Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5
[re-rate - batch 2 is even better - the tannic, red wine aroma is potent yet not brash, and the roasty notes of the porter are mild, yet present, and somehow, like magic, complimented by the wine - the same can be said of the flavor - I don’t know why wine and porter work so well together, but Scott sure found a way to make it work] Tap at Blind Tiger - dark brown with a frothy off-white head that is retained well - very oaky, slightly tart, highly tannic/red wine aroma, with very little of the original aroma of the beer remaining - this can also be said of the flavor - there is some light chocolate and a mild roastiness left from the original beer, but the smoke is very subdued, almost not even present - very dry and tannic, with lots of complex red wine flavors interminging well with the dry woodiness - it doesn’t really taste like any of the sourness comes from brett, but maybe as this beer ages this will become more clear - I really enjoyed this.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
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!
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8
Mugs-Split Thy Skull-4 oz snifter. Color is just damned black, not even any light edges, just black all around. Small off-white lacing. Aroma is prunish boozy and charred coffee which is all peppered with wild berries. Taste is licorice, malty-raison-prune booziness. Charred coffee aftertaste that is offset by wild berries, which give off a sourish-young-sweetness (very creative and original, must be the elderberries). A bit of heat on the throat, slightly subdued carbonation, and medium bitterness.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 8.5
Tap at Mug’s Split Thy Skull - fantastic stuff! - deep, dark burgundy color, with very little head, making it look like a nice glass of dessert wine - a nose full of oak and vinous smells, with the bourbon taking a subtle back seat - berry, fig and red grape aromas - very mildly sweet, with tart, tannic character coming through early to counteract that, and almost make the beer dry - lots of oak, but this character never becomes overpowering - like in the aroma, the bourbon plays a but part (thank god!), actually complimenting the vinous notes and wood with some vanilla flavor - dark fruits weave themselves in and out of these other characteristics perfectly - wonderful - I will buy several bottles of this for keeping, regardless of the high cost.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7
Draught at Hop Devil, NYC, as Captain Lawrence Freschester Pale Ale
Muddy golden color; creamy head. The aroma shows some nice hops with fruitness. Smooth malty taste, with a good hopping, but unfortunately there is a light impression of stale beer; maybe the keg has been open too long.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
Draught at Hop Devil, NYC
Blond color. Aroma of malt, flowery. Smooth flavor, with some malt and honey, light peanuts.
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 9
2010-04-04, bottle, 8-4-9-5-18=44
Colden bright color; nice perlage, very small bubbles; medium sized head. The aroma is intense, with strong toffee; the hops are very piney, but also with a touch of vanilla and cookies. Excellent toffee flavor, with some residual sugars, but the body is quite lean; there is some cake flavor too; very strong bitterness, fresh hopping, creamy and biscuity, with soft fruits and soft resins. Powerful but harmonious.
2006-12-31, draught at Hop Devil, NYC, 8-5-9-5-18=45
Cloudy amber color; creamy head. Very nice hoppy aroma, with resins and fruits (delicate grapefruit). Good malty body, with an excellent aromatic and powerful hopping, with a lot of hop oils. Smooth and elegant. Excellent!
fiulijn (28382) reviewed Xtra Gold from Captain Lawrence Brewing Company 19 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
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.
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5
Notes from last night, tap at Hop Devil Grill. Goblet pour, small head, golden color, cannot see through the beer. Aroma is present tropical fruits and sweetness from hops. The hops are not over the top but definitely with other sweet aspects. Taste has a hop presence with Belgian sweetness, some very nice mango and apricot flavors. Low bitterness with a medium body. Very nice.
Rerate 12/12/06 from 750ml bottle. Bought it at the brewery 2 weeks ago, sat in the fridge till now. The main difference is the hops are more assertive in both nose and flavor. A bit more piney and aggressive. Also, leads to a more spiky mouthfeel. I prefer the tap version.
Rerate: 8/20/07, comparison of Batch 1 (10 months old) and Batch 2 (4 months old) in 750ml bottles. Only slight differences, 2nd batch is a clearer beer with less particles and a strong visible vortex carbonation. Batch 1 has a stronger Belgian yeasty flavors and less astringent hoppiness with softer carbonation and a slightly thicker body. The 1st batch is nicer now than when it was fresh out of the brewery. It’s also more like the original keg rating. The 2nd batch bottled is least interesting of any of the samples, hopefully time will right it more. 8/4/7/3/15
Re-rate: Batch 1 (22 months), bottle leaked in transport a little bit so I opened up tonight, had no choice. Fortunately, no ill effects and it tastes amazing. Cellar aged since I bought it. Pours with a beautiful thick head that never goes away. A thick shining golden color. Aroma is beautifil sweet with yeasty beglian dough then a a sweet citric orange peel aspect thats very original. Taste is marmalade cookie with a long yeasty sweetnes that just lingers forever. Feel slike the hops have turned into a beautiful accompaniment to the yeast of the beer. This is truely amazing right now and much better than it has ever been in its history. Mouthfeel is a pillow thickness beautifully rolling off your cheeks. And after you swallow there is a rush of sweet citric cookie rusing back from your throught to your cheeks. My rating jumps now and I am saving this as the true rating. 9/5/9/4/17
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
Tap at Waterfront Ale House, Brooklyn - I thought this was a lager at first; I thought I detected some lager yeast qualities - quite a high hop profile for the style, combining well with the spicy qualities imparted by the (belgian?) yeast strain used - medium vanilla/honey sweetness, balanced well by the hops - nice, unfiltered appearance, with a full mouthfeel - great with a meal.