Nor' Easter Winter Warmer
Captain Lawrence Brewing Company in Elmsford, New York, United States 🇺🇸
Strong Ale Regular|
Score
7.58
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Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 9.5
Notes from 11/21/2008. My favorite of the night during the VSK event at The Blind Tiger. Spent the better part of two hours sipping on my glass. Deep porter-like pour into a 12oz tulip. A inch & change of Ovaltine head atop a deep black & brown body with russet highlights. At first this was total disappointment. Just bitter coffee grounds in taste & smell. Stuff was too damn cold to get anything out of it. Had a different beer & let this one sit, eventually amassing a nice lineup of tasters to ponder. Once it warmed up considerably, it had so much going for it. Scents of smoke & chocolate malt, marshmallowy vanilla, & stollen-like bread & macerated fruit notes soften & spice up the alcohol. A bit of coffee & licorice that I just couldn't shake off near the end my only complaint. It all translated from my nose to my tongue & back. I have no idea what elderberries taste like, but the end result is delicious. Slightly milky, carbonation is soft, but just enough to keep it moving with interrupting the experience. I'm not one to usually praise Captain Lawrence. The only year round recipe I really liked he tweaked, & I felt these seasonal bottles always brought more hype then drinkability in the end. This one is very good though, right there with the Cuvee as the best stuff I've had from Pleasantville.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Bottle from TheEpeiist, thanks!",". Batch #3. Deep dark brown color. Elderberries, raisin and bourbon in the aroma. Malty sweet, alcoholic flavor with tobacco, dried fruit, figs, whisky and berries. Warming and inviting beer, with a touch of flowery and raisinny bitterness and oak in the aftertaste. Marvellous brew.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
Sample at EBF., Boston. Color is dark brown with small white head. Aromas and flavors: Dryness, berries, bourbon and malts. Lots if berries. Confusing.
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 7.5
From Feb 2008
I got this bottle in a trade with Nutbrown. Thanks Alan!
It pours from 750ml bottle(batch 2) a near pitch black with a good 1 finger head of tannish foam. Lots of lacing here as well...a nice looking brew in my Chimay glass.
The smell is of chocolate, dark fruit, and a slight nose of alcohol.
The taste has a very berry flavour first off along with some bourbon,(which grows as the session progresses and may be overdone) tartness that I guess is from the fruit, vanilla, followed by some chocolate, toffee, and some alcohol that is quite warming. Very small sips are in order here but I'm in no hurry. ;^)
It has a pretty full mouthfeel to it and it finishes with a mix of berries and chocolate. Nice. It's going to take me quite a while to finish this bottle, because of the alcohol, but the flavours I'm getting on my palate are, for the most part, quite good. Another nice offering from Captain Lawrence and I'm very pleased that I got to try it.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
[2/4/17] Draught/Bottle at Extreme Beer Fest in Boston. Dark brown. Bourbon, vanilla, fruits, sweet, malt, caramel, a bit of alcohol.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Poured into a snifter, the appearance was a semi-dark brown color with a little creamy colored head leaving some sticky lacing.
The aroma had some roast, berries, brown sugar and caramel/toffee malts.
The flavor copied the aroma pretty much spot on, leaning to the sweet side and adding some nuts. Subtle nutty to berry aftertaste hitting the finish, somewhat sticky, but slightly acceptable.
On the body, this one was medium bodied with a fair sessionability about it. Mild carbonation and the ABV felt good.
Overall, nicely done strong ale, but seemed to lean towards the English side more. Didn’t seem like there were enough or even any hoppiness in the aroma and flavor to be an American styled one.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7
Bottle. Pours a cloudy brown with small beige head leaving sticky lacing. The aroma is roast and berries. Medium mouth, roasted malt, light booze, dark fruit, candy sugar, good.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5
Location: Bottle shared at Max and Andy's Tasting, 2/28/15, Batch 1
Aroma: The aroma is bourbon, fruit, vanilla, and a bit of spice
Appearance: The pour is dark brown, and has a fairly small head
Flavor: The taste is pretty similar, lots of bourbon, a little fruit, and a little spice
Palate: The body is fairly full, with a good amount of heat still present considering the age
Overall Impression: This one seems to have pretty nicely actually. I was surprised that the heat wasn't more gone that it was. The fruitiness adds a nice component.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
22 oz. bottle, sent from Glouglouburp (thanks a lot, Dany), pours black with a small tan head. Aroma brings out strong bourbon, oak and light tart fruits. Flavour brings out lots of bourbon, lightly tart dark fruits, followed by oaky wood. Complex and drinkable, with the booze very well-hidden. Wonderful stuff.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5
Batch 4. Aroma is fairly well balanced between dark malt, fruit and barrels. Malt is fairly toasty with some chocolate notes to it. Nice vinous fruit quality with berries and tart cherries. Medium light oak and bourbon notes. Pours a very dark brown, pretty much black with a mocha head of moderate size and thickness. The head quickly recedes to the edges where it lingers. Flavor is noticeably fruitier than the aroma and the malt note is more chocolatey than roasty. Starts with a slightly sweet but tart berry note with hints of cherries and plums. Moderate chocolate with light roast. Medium low bitterness with no hop flavor. Medium low bourbon and oak note. Moderate alcohol in finish with lingering berries and chocolate. Mouthfeel is medium full to full bodied with medium low carbonation. Low tannic astringency with medium alcohol warmth. This definitely has some higher alcohols to it. Overall a nice flavorful beer, but it is definitely a winter warmer and leaves you feeling flush. I think they did a great job balancing all the flavors from the fruit, malt and barrels. One thing I might note is that I don’t get much yeast character, but I’m not sure how much I was expecting.