Smoke From The Oak (Wine Barrel Imperial Version) - Captain Lawrence Brewing Co.

deapokid

Pennsylvania

4.18/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Enjoyed on 5/21. Picked up the boxed set at Bierkraft in Brooklyn in January. Reviewed from notes.

Pours a shade darker than the other two in the collection, but with a reddish hue that's nicely capped off with a brown lump of head and a sticky, soapy lacing.

The usual nose of smoke and roasted notes are met with a red wine acidic bite. It's strikingly pronounced, a touch sour and very appealing.

Mmm! The roastiness and earthy wood in the porter mingle well with the wine, making for a dry, nutty and subtly tart flavor. A certain milkiness peaks out as well that I didn't catch in the rum or brandy-barreled versions, as does a pipe tobacco floralness. The amount of wine character found in this porter is pretty stunning and it pairs best with the porter of any of these brews.

The mouth is smooth with tart and dry notes in the conclusion. It's quite remarkable that the fruit, chocolate and boozy nuances keep showing up in new and interesting ways when accompanied by such a strong, tannic backbone. Top notch!

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2011 23:23:35 | More by deapokid

Photekut

Azerbaijan

3.75/5  rDev -5.3%

05-19-2013 00:12:04 | More by Photekut

Pecan

California

4/5  rDev +1%

05-16-2013 17:57:08 | More by Pecan

nmann08

Maryland

3.75/5  rDev -5.3%

04-27-2013 23:12:05 | More by nmann08

JayAre46

Texas

4.25/5  rDev +7.3%

04-14-2013 07:34:19 | More by JayAre46

merc7186

New York

3.9/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bomber into snifter glass.

A: Dark Brown Hue, Passes Almost No Light, Off White Head, Some Lacing

S: Dark Malts, Mild Red Wine

T: Merlot, Dark Mildly Roasted Malts, Mild Chocolate

M: Decent Carbonation, Medium Bodied, Mildly Bitter

Overall, a very nice mildly wine barrel porter, even balanced.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2013 00:06:25 | More by merc7186

hoppymcgee

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +1%

03-19-2013 14:40:20 | More by hoppymcgee

manutdfan

Florida

3.75/5  rDev -5.3%

02-26-2013 16:47:48 | More by manutdfan

DrunkinYogi

Connecticut

3.75/5  rDev -5.3%

02-03-2013 00:30:19 | More by DrunkinYogi

Florida9

Illinois

3.73/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Batch 4

A: dark brown , but still fairly translucent. A bit of a reddish tint. Forms. Them light brown head. No lacing.

S: smoke, apple, cherry, foxy grapes and some light red wine.

T: a tad bit sour. Wine, red grapes, light tartness.

M: medium bodied. Tart, though I'm not sure it's supposed to be. Mild bitterness. Dry and astringent on the finish.

O: a nice beer. Not sure it's supposed to be as tart as it is, but it sort of works. Certainly drinkable and I liked it more so than the rum barrel.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2013 23:39:04 | More by Florida9

homebrew311

Illinois

3.23/5  rDev -18.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Appearance is murky reddish brown with active bubbles settling almost no head. Nose has lactic acid character with red wine, light chocolate, and absent of smoke. Taste reminds me of a sour porter. Getting plenty of oak and wine, not much else. Mouthfeel is effervescent with light body. Overall, a little more sour than I expected. The smoke takes a back seat.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2013 23:38:50 | More by homebrew311

AlexFields

Tennessee

3.75/5  rDev -5.3%

12-28-2012 14:41:52 | More by AlexFields

MystikCelt

New York

5/5  rDev +26.3%

12-16-2012 04:55:28 | More by MystikCelt

ngeunit1

California

4.43/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours a dark black with a hint of brown and a finger of frothy chocolate-khaki colored head. The head fades down at a normal pace leaving behind some lacing.

S - Aroma is a mix of roasted chocolate malts, coffee, vanilla, smoke, oak, red wine, black licorice, dark fruits, and some booze.

T - Starts off with a mix of roasted chocolate malts with some vanilla, dark fruits, and black licorice. Through the middle, oak and red wine come through with some good smoke and some coffee. The finish is a mix of roasted chocolate malts, red wine, smoke, vanilla, oak, coffee, black licorice, and dark fruits with some booze.

M - Full bodied with moderate carbonation. Feels smooth with a smokey, sweet, and warming finish.

D - Very drinkable. The red wine really adds some nice complex flavors on top of the big base porter and balances it out.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2012 00:50:23 | More by ngeunit1

GradyS1

California

4/5  rDev +1%

11-08-2012 19:54:12 | More by GradyS1

jkane101

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev -5.3%

10-15-2012 21:27:02 | More by jkane101

mdfb79

New York

4.2/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

From 10/13/12 notes. Big thanks to Wherethewildbeersare for sharing this one at the Top Hops tasting; thanks Joey!

a - Pours a pitch black color with one inch of dark tan head and low to moderate carbonation evident. Looks exactly like the Rum version.

s - Smells of roasted malts, chocolate, sweet dark fruits, raisins, vanilla smoke, peat, wood, toasted malts, and light coffee. Sweeter than the Rum version and more going on; I like this nose better.

t - Tastes of roasted malts, sticky sweet dark fruits, chocolate, vanilla, smoke, wood/oak, peat, burnt malts, coffee. rum. Again, sweeter and more vanilla, chocolate, and fruit than the rum version for me; definitely prefer this one.

m - Thick, full bodied porter with moderate carbonation. Considering the ABV it is pretty easy to drink, but I felt more alcohol in the rum version than the wine version.

o - Overall a good smoked porter, and I definitely preferred this version to the Rum. I felt this one had more going on, and the rum barrel hid some things I really enjoyed about this one. Worth seeking out.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2012 20:34:21 | More by mdfb79

Hessian257

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev -5.3%

10-14-2012 01:24:33 | More by Hessian257

Texasfan549

Texas

4/5  rDev +1%

08-18-2012 18:37:06 | More by Texasfan549

kjkinsey

Texas

4.25/5  rDev +7.3%

08-16-2012 14:51:11 | More by kjkinsey

M27

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev -5.3%

07-01-2012 19:46:17 | More by M27

surlytheduff

Michigan

3.5/5  rDev -11.6%

04-16-2012 03:19:47 | More by surlytheduff

Jeffo

Netherlands

2.38/5  rDev -39.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Got this entire set from STEG a while back. Thanks for the trade man!

From a 750ml into a snifter.
Vintage: 2010

APPEARANCE: All the variants basically look the same. Pours our transparent brown and yields a small, medium looking, tan head with god retention. Head fades to a wisp and ring. Black, relatively transparent looking body with no carbonation evident. A ring remains until the end and leaves lots of lacing down the glass.

SMELL: Smoked malts, a touch of roasted notes as well, and some dark chocolate. A hint of white wine in there as well, but mostly the smoke and dark malts are evident.

TASTE: Light roasted notes with some smoky flavors for sure. Oak in there as well, and some acidic wine at the finish. Mild but lingering aftertaste of smoke, acidic wine and dark chocolate. The wine notes don’t work, and give it an acidic tone that isn’t all that pleasant.

PALATE: Light and bubbly body with higher levels of carbonation. Creamy enough on the palate, goes down fine and finishes dry on the palate. An acidic bite as well.

OVERALL: This was definitely the worst of the bunch. The wine barrel lent a line of acidity that just didn’t sit well with the rest of the beer. Not one worth seeking out unless you’re trying to complete the set. Regardless, thanks for the trade on this one STEG. We had a lot of fun with this set.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2012 20:30:58 | More by Jeffo

jegross2

Illinois

3.98/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Reviewing the Smoke From The Oak (Wine Barrel Imperial Version) from Captain Lawrence Brewing Company. This is my first ever beer from Captain Lawrence, but I have heard good things about this brewery out of New York.
Score: 90

Unknown vintage bottle (forgot to check the label!) served in a "The Bruery" brand tulip and enjoyed on 03/23/12.

Appearance: Deep brown, mostly opaque save for a strip of brown highlight atop the glass when held up to a light. Between the glasses poured at the table, it seems like there is a combined 2-3 fingers of creamy milk chocolate covered head at pour that quickly settles into a bubbly ring around the glass. Minimal lacing, poor retention. 3.5/5

Smell: Huge notes of smoke, oak, and hickory wood. There's some funky white grape, white wine acidity, a little roasted chocolate and a light vinegar aroma too. 4/5

Taste: Like the nose, there is lots of smoke on the palate. I am glad I capped the evening off with this beer, because it's a lingering palate wrecker! Tart white grape, oak and roasted chocolate. There is a "fatty meat" flavor on the palate entwined with the smokiness that others described as "pork-like." I do not detect any booziness whatsoever despite the 12% ABV. 4/5

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, high carbonation. Oily/smooth mouthfeel. Smokey and sweet finish. 4/5

Overall: This beer struck a real nice contrasting balance between the heavier smokey flavors and the lighter white wine/tart grape flavors that left an interesting effect on the palate that can only be described as a "prickley sweetness." I still do not like sours, and this one has Brett intentionally added to it, but I thoroughly enjoyed this beer. This one is a true smoke bomb. I would definitely be interested in trying the other variations of this beer at some point in the future.

Recommendation: Fans of smoke beers and wine wine should seek this beer out. Be warned, however -- this one is heavy on the smoke!

Pairings: Barbequed chicken.

Cost: $12 for a 750 ml bottle.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2012 07:17:51 | More by jegross2

chrispoint

Connecticut

2.5/5  rDev -36.9%

02-18-2012 17:48:58 | More by chrispoint