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

Kwak

New Jersey

1.85/5  rDev -55.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

this was in the growler for about 3 hours, it poured nice and fresh.
good amber color, nice white head thick tight bubbly head sticks to the glass

the smell was of pine lots of pine, could not smell any thing else

the taste was overpowered by the pine taste of the hops I couldn't taste any other flavors, it was a little dry not very refreshing

the aftertaste was almost stale no a favorite

Serving type: growler

03-03-2008 07:43:01 | More by Kwak

KWMiles

Minnesota

1.95/5  rDev -53%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Big thanks to trxxpaxxs for this one.

Poured out of a bottle into a teku glass. Something was definitely off with this bottle...

The appearance and nose seemed fine, but the taste was something like a combination between the dentist's toothpaste and aspirin. Definitely a bummer since this beer is generally so highly regarded. I would love to give it a second chance sometime!

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2013 21:12:55 | More by KWMiles

PDXHops

South Carolina

2.28/5  rDev -45.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

500 ml bottle, poured in increments into a La Chouffe tulip. No visual dating information.

Pours a slightly hazy golden orange with a gentle, yet steady, stream of visual carbonation. A finger of white head recedes quickly, but just as quickly begins leaving some patchy lacing. sticky lacing. Subsequent pours increase the head size, but not the amount of lacing.

Aromas are underwhelming. Doughy malts and a slight mustiness somewhat obscure mild citrus and a touch of pine. Old bottle, maybe?

The flavors again have me wondering if this may be an old bottle. Mild citrus, sweet malt, rather boring overall, although there is a decent level of underlying piney bitterness. Malt dominates at the finish, with only sweetness and a bit of booze lingering. This beer is screaming for a serious injection of hops.

Overall impression: Tasty enough, but for the style, too tame, too malty, too uneventful. Not recommended.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2010 01:45:38 | More by PDXHops

BrlyHpsWtrYst

California

2.4/5  rDev -42.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

What is this?!?!

A noble hop bomb? Had at the gracious hand of a great trader at the Local watering hole

A: Light amber with a quickly dissapating white head
S: Spicy.. not fragrant pine or citrus, just.. like saaz or other Noble, very english hop profile
T: definately not what I expected. This embodies the East coast vs West hop conundrum. Hops like wet newspaper. Very interesting to drink. but I do not like it.
M: effervescent. lively. very deceptive for the higher abv
D: Maybe I'm spoiled on the beer we get out here. This is not a poorly crafted beer. "I" just don't like it. I am glad to have tried it.. especially because a BA brought it out from the east, but hey, some beers don't strike a chord. but I feel honored to have the opportunity to know I didn't care for it.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2011 06:32:06 | More by BrlyHpsWtrYst

goodbyeohio

Oregon

2.42/5  rDev -41.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

thanks loren for a couple of half liters of this.

first one was unimpressive, fell flat. promised to review the second, which was kept cold since arriving here in or.

clear golden pour with a solid head. very fluffy and bright to look at. extremely odd aroma. rye bread, honey, and a really stinky, rotten sweaty foot hop note. tastes strong. body is right, but finish is somewhat boozy. the flavor rides a strange line between sweet malts and earthy, pissy green oil. warmth brings a child's chewable vitamin aroma and further flavors of hollow abrasive bitterness.

this is a far cry from the beer i had many times in growlers. unfortunately, this beer needs serious work before the bottles rival the 'P' to the 'E', or most other dipa's for that matter.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2009 04:09:41 | More by goodbyeohio

jtmartino

California

2.78/5  rDev -33%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Poured from a bottle into my Bruery snifter. Beer pours a honey gold with almost two fingers of frothy white head.

Beer smells strongly of sweet biscuity malt and some pine. Very little fruity aroma from this one compared to some of the other DIPAs I've been drinking lately (Pliny the Younger and Elder, Kern Citra, Lagunitas SF Fusion, etc.)

Taste is has a clean sweetness up front tapering into some pine and bitter grapefruit. Some grassy notes from the hops. Leaves an astrigent bitter flavor in your mouth at the end. Honestly not as flavorful or complex as I had hoped. Could really use less bittering hops and more aroma.

Mouthfeel is very smooth and even a little creamy. The best aspect of this beer.

