Captain Lawrence Xtra Gold

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

Transparent gold with a large, fluffy white head. Nose has lots of hop and yeast, some pepper, alcohol, and a faint honey sweetness in the background. Flavor is similar except there is a fantastic balance that moves this all over the place: tripel, ipa, saison. Palate is perfectly carbonated, very long lasting. My main complaint is the alcohol, which with warmth gets in the way a bit, but this is still a master brew.

750ml October 2007 Release I received this treat from the great trader known as scthaden, thanks again Shannon. This one has been in the cellar for about 9 months now. The first pour of Xtra Gold is a perfectly clear apricot orange. The second pour became slightly hazy after the yeast was stirred up. Large carbonation bubbles explode to the surface throughout the entire glass. A slow pour produced a three finger cotton white head that fell to one finger after a couple minutes leaving thick sheet lacing down one glass and mountainous lacing down the other side. I enjoy the smell of this American Tripel. The amarillo additions add a fruitiness not found in the style that I really enjoy. The first thing that hits me is a green apple crispness that leads into light brown sugar and a slightly overripe peach. The hops leave a very citric note behind that includes lemon, mandarin orange, and mild mango. This beer has a very interesting nose to it. I like the twist Captain Lawrence put on their tripel. The flavor follows the aroma stride for stride but has a touch more pop. Caramel covered green apples lead the way but are quickly taken over by the fresh crisp snap of green apple. Ripe peach and a light brown sugar sweetness come along mid-palate with the amarillos finishing things off. Lemon, orange, and very mild mango come along on the finish and lingers for a short while. The flavors of this beer come together nicely and I’m very impressed with the hop additions, they add a great fruitiness. The mouthfeel is right where it should be on this beer. The abv is high but the body is on the lighter side of medium with a nice airy mouthfeel. There are clean alcohol fumes rising through my nose and throat. The bitterness grows as I drink leaving a bit of numbness behind but never going to far to allow me to enjoy everything else this beer has going on. This is a dangerous drinker. The abv rings in at 10% but Xtra Gold drinks a lot easier then that. They did a great job with the body and refreshing quality of this beer. The bottle is disappearing fast and I just want more. Xtra Gold is my favorite from Captain Lawrence so far, after only 5 or 6 of their beers. I love the twist they put on this tripel with the amarillo addition. I’m going to try and get my hands on more of these bottles because they’re damn good. Thanks again Shannon! Serving type: bottle 7/14/08

Bottle courtesy of hopdog and shared at hellbilly*s holiday tasting. Fermented fruits for aroma. Gold body with white head. Flavor was spicey and bitter, little harsh on the palate. Thanks Eric.

20090101 750ml brown champagne style bottle which I am pretty sure is the 2007 bottling. Lightly hazed golden with streaming eff maintaining a lofty white head of large but even bubble. Aroma is candy sweet and yeasty like an Italian bakery. Tropical notes abound with pineapple out the wazzoo and citrus blossom honey as well as some lemongrass and fresh wheat. Flavor goes further down the road of tropical flavors, in fact being dominated by those, pineapple, candied citrus, and doughy cookie. Although the carbonation is so visibly vigorous, the palate sensation is just enough to keep the rather heavy body of this beer from becoming too much in conjunction with the relative sweetness. In fact, it has a drying feel at the finish which is very nice, making it a most quaffable tripel. Huge abv is never noticed much until the numbing takes effect.

it is yeasty and gold hence the name and very fruity with some random herbey notes....actually not as great as I was hoping

AlohaC’s gathering. Thanks, by the way. People yelled at me when I compared the tart/sour smell of it to the Cantillion Grand Cru. I stand by it. Color was hazy yellow, just like the Cantillion as well. All similarities end there. Taste is yeasty, bitter, and tart. It’s sticky in the back of the throat. With all the great beers that night, this was not a favorite.

750ml at Holiday Tasting at AlohaCs this is a bottle of his about a year old. Pours gold with a bright white ring. Nose is sweet bretty and full of yeast. Taste is sweet and brite and overall pretty damn tasty.

An opaque golden yellow with a slight orange tint,a white head, aroma replete with citrus and banana. A super flavor with a clean super finsih. An excellent American ale.