Captain Lawrence Xtra Gold

4.2/5

AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20

750 ml bottle into chalice, no bottle date. Violent gusher upon opening, but I did not lose very much of the beer. Pours hazy golden straw color with a nice fluffy 2 finger off white head with fantastic retention and reduces to a thick cap that lasts. Some decent lacing clings to the glass, with plenty of carbonation streaming up. Aromas of huge lemon zest, clove, orange zest, pear, pepper, grass, light biscuit, and yeast spices. Damn nice big citrus forward aromas. Taste of big lemon zest, pear, pineapple, apricot, orange, pepper, clove, grass, biscuit, tart grain, and spicy yeast. Lingering notes of citrus, pepper, pear, yeast spices, tart grain, and clove on the finish for a while. Medium-high carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a fairly creamy and slightly slick mouthfeel that drinks pretty easily for being 10%. Alcohol is incredibly well hidden; with hardly any warming on the finish noticed. Overall this is definitely an excellent Tripel; with big fruitiness and nice flavor balance.

A great Tripel offering from Captain Lawrence. I have really been enjoying a lot of Tripels lately, and they are my new favorite style right now. This is my last Captain Lawrence bottle unfortunately; I may have to pick up some of the internet to try out more offerings.

Captain Lawrence St. Vincents Dubbel

4.3/5

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20

750 ml bottle into tulip, no bottle date. Pours nice hazy reddish orange color with a fairly dense 2 finger khaki head with amazing retention that reduces to a thick lacing cap. Some bits of lacing cling to the glass as well. Tons of carbonation streaming up from the bottom of the glass. Aromas of huge grape juice, raisin, molasses, caramel, chocolate, nuttiness, and spices. Huge aromas here I could smell as soon as I poured it. Nice stuff. Taste of big white grape, caramel, toasted malt, pepper, spices, bread, and molasses up front; with some chocolate and nutty notes near the finish. A slight bit of tartness in the back adds a different aspect to this, with lingering notes of chocolate, nuttiness, spices, molasses, and caramel. Finish is excellent, not too dry, leaving a nice amount of linger flavors. Nice balance of flavors as well. Alcohol is nicely hidden with none noticed except for a small warming on the finish. Great drinkability. Medium carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a nice and creamy mouthfeel. Overall this is definitely an outstanding dubbel with tons of flavor and great balance. This improved a lot as it warmed up.

Fantastic Dubbel from Captain Lawrence. Not sure if this was brewed with wild yeast or not, but the tartness added an excellent dimension to the flavor.

Captain Lawrence 5 Years Later

4.3/5

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20

750 ml bottle into oversized wine glass. Pours clear dark brown color with a huge 3 finger light tan head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a fairly thick lacing cap that lasts. Nice thick lacing clings to the glass as well. Aromas of caramel, bread, roasted malt, chocolate, orange, and pine. Nice complex and hoppy aromas. Taste of big chocolate, caramel, roasted malt, orange, and pine. Decent amount of bitterness present on the finish; with lingering notes of orange, chocolate, and roasted flavors. Medium carbonation and full bodied. Nice creamy mouthfeel and smooth drinkability for the alcohol level. No alcohol in the taste and a fair amount of warming present on the finish. Overall, a delicious black ale. Tons of flavor and complexity with easy drinkability for the alcohol level.

Outstanding Black IPA, apparently it was a one time released beer so I am glad I got to experience it.

Captain Lawrence Saison

4.3/5

AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20

750 ml bottle into oversized wine glass. Pours slightly hazy golden amber color with a nice dense 2 finger white head with great retention, that reduces to a fairly thick lacing cap that lasts. Some thick lacing clings to the glass as well. Aromas of big pepper, grass, lemon, and spicy yeast. Very nice aromas here, with nice strength. Taste of big pepper, lemon, spices, breadiness, light fruits, grass, and some funk as well. Lingering notes of lemon, spices, and pepper on the finish for a bit. No bitterness noticed as expected, but a lot of spiciness. Medium carbonation and body, easy drinking and smooth as well. No alcohol in the taste or finish. Overall, an outstanding and highly enjoyable saison with great drinkability.

More great stuff from Captain Lawrence as I expected. I will have to give them a visit if I ever go back to New York.

Captain Lawrence Captain’s Reserve Imperial IPA

4.2/5

AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20

500 ml bottle into oversized wine glass. Pours a hazy golden amber color, with a 2 finger fairly dense white head with amazing retention that reduces to a fairly thick lacing cap. Some decent lacing is left on the glass as well. Aromas of strong caramel, pine, grapefruit, mango, orange, and spices. Excellent DIPA aromas here, very strong as well. Taste of strong grapefruit, orange, pine, caramel, lemon, mango, and some spices. Decent amount of bitterness on the finish that lingers with citrus, pine, and spicy flavors. No alcohol noticed in the taste or finish. Very smooth medium-full body with medium carbonation. Nice balance of bitterness and sweetness, with the sweetness being a bit more than the bitterness. Very drinkable stuff for being 9% as well. Overall, a very excellent DIPA with great balance and drinkability.

A damn nice DIPA with lots of the hops I love in my IPAs. Very drinkable and balanced.

Captain Lawrence Nor’ Easter Winter Warmer

4/5

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20

750 ml bottle into goblet, batch 5. Pours hazy extremely dark brown color with a dense 1 finger light tan head with good retention that reduces to a small ring of lacing. A bit of lacing clings to the glass as well. Aromas of big bourbon, caramel, dark fruits, and molasses; with a bit of booze as well. Some nice strong aromas here, decent balance as well. Taste of big dark fruits(elderberries?) with some caramel and light bourbon on the front; leading to some licorice, molasses, spice, and a bit of slight tartness in the back. Some lingering sweet notes on the finish for a short bit. No bitterness noticed, as expected. Nicely full and smooth body with medium carbonation. Alcohol is extremely well hidden, not noticing any at all in the taste, but there is a decent warming after the finish. Great drinkability for 12%, but still a sipper. Overall, quite a nice Belgian dark ale. Delicious and smooth drinking.

More nice stuff from Captain Lawrence once again. It's a seasonal so I am glad I was able to experience it. It is a bourbon barrel aged Belgian dark ale brewed with elderberries.

Captain Lawrence Golden Delicious

4.2/5

AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 17/20

750 ml bottle into wine glass, this was a gusher as soon as I opened it, didn’t lose too much beer. Pours hazy golden amber color with a dense 1 finger white head with good retention that reduces to a thin lacing cap. Decent lacing clings to the glass as well. Aromas of apple cider, apple skin, brandy booziness, and a bit of spice. Interesting aromas with good strength. Taste of huge slightly tart apples, apple skin, honey, spiciness, and a bit of citrus. Lingering notes of spice, apple, and citrus sweetness on the finish. No bitterness noticed, as expected for a tripel. Medium carbonation and fairly full bodied. Alcohol is well hidden in the taste, with only a slight warming on the finish noticed. Very smooth drinking as well for being 10%. Nice balance of flavors without having too much sweetness. Overall, and excellent tripel, a little to boozy in the nose, but the taste tells a whole different story.

A very delicious tripel from Captain Lawrence, and my first one from them. It is aged in apple brandy barrels. I have many more of theirs to come in reviews, because I grabbed as many as I could when I was in NYC(they get some good praises on BA). I had quite a few when I was in NYC as well on draft, available pretty much at every decent bar(and I did visit quite a few good bars in Manhattan, but there are still more to visit when I get back out to NYC again).