This bottle was purchased less than a month ago, but it tastes like it's old. I'm hoping that my underwhelming experience with this beer is due to its age. It is just about average in every regard, and does not stack up to other DIPAs (especially not those from the West Coast.) A little sweet, a little bland, and a little astrigent at the end. I'd drink it on tap, but I wouldn't buy a bottle again. I'm not really sure what people are thinking rating this so high.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2012 03:43:13 | More by jtmartino

AdamPenna

New York

2.91/5  rDev -29.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a murky amber. Lots of sediment. Good-looking fluffy white head, about two fingers-worth, which shrinks half a finger. Attractive lacing. In the bottle, the aroma seemed more hoppy than in the glass. Smelling mostly sweetness, malt. Mouthfeel is ok. Not much carbonation, none of that oily feel I like. I'm not getting much of the hops. A little alcohol kick. Some sourness, too. I was going to have one of these at Canterbury Ales in Huntington, NY on tap this afternoon, but had to leave after one Dogfish Head 90 Minute. Maybe it's my bottle, but I'm not impressed. This beer isn't exactly the ultimate for hop lovers as the bottle claims.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2013 22:45:03 | More by AdamPenna

largadeer

Kentucky

2.98/5  rDev -28.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

500ml bottle kindly supplied by Dyan. Thanks, big guy.

Pale golden-amber, brilliantly clear and bright, this is a beautiful beer. Two fingers of head settles down to a thin disc that retains very well.

The nose is signature East Coast DIPA; big malts to match big hops with solventy alcohol backing it up. Sweet and tropical with scents of pineapple and Mandarin orange.

Opens up sweet on the palate, honey and caramel flavors competing with fruity, tropical hop flavors for the forefront. Medium in body, thankfully not too syrupy, but not nearly as crisp or dry as I'd like. Finishes with a blast of resiny, herbal hops that, while not too bitter, have an odd astringency to them.

Not a bad beer on the whole, but really rough around the edges. The sweetness muddles the hop flavor, and the finish is unpleasantly rough. Needs some work.

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2009 04:54:28 | More by largadeer

claspada

New Jersey

3.08/5  rDev -25.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Aromas of grapefruit and piney hops, light bready maltiness. Smells pretty standard for the style..

The taste follows smell, copious amount of grapefruit and pine, some light bready pale malts in the background but let's be honest this is s hop bomb. Frankly it is a tad to astringent and resiny for my liking. Reminds me of a lesser Pliney which I also thought was too unbalanced to the hopside.

Mouthfeel is properly carbonated and full; quite sticky. Really lasts and lingers on the palate. Overall this is a decent DIPA but not malty enough/in balance for my preference. As I have said before I think they should have a DIPA category for malty high ABV beers and an Imperial IPA category for the hopbombs, anyway...

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2011 17:49:32 | More by claspada

Rhettroactive

Virginia

3.08/5  rDev -25.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

From 500mL bottle to Bruges hybrid glass on 9/8/11
*From notes

A: 2.25 finger head on a good pour. Solid lacing rims the glass. Lighter then I'd expected - pale golden brilliance.

S: Some decent citrus, though it's slightly muted for a DIPA.

T: A bit hot. It's got a touch of burnt rubber to it. It's more biting then it is juicy or fully balanced. I'm get the feeling this bottle may be a bit on ths stale side.

M: Killer body. Rich and creamy. The carbonation is tops, and the feel really carries this beer.

O: The bottle of Captain Lawrence's Imperial IPA that I had was clearly on the not-so-fresh side. I bet that when fresh, this may be a damn good DIPA. As it was sampled...meh.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2011 18:07:54 | More by Rhettroactive

jpmclaug

South Carolina

3.1/5  rDev -25.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Poured into my perfect pint glass from the bottle

A - Pale yellow with a white head on top, very clear and light colored for a DIPA

S - A light citrusy aroma with a bit pale malt backbone

T - Moderately hoppy, slightly boozy, I get citrus notes from the hops and a bit of pine. More balanced than I'd like for the style

M - medium body with a normal amount of carbonation

D - Meh. Not as good as I was expecting. Could hide the booze better and give more hop flavor/aroma. Worth trying but I wouldn't seek this out again. I wonder about the freshness of this but the lack of a bottling date forces me to stick with my review.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2011 23:07:12 | More by jpmclaug

mjl21

California

3.13/5  rDev -24.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Acquired via trade...thanks Mikey. Really cool looking 16.9 oz bottle poured into an Imperial pint glass. No abv info or bottling info is given.

A-A very interesting looking beer. It it quite clear and looks like a pilsner with brown highlights. It is the lightest IPA i have ever seen. It has a large two finger off white head that has some great retention. It has lots of visible bubbles and leaves some nice lacing.

S-Not surprisingly, it smells like an East Coast DIPA. There is lots of sweet malt aroma along with some biscuit malt. There is some pineapple and some underlying pine. As it warms I get some floral/grassy hop aromas.

T-The biscuit and sweet malt along with some pine hit first. The pineapple citrus hits more in the back. There is some noticeable booze in between sips. The aftertaste is a combination of alcohol, grassy hops, and some bitter aspirin.

M-Thicker bodied, well carbonated, and creamy from the massive head.

D-Boozy and too rough for me.

This one didn't come together for me. I think there are some good flavor profiles going, but they just don't mesh entirely. I would like to try it fresh from the tap before reserving final judgment.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2009 00:40:27 | More by mjl21

LilBeerDoctor

New York

3.15/5  rDev -24.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bottle. Pours a clear light orange with a thick white head. Aroma of garlicky hops, piney hops, graham cracker, and light citrus. Also an odd aroma I can't really place, but it makes the beer smell rather odd. Flavor of citrus with some piney and crackery malt notes. Much different from the draft form. I don't know...there's just something off in this beer, but I don't know what it is.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2009 19:18:31 | More by LilBeerDoctor

nhindian

Pennsylvania

3.15/5  rDev -24.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

16.9oz bottle poured into a New Belgium globe. Purchased at Whole Foods Bowery in Manhattan.

A - Pours a light goldenrod color, a bit brighter than most DIPAs I've had before. There's a big, 3-fingered head on here that is off-white, with excellent retention. Rocky foam lasts for ages, and it leaves its mark on the glass as well in the form of sticky lacing. It's clear as well, with a ton of carbonation streaming out of the etched glass bottom.

S - The smell is certainly interesting on this beer. The thing that surprised me right out of the gate was the earthy, musty note here. Seriously, it's even bordering on funky. Very unique for the style in my opinion but I'm not entirely sure its intentional. Besides that, the hops essentially dominate the nose, with incredibly juicy grapefruit and tropical fruits. There's some slight caramel malts here as well, but expect them to be buried underneath the hops and funk.

T - Again, I'm getting a lot of tart funkiness at the start of this beer. However, I am liking it a lot less here than the complexity it adds to the nose. I feel it overpowers and feels out of place here, even after praising it in the nose. Thankfully the hops are still here in full force, bringing notes of grapefruit, mango, orange, and even a little pine. The malts help balance everything out here for the most part, but the bitterness does last a while in the finish.

M - Mouthfeel is moderately heavy-bodied with high carbonation. It feels decent in the mouth, perhaps a bit heavy. The hops don't destroy the palate at all, but does have the effect of weighing it down a bit.

D/O - Drinkability is moderate. I liked the earthiness in the nose but can't say I enjoyed it in the taste. Still a pretty good IPA, and a nice introduction to this brewery for me.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2011 05:59:50 | More by nhindian

cannabanaceae

Washington

3.18/5  rDev -23.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Sent FRESH from mikey711-Thanks

Beautiful color, nice frothy head, some lacing.

Smell was very low key, faint citrus fruit, sweet malt. Not much.

Taste is way more hoppy than you would think when you smelled it, some grapefruit, a little pine, lots of bitterness. The malt bill on this has an unusual blood orange taste that finishes very interesting. Not much alcohol present considering the 9%ABV> Mouthfeel was smooth and dry.

Glad to have tried this NY DIPA. I would have liked more hoppy smell and a little more sweetness. This is worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2010 01:34:24 | More by cannabanaceae

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

dfillius

Michigan

3.2/5  rDev -22.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Enjoyed at the Ginger Man in NYC in a pint glass.
A: 1/2 finger of creamy white head with great retention. Cloudy dark orange color. Very pretty.
S: Little smells at first, some alcohol, tiny grassy/piney hop.
T: Fairly hoppy, some alcohol. As it warms a lot of alcohol, then a tiny hop aftertaste.
M: A bit of heat, good carbonation. As it warms, much more heat.
D: Too much alcohol, not enough hops.

Serving type: on-tap

04-24-2008 21:16:57 | More by dfillius

soulgrowl

United Kingdom (England)

3.2/5  rDev -22.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Clear, honey-amber with flecks of hops or yeast or something. Thin head. Spectacular fresh hop aroma, like sniffing hop cones - leafy and herbal, piney, spicy, and very floral. Hayfever sufferers beware. A slight honey-caramel malt base backs it up. The cask carbonation does not do any favors for this very thick, malt-forward brew, which is much more sweet than it is bitter (a pretty big no-no for a DIPA in my book). Still, the hop flavor is full and nuanced, ripe with cilantro, pine, citrus, and pineapple. But it doesn't have the scorching, raw lupulin quality of a good DIPA. Tangy and sweet finish, far from dry. The hop flavor is good enough to keep this malt bomb drinkable for half a pint, and the alcohol is well-hidden, but a full pint would be more than plenty for me.

Serving type: cask

08-06-2009 08:14:09 | More by soulgrowl

glazeman

Illinois

3.2/5  rDev -22.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A: medium golden straw color with a 3 finger white head that has excellent retention and lacing.

S: Lots of citrus notes, in particular grapefruit and lemon.

T: Big bitter hop profile up front but without much specific piney flavor or citrus notes. Finish is a little too chalky for my taste.

M: Fine, but the chalkiness makes it less crisp than I would like. Perhaps a little over carbonated as well.

O: This was an ok DIPA, but not one that I would really want again.

Serving type: bottle

07-28-2011 01:22:29 | More by glazeman

Overlord

California

3.25/5  rDev -21.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks Pentecost! Pours gold with a hint of orange. An inch or two of white foam head.

Smells interesting. Kind of like medicinal pine with a hint of sugary malt. Okay. Not what I expected, but I'll roll with it.

Taste is a dank, earthy pine-i-ness with some citrus notes, a strange dirt aftertaste, and a bit of herbal juiciness. Nice thick mouthfeel. The pine and earthiness is all obliterating.

One of the strangest DIPAs I can ever recall having.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2010 08:54:12 | More by Overlord

xanok

Massachusetts

3.25/5  rDev -21.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Poured into a tulip glass.

A-Pours an oustanding gold with 2 fingers of white head that leaves fantastic lacing.

S-Citrus fruits and floral hops dominate the aroma.

T-Very fruity, as expected. Pineapple and grapefruit seem to stand out the most to me. Malts are present but take a backseat. I expected more of a hop finish that just wasn't there.

M-Low carb, medium bodied. Not a heavy aftertaste.

D-Goes down shockingly easy for a DIPA. Alcohol is well hidden. If I was actually very fond of this, I could probably drink a couple bombers. Unfortunately I'm not too impressed.

I was excited to try this. This is only one of two offerings from Captain Lawrence readily available in CT and I'm a bit bummed out by this one. Overall, a decent DIPA, but I expected more carbs and hops.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2010 06:02:32 | More by xanok

BarrytheBear

Wisconsin

3.25/5  rDev -21.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Bottle courtesy of rmjavanut, Thank you Ryan. Shared with the father-in-law over the holiday weekend while living a life of leisure.

Pale gold with a thin white cover that lasts the duration of the beer. Tiny bubbles rise to the surface and each sip leaves a spattering a lace.

Khafir lime, pepper, bread dough, a bitter heat on the nose. The octane is foreshadowed well here.

Taste trends much the same. Try as I might to conjure up a different experience, this beer just seems muddles. I'm having real trouble pulling the five hop varieties here. What is present is heavy bitterness and alcohol heat. Peppery bitterness on the end and the long lingering astringency leave me wondering where the amazing hops that many other reviewers seem to find have gone to hide. Sadly, this bottle plays average to me.

Mouthfeel is nice a thick and if there were some distinguishing features here, this would be a nice long sipper along the fine feel and body. I have another bottle via Ryan's generosity and I will enter with some hope and trepidation. As experienced here, this is very middle of the road.

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2011 20:01:50 | More by BarrytheBear

dasenebler

Maine

3.28/5  rDev -21%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I'm digging the German-style pint bottle, though the proof's in the pudding... or should be.

Poured into my Aventinus glass for the hell of it. Really nice clear gold color with an even more impressive head and lacing.

Aroma has hints of citrus and spice, but not nearly enough hop presence for a DIPA.

Flavor is decent. Definitely bitter, but not really impressive in terms of hop flavor. I get a lot of residual sugary sweetness and maltiness, which might be a sign most of the hoppiness has dissipated, and that this bottle is past its prime. Excellent mouthfeel and carbonation are redeeming factors.

I can't tell if this beer is past its prime because there is no dating information on the bottle. In the end, the price was right on this bottle (4 dollars), so I can't complain too much.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2010 04:09:42 | More by dasenebler

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.3/5  rDev -20.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This poured out as a hazy looking golden copper color with a fluffy white head on top. The lacing was pretty good here and the retention wasn't bad either. The smell of the beer gives off some really nice hoppy aromas. The taste was very good at first but it seemed to get a little strange in the aftertaste. I'm not entirely sure why. The mouthfeel of the beer was pretty good, it was thick and oily which I enjoyed. Overall everything but the aftertaste on this beer was good to me.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2011 18:54:30 | More by Knapp85

barleywinefiend

Washington

3.33/5  rDev -19.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A: Poured a deep yellow color with good carbonation, nice white head, leaving plenty of bubbles

S: Caramel, bread, pine and passion fruits

T: Sordove blah. Tropical fruits, hints at pine on end, caramel, bready

M: Lighter to medium body, light booze sting

D: Average

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2010 04:29:39 | More by barleywinefiend