Captain Lawrence Xtra Gold

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

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip

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I sampled this beer at the Lazy Boy Saloon and I enjoyed it so much that I stopped sampling other beers and started to order pints of the Xtra Gold. I would recommend this beer to people who enjoy Stella Artois

Huge, very dense & fine, just yellow tinted head, very stable and fed by fine bubbling from darker golden beer. Exploding nose of speculoos (distance), and hops (closeby); dry hopbales, but not necessarily C-hops; dry alcohol as in aftershave; really lupulin nose and slightly peppery, as well as mandarine peel. Taste: aha - here agian the speculoos with faintly sweet spices, still a lot of hops, quite dry. Ends greenery-like, very hoppy, fresh hops. There is malt body, but it is not preponderant. Medium to well bodied, better than most tripels, even when the attenuation is properly high. Very good beer, American Tripel indeed. Thanks Brian! Great!

Thanks to hopdog for sharing. Hazy golden-yellow body with a soapy, frothy pure white head. Aroma of dough, pear-like esters, and a note of sulfur. Very bready flavor along with sweet apple, bananas, herbal phenols, and some greenness in the finish. A good American tripel.

2006 vintage: Straw yellow with the slightest bit of haze. Tightly packed pillow of white foam. Brightly nuanced aroma contains mango, dried papaya, pear, cantaloupe and peach scents. Highly floral, perfumey and dusty with some puttylike yeast accents and plasticy phenols, as well. Vivacious effervescence expands as it hits the palate, but quickly softens. Unfiltered and bottle conditioned. Explosively hoppy and bitterly grassy, yet laden with supple notes of mango which are gently lifted by snappy phenols and scratchy minerals. Hops are delightfully assertive, though they carry an overabundance of chalk and limp resin which overshadow and hinder the brighter hop subtleties. Dusty yeast works in tandem with the clean, invigorating dryness and attempts to scrub the palate clean of the tacky mango notes. Bristling phenols harmonize and enliven the firm, crackery malts, which blossom at cellar temperature. Rose petals and lavender lend ample softness to the nuanced yeast derivatives. Finishes beautifully, as firm, dryish Pils malt lays a crisp foundation for an artfully balanced and understated blend of perfume, aniseed, grassy hops, and sap-drizzled mango. Refreshing phenols accompany the polished peach and mango belches. All in all, the hops lack a certain degree of refinement (flabby, overly resinous, chalky [Amarillo surely must be the culprit], slightly acidic) but the yeast character is lovely, the malts equally vivid as they are restrained, and the balance is nearly flawless. This is definitely something worth spending several hours on, pondering and discovering its numerous subtleties as it evolves. For maximum pleasure, allow this to breathe for 30 minutes or so. Thanks for the bottle, puzzl!

Much thanks to hopdog for opening this requested treat. I’ve been digging these guys since trying the Dubbel a while back... Appears a semi-transparent haze of light gold with a 3 finger, fluffy, off-white, soapy head. Humungous chunks of sea foam lacing are left around the glass. Smell is of peaches, spicy pepper, apricots, and pears. Taste is of the mentioned aromas with light apples, pears, and vanilla notes coming through. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, smooth, sugary, bready with medium volumes of CO2 that fit well.

750ml bottles acquired in trades with JoeMcPhee & puzzl (thanks guys!). Opend to a loud psst. Poured a medium and cloudy golden color with a huge sized head. Aromas of spiced pears, yeast, apples, bananas, and a little bready. Tastes of spices, fruity, and yeast. Lacing left on the glass. Medium sweet but not overly sweet (a problem I find with the majority of American brewed tripels). My 2nd beer by this brewery and I’d like to get my hands on more of their beers!

UPDATED: DEC 9, 2007 Poured a hazy golden color with a large, white head that left nice lacing on the glass. Aroma of vanilla, citrus fruits, earthy yeast, with tons of spices, and a bit of apple as well. Taste of more spices, coriander and orange peel, with more citrus, candy sugar, vanilla cream, and a bit of white pepper. Thanks Steve!

UPDATED: DEC 3, 2007 2007-11-30, Papsø’s Blind Tasting, 7-3-7-4-15=36
Cloudy blond color; huge head. Very nice hoppy aroma, elderflowers and some fruits, but not persistent; hop leaves. Medium body, some sweetness, the hopping is good (flowery, delicate oils, lightly fruity...), bit it’s a bit too warming and alcoholic, and apparently the yeast left a bitterish trace. Anyway, good.

2007-01-01, draught at Hop Devil, NYC, 7-4-8-4-16=39
Blond color. The aroma is soft, malty and fruity. Very sweet for being a Triple, a bit spicy, oranges, not thick. Refreshing and pleasant.

2006 750ml bottle. Hazy amber in color with a nice lasting thiick foamy head. Bready and fruity aroma. Apple and banana notes. Yeasty and peppery fruity flavor. Sweet and hoppy. White peppery notes. Finish is bitter. Medium bodied. Well balanced beer. Very drinkable. Nice.

2006 750 ml bottle. Slightly hazy amber color with a thick foamy head, mostly lasting. Lots of bubbles. Fruity and bready aromas-- lemon, banana and apple jacks cereal. Flavor is crisp and minerally, with only slight sweetness. Not overly candied like some other Belgian-style beers. A bit of white pepper spiciness on the finish. Some hoppy biterness lingers on the palate. Not the best tripel out there of course, but a respectable product. A great balance of sweet and spicy/bitter flavors. A bit pricey (I think I paid $14), but that’s understandable as it’s a rare special style made by a small quality craft brewery.