flavors and very complex. The smoke feels nice and strong, but at the same times feels balanced with the rest of the flavors.

On tap at Barcade, Brooklyn. It pours deep ruby-brown with low, but sharp carbonation and a thin tan head. The nose is smoke, charcoal, bonfire, wood, caramel and leather. The taste is caramel, charcoal, cherry, plum, dark chocolate and bacon with a dry smokey finish. The mouth-feel is slightly sticky and the flavours are well-balanced. An enjoyable smoked porter.