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

homebrew311

Illinois

3.03/5  rDev -22.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Appearance is brown with thin head and minimal lacing. Nose is heavy on smoke, band aid, and oak. Not getting much rum, just a hint of spirit in the back. Taste has sweet malts paired with a very heavy, somewhat harsh smoky character. The flavor is strong and increasingly more rum character sneaks through. Mouthfeel is too thin for the stature of this brew. Overall, this brew doesn't all add up. Too much going on and makes for a bit of a mess.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2013 23:23:20 | More by homebrew311

Florida9

Illinois

3.88/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottled in '10

A: dark brown. Still fairly translucent. Forms a minimal light brown head. No lacing.

S: very smokey, but its almost a liquid smoke type smoke. Chemically almost. Dark fruits. Dark malts. Raisins. But mostly smoke.

T: unsurprisingly, there is lots of smoke. Raisin, molasses, dark malts. A touch of char. A little oak character, but not much.

M: on the heavier side of medium though not much of an imperial feel to it. Mild bitterness. Slightly alcoholic.

O: a pretty good beer, though not quite what I expecting. Not sure where the rum is in this other than the slight alcoholic quality.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2013 23:15:05 | More by Florida9

ngeunit1

California

4.33/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours a dark black color with a finger of frothy chocolate-khaki colored head. The head fades down at a fairly quick pace leaving behind some light lace.

S - Aroma is a mix of chocolate and dark caramel malts, oak, rum, dark fruits, coffee, black licorice, and some booze.

T - Starts off with a mix of chocolate and dark caramel malts, rum, sugar cane, dark fruits, and black licorice. Through the middle, smoke and oak come through with some coffee, and some more dark fruits. The finