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

Beer Selection of the Week #1 from the cellar. This is batch 3 aged 3 years I believe. I decided to review this one after losing faith in the SFTO series when I had the batch 4 last year and completely hated it. Batch 3 is superb. Gusher warning alert! SFTO’s are notorious for gushers and sure enough super carbonation insues. After the gushing it pours out a silky black body with a light coffee head. The aroma right off the bat is vastly improved. I can smell the acidity rip hard, along with cocoa, and a yeasty wild sour edge that screams Captain Lawrence. The palate is very balanced, but what I feared was a harsh acidic finish, with no flavor up front. Instead I get a rich cocoa up front with a slight lacking in the middle, almost fluffy from too much carbonation. Easy finish and you can tell this one doesn’t have the ABV that maybe it should. If i were to rate the previous one I had, it would have been maybe a 6 or 7. Faith renewed.

Another great beer by Capt Lawrence. I have never had a beer quite like this. The smoke is a player rather than dominating the whole brew. Strong astringent acidity and dark fruit/winey flavors. Delicious.

750 ml bottle, batch #4, thanks to Cletus.
A: dominate funk, roasted/slight smoke,cherry/stone fruits, hints of mint
T: tart up front, light smoke finish
A very interesting beer. I have heard of the significant inconsistencies in bottles and had that proven tonight. We got a good bottle.

750mL thanks to ryan. Small gusher. The pour is deep, blackish with an overcarbonated, massive brown head. Nose is more muddy than the Apple Brandy version. Less tight with olive brine, chemicals, plastic, licorice, and pepper in the nose. Weird Brett off-characters perhaps and mild acetone. Very strange. Volatile notes move aside for flowers and lavender and muted red wine. Even gets more complex sort of akin to Oerbier Reserva with red wine barrel with lemon, funk, and spice. Less red wine profile than the Apple Brandy version though. Taste is roasty, caramel, brine, some chalk, nutmeg and spice. Toasty. Very strange little beer.

Tasted in mid-August 2011 from a capped 750mL bottle obtained in a trade, Batch 4. This massive gusher pours a nearly black dark brown with a massive, rocky tan head that slowly recedes to rocky lace, leaving thick lace along the inside of the glass. The nose is features some cinnamon and clove spices, indicative of the oak, with molasses, dark chocolate, roasted malt, a hint of smoke, and a bit of sour apple aroma underlying. The flavor is a bit more sour apple and cherry with all of the dark chocolate and roasted notes, with the oak and the smoke finishing everything off. The body is medium with average carbonation and a long, sour, spiced oak, and smokey finish.

Bottle shared by someone at freetail release. Pours black with a lasting coffee brown head that lasts throughout the beer. Aroma is an interesting combination of roasted malt, smoke and dry wine. Flavor is dominated by smoke with some roasted malt and a bit of a dry finish.

There is an add on label on the bottle warning that the contents are under pressure. This is no joke, the cork shot halfway across the room. this is a very heady brew that pours with a fizzy whit head that lingers and as it fades leaves a heavy lacing. Smoky as and tart notes in the nose and taste. A very unique brew that was enjoyed by all at the party.

bottle at 5k tasting - sour and smokey, some brine. roasted chocolate malts, smooth with some subtle carbonation. Grapey fruit, earthy weediness, oak and fruit in the finish.