Imperial Smoked Porter - Captain Lawrence Brewing Co.

Manoftyr

New York

4.78/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from 64oz growler into 22oz snifter.

Appearance-This is the blackest porter I've ever seen right off the bat and it pours with that slick motor oil consistency I usually associate with an RIS. A small head rises but quickly bubbles away.

Aroma-Smoke upfront of an almost peaty variety but it's by no means overwhelming, coffee and caramel undertones with a clean roastiness. No alcohol that I can smell.

Taste-Dark chocolatey malts upfront followed quickly by roasty, peaty smoke, as a reviewer before me put it this 'isn't bacon smoke' but has far more in common with the kind of smokiness you find in a peaty Scotch. Some coffee notes as well but they're an undercurrent, the big players are the chocolaty malts and the smoke which last clean and straight forward all the way to the end. After the finish the smoke leaves a nice smokey aftertaste, again, like a good peaty Scotch. Amazing, just jaw droppingly awesome.

Mouthfeel-Rich, syrupy, almost chewy with low carbonation; a perfect blanket for the peaty smoke.

Drinkability-Zero alcohol presence plus additively sip-inducing flavors make this dangerous on the drinkability scale.

Notes-Captain Lawrence was under the radar for me for awhile, none of their brews ever really 'wowed' me...until now. This beer is amazing a peat-lover and a dark malt lover's dream beer.

Serving type: growler

09-10-2010 22:34:09 | More by Manoftyr

yourefragile

District of Columbia

4/5  rDev -8.3%

01-18-2013 01:44:30 | More by yourefragile

MystikCelt

New York

4.75/5  rDev +8.9%

12-16-2012 04:55:08 | More by MystikCelt

A_Chemist

1/5  rDev -77.1%

12-07-2012 21:21:30 | More by A_Chemist

sneaks2210

New York

4.25/5  rDev -2.5%

11-14-2012 22:03:44 | More by sneaks2210

meaghan2k

New York

5/5  rDev +14.7%

09-27-2012 17:54:57 | More by meaghan2k

mrbubbler

California

4/5  rDev -8.3%

07-12-2012 03:12:28 | More by mrbubbler

beerman999999

New York

4.5/5  rDev +3.2%

03-20-2012 11:36:00 | More by beerman999999

Orbfan

New York

4.75/5  rDev +8.9%

03-11-2012 01:34:41 | More by Orbfan

smutty33

Connecticut

4.5/5  rDev +3.2%

12-30-2011 02:19:48 | More by smutty33

asparkoflife

New York

4.5/5  rDev +3.2%

12-29-2011 09:56:00 | More by asparkoflife

jackie7787

Maryland

4.5/5  rDev +3.2%

12-17-2011 20:14:31 | More by jackie7787

mltobin

Connecticut

3.93/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served on draft in Westchester NY.

This is the base beer for CLs Smoke From the Oak series. It pours a near black color with two fingers of a light tan head. The nose on this imperial smoked porter begins with a smokey quality, no big surprise there. There is also some coffee with roasted malts. For the taste, more of the roasted malts, dark, a bit of chocolate presents itself. The smoke continues to make itself known, in a balanced manner. Its`s body is medium with a similar carbonation level. Another solid offering from the crew over at CL.

Serving type: on-tap

12-14-2011 02:52:52 | More by mltobin

spycow

Illinois

5/5  rDev +14.7%

12-14-2011 00:04:46 | More by spycow

Ineedabeerhere

Connecticut

5/5  rDev +14.7%

12-12-2011 00:35:57 | More by Ineedabeerhere

sideshowe

Pennsylvania

5/5  rDev +14.7%

12-06-2011 13:45:58 | More by sideshowe

xnicknj

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -8.3%

12-04-2011 17:24:02 | More by xnicknj

alalvarez75

New York

5/5  rDev +14.7%

12-02-2011 22:00:45 | More by alalvarez75

HopStoopid120

Connecticut

5/5  rDev +14.7%

11-16-2011 01:19:00 | More by HopStoopid120

richbrew

New Jersey

5/5  rDev +14.7%

11-15-2011 15:26:36 | More by richbrew

randomdanger

New Jersey

5/5  rDev +14.7%

11-15-2011 14:56:00 | More by randomdanger

JAHMUR

Connecticut

4/5  rDev -8.3%

11-14-2011 22:17:29 | More by JAHMUR

djrn2

New Jersey

4/5  rDev -8.3%

11-14-2011 21:11:22 | More by djrn2

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.6/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

black with a small tan, caramel colored head that did not have much staying power. Low retention led to a quick fade to a skim layer on top and a smll amount of lace.

Big smoked flavors were the predominant course here. Small hint at some sugary sweetness and perhaps a bit of a bittering hop in their at the end. But just about anything in there would have been overwhelmed by the absolutly absurdly strong smoked flavors.

Tons of flavors in the back here, but I think this may need to sit down for a few to get the strong aromas to mellow and allow some more of the subtle stuff to come though. Great, really light frothy carbonation left the palate feeling cleansed and refreshed. A slight bittering hop could be found in the finish and and a long lingering flavor that I could still taste several hours later!

overall like a chocolate campfire. wonderfully well done and just about as solid as you can get for the style.

Serving type: growler

07-11-2011 03:05:43 | More by mikesgroove

DNICE555

Connecticut

4.43/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Lazy Boy Saloon. Owner is such a cool dude. He gives Jlynn a free pint of bluepoint blueberry and me a free la choufee tulip with my KBS to go in a bottle. Really knows his beer. Recommended me a Keedhan Ale Jo Mama's milk stout that was bangin. He also hand out a nice Brooklyn Bottle opener. On to the review. Poured into a 12 ounce glass.

A Black body with a nice brown head. This porter looks like me with my shirt off... BigTyme.

S Smoke, Roasted Oats, Sugar, Chocolate, smells like roasting marsh mellows around a campfire with a bowl of oatmeal.

T Smokey, chocolate covered roasted oats. Wow this flavor is intense. I haven't had many smokes porters besides the stone smoke porter. The smoke in this one blows the stone away. I feel like I'm hanging out by a bonfire with this one. Very interesting.

M Huge flavor profile. Overwhelms the palate in a good way. Very full bodied especially for a porter.

O Easy to drink for the huge smokey flavor and high abv. I was definitely feeling it after this one. CL has really gotten me interested in smoked porters. I'll have to see more out.

Serving type: on-tap

04-11-2011 19:05:44 | More by DNICE555