Freshchester Pale Ale - Captain Lawrence Brewing Co.

fmccormi

New York

4.06/5  rDev +3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Straight pour from a 12oz pry-off bottle to a tall Ommegang flute (same type of glass as the Capt. Lawrence stem); no freshness or bottling date evident, but this was purchased just a couple of days after Capt. Lawrence’s first-ever shipment to this distribution area arrived.

Appearance (4.25): Very nice looking beer—pours with almost three fingers of custard-colored foam that dies down slowly, leaving a thick, fluffy cap of rocky head as it recedes. The body is a rich, deep golden-amber color with reddish hues. Perfectly clear. There are fat, spotty suds all around the glass, merging into short, leggy swaths of lace all over the place.

Smell (4.0): Lots of that leafy, resinous, kind of dank hop character you get from Cascade and Columbus hops—citrusy, with some pineapple and grapefruit scents, but with a leafy, green character that almost smells weedy. There are some warm, moderately sweet notes underneath that come across like oatmeal cookies and caramel corn. Very nice aroma for the style.

Taste (4.0): First thing to come across is that green leafiness from the hops, which segues nicely into an herbal bitterness that sticks around for the duration, with some grapefruit rind bitterness and citrusy flavor (like candied lemon peel) bouncing around above it. The malt body is restrained, offering a grainy, bready body that’s easy to overlook underneath the hops. But it’s there, with a whole-grain toast kind of richness with a nutty finish. Very nice.

Mouthfeel (4.5): Great feel: just barely on the light- side of medium-bodied, with an active carbonation that tingles lightly and foams moderately on the way down. Mildly astringent hop oils dry out the finish, but not too much—this beer goes down very easily without challenging the drinker, like IPAs can. Finally, there was enough residual head left that you could feel a clump of foam passing your lips.

Overall (4.0): This is a very, very solid APA. To me, this is one of those things like the way you judge a restaurant by their soup: if they do the most basic and frequently overlooked part of their menu well, then you can tell they put a lot of effort into the whole thing. This is an example of that: Freshchester Pale Ale is very solid, thoroughly enjoyable, and it’s clear that even in this beer, the brewers paid attention to all the little things. Very nice beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2013 05:20:49 | More by fmccormi

jkane101

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev -11.2%

05-15-2013 00:52:52 | More by jkane101

dar482

New York

4.38/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

I had this at Spitzer's in NYC.

It comes in an amber color.

The aroma has grapefruit, pale ale malt.

The taste is quite complex. There is grapefruit, sweet pineapple, and then some pine and grassiness. The finish has a really wonderful medium grapefruit bitterness that almost makes it an IPA. Instead of a fruity flavor like some pale ales, it has a West Coast IPA pine and grapefruit punch.

A really well crafted "pale ale," though I would more call it a calmer IPA.

Serving type: on-tap

05-12-2013 06:13:32 | More by dar482

twenty5

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +1.5%

05-10-2013 16:16:58 | More by twenty5

krisbee

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev -4.8%

05-10-2013 04:11:32 | More by krisbee

JerzDevl2000

New Jersey

4.01/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Picked this up at Stew Leonard's in Clifton last week, having never seen this for sale around here before. Even though there are so many beers of this style available, I thought that this held up well against others that I've had and the relatively low alcoholic content of this made it easy to enjoy, since the hops and flavors came out stronger than I anticipated.

No doubt that the pour was the best aspect to this, as it had a almond hue that shone nicely in the light since it wasn't 100% clear by any means. The head was solid and somewhat long-lasting while the lacing was the best I've seen in my pint glass in a very, very long time. Lots of rings that had lots of thickness to them, as they never fell down the sides of the glass. The mouthfeel was quite earthy to this with a hint of metallic and dry-hopped notes thrown in for good measure with a somewhat grassy undertone with a hint of caramel malt as well. Not a lot of of a burning sensation here but there was just enough of a citrus and pine feel to remind me of exactly what kind of beer this was!

The alcohol was present here but not that potent in terms of taste or strength. Those who love the West Coast Pale Ales that exemplify this style will find this to be a bit different, as the oily base is not to be found here. I haven't had too many beers with Columbus and Palisade hops in them and they certainly gave this a mild bitterness with just a hint of warming to them as well. While not my favorite Pale Ale, there's enough to like here and this stood out just a bit that I was glad I gave it a go, even though I wish that this was just a bit more full in the mouthfeel.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2013 12:03:09 | More by JerzDevl2000

abcdefghijkyle

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +1.5%

04-17-2013 18:58:31 | More by abcdefghijkyle

GreenMountainBoy

Vermont

3.75/5  rDev -4.8%

04-14-2013 15:38:07 | More by GreenMountainBoy

Bassbeer24

New York

4/5  rDev +1.5%

04-13-2013 16:50:18 | More by Bassbeer24

thegerm87

Connecticut

1.5/5  rDev -61.9%

04-11-2013 23:42:19 | More by thegerm87

nzerbe

New York

3/5  rDev -23.9%

04-08-2013 00:14:02 | More by nzerbe

donkeyrunner

Massachusetts

3/5  rDev -23.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Chrystalline clear gold with a lager-like tight white head. Crescent moon retention leaves one fingerprint of lace on my glass.

Smells mildly like grass, orange pulp and pizza dough. Tastes the similar with more of a peppery hop and toastier malt. I've ready a lot of hoptastic reviews and my beer is missing that aspect. Could be an old 6 pack? I got it at Port Jeff Beverage Center and they seem like they reputable.

The bottle says this was inspired on the west coast and I do indeed feel like Doc on Cannery Row sitting and drinking my glass of beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2013 22:42:50 | More by donkeyrunner

spinrsx

Ontario (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

12oz bottle received in trade with iguenard - thanks!

Appearance - Slightly hazy amber/copper with an average size fizzy off-white coloured head. There is an average amount of carbonation showing and there is some decent lacing. The head lasted for around 3-4 minutes.

Smell - Hops, malts grassy, earthy notes

Taste & Mouth - There is an average amount of carbonation and I can taste caramel, malts, and hops. There is also some grass and light citrus. It ends with a malty earthy and hoppy bitter aftertaste.

Overall – A nice drinkable east coast tasting APA. If you're in the mood for an earthy/malty/hoppy beer, give this a try.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2013 00:15:17 | More by spinrsx

shabbtastic

New York

4.25/5  rDev +7.9%

04-05-2013 21:07:07 | More by shabbtastic

iL0VEbeer

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev -4.8%

04-04-2013 17:58:36 | More by iL0VEbeer

VaporDome

New York

2.75/5  rDev -30.2%

03-29-2013 23:32:11 | More by VaporDome

Dave1999

Virginia

3/5  rDev -23.9%

03-25-2013 19:25:52 | More by Dave1999

mackeyse

New York

4/5  rDev +1.5%

03-22-2013 13:29:02 | More by mackeyse

rkcrozier

New Jersey

3.25/5  rDev -17.5%

03-21-2013 12:51:30 | More by rkcrozier

JohnQVD

New York

3/5  rDev -23.9%

03-17-2013 19:48:22 | More by JohnQVD

RWACKO

New York

4/5  rDev +1.5%

03-12-2013 23:53:40 | More by RWACKO

scootsmal

New York

4/5  rDev +1.5%

03-12-2013 13:49:17 | More by scootsmal

mjtiernan

New York

3.25/5  rDev -17.5%

03-10-2013 03:47:52 | More by mjtiernan

st9647v3

New Jersey

4.5/5  rDev +14.2%

03-08-2013 04:29:04 | More by st9647v3

Ograd001

Connecticut

5/5  rDev +26.9%

03-06-2013 11:11:34 | More by Ograd001