Captain's Reserve Imperial IPA - Captain Lawrence Brewing Co.

NolateM

Connecticut

4.5/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Got this growler right at their tiny little brewery.

Translucent orangey color, pretty decent head. Big hop and fruit aroma. Huge apricot, pineapple, and grapefruit flavors. Some nice grassy hops too. Not overly sweet and malty and 'barleywine-ish' like a lot of DIPAs these days. Just the right sweetness, and a generous hop bitterness, but not tongue-biting.

This reaffirmed my love of DIPAs... a style that I found myself growing bored of (so many of them taste all the same). I can only get it from the source though, or maybe a few choice restaurants in CT/NY.

$13.50 for a new growler, $10.50 for a refill

Serving type: growler

01-11-2009 23:13:13 | More by NolateM

corysmith01

New York

4.21/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

After reading the reviews, I can't say this one surprised me. All signs pointed to it being a solid IPA and those signs were right. Really bright, citrusy aroma once it was poured. Nice floral notes on the initial taste, followed closely by bitter fruit. Not as floral as say Flower Power or Double Jack, but in the ballpark. Nice crisp bitterness on the finish. A really nice DIPA, one that doesn't taste as heavy as its ABV might lead you to believe...very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 02:39:11 | More by corysmith01

Hermthegerm

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +2.4%

05-16-2013 00:46:55 | More by Hermthegerm

Zimm

New Jersey

4/5  rDev -3.6%

05-13-2013 00:32:22 | More by Zimm

dar482

New York

4.68/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.75

No bottle date on this brewery’s beers.

Pours out with a big white head composed of large bubbles. It quickly dissipates a one finger head. The color is a clear dark orange with a slight bit of green in the light.

The aroma has huge juicy peaches, pineapple, floral rose, sweet orange with a bit of grapefruit, a slight biscuit malt, and pine. Just very inviting and fresh smelling. Great aroma on this one.

Front of the tongue is huge juicy sweet peach and pineapple along with fresh big juicy grapefruit. It also has a big pine Simcoe flavor too. In the middle is this gentle malt sweetness that then eases in the finish that has a lingering grapefruit peel bitterness. There’s a good amount of malt to balance this out, though in the end, a bit light on the mouthfeel.

This is quite good. I’m really surprised as Founder Double Trouble is quite a close comparison in profile and quality to this. Having had Double Trouble recently, I can’t say that this isn’t amazing. The mouthfeel and bigger malt roundness that Double Trouble probably makes it better, but this wins on the bitterness.

I truly surprisingly world class Double IPA.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2013 05:56:05 | More by dar482

NickD208

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +8.4%

05-11-2013 19:20:53 | More by NickD208

DrewShalvoy

California

4.25/5  rDev +2.4%

05-10-2013 18:00:28 | More by DrewShalvoy

twenty5

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +2.4%

05-10-2013 16:17:08 | More by twenty5

bryang002

Illinois

4/5  rDev -3.6%

05-10-2013 03:07:27 | More by bryang002

KWMiles

Minnesota

3/5  rDev -27.7%

05-08-2013 21:12:55 | More by KWMiles

thampel09

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev +2.4%

05-07-2013 16:04:58 | More by thampel09

csustar001

Ohio

5/5  rDev +20.5%

05-02-2013 01:41:27 | More by csustar001

chippo33

Vermont

2.75/5  rDev -33.7%

05-02-2013 00:26:20 | More by chippo33

chefduff2

New York

4.5/5  rDev +8.4%

04-30-2013 06:20:32 | More by chefduff2

ManMoosePig

Connecticut

4.25/5  rDev +2.4%

04-28-2013 23:42:54 | More by ManMoosePig

deonreds

New York

4.5/5  rDev +8.4%

04-28-2013 02:20:15 | More by deonreds

ummswimmin

New Jersey

4/5  rDev -3.6%

04-27-2013 18:40:13 | More by ummswimmin

nataku00

California

4.21/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Half liter bottle poured into a tulip glass. Nice extra from a trade. Beer pours a clear golden orange with three fingers of off white foam consisting of small bubbles. Head retention is pretty decent, a couple of minutes before slowly dissipating leaving plenty of sticky lacing. Good amount of tiny bubbles streaming up from the bottom of the glass.

Nose is light grapefruit and orange peel, fruity esters, and a good amount of caramel malt sweetness. A little alcohol as well.

Bitter up front, citrus peel primarily, mellowing to sweeter orange and grapefruit flavors, pineapple, caramel malt. Dry finish, lingering citrus bitterness.

Light to medium body, refreshing carbonation, easy to drink. Pretty good DIPA.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2013 02:26:32 | More by nataku00

yankeepride

New Jersey

3.18/5  rDev -23.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 2.75

Really got a strong, foamy head on this one. Was able to pour out the entire bottle into an imperial pint glass, and the head was tough enough to just keep piling higher without spilling over. Took a whiff, and got some strong apricot notes. From there, though, it went downhill for me. It had a bit of a malty edge which I didn't expect for something less than a 10% imperial IPA. I just didn't get a flavor profile that I could identify with. It wasn't piney or citrus-laden, but just had some bread-style malts with some bittering to it. I'm a CL fan, but not of this one.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2013 04:56:47 | More by yankeepride

RyanCMcGovern

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev +2.4%

04-26-2013 00:42:04 | More by RyanCMcGovern

Nachos4two

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +2.4%

04-25-2013 23:39:49 | More by Nachos4two

nebula1999

Connecticut

4/5  rDev -3.6%

04-25-2013 23:08:48 | More by nebula1999

ipc2000

New York

4/5  rDev -3.6%

04-23-2013 03:26:22 | More by ipc2000

pknyc

New York

4.25/5  rDev +2.4%

04-22-2013 23:14:50 | More by pknyc

RollTide7

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev +2.4%

04-22-2013 01:37:56 | More by RollTide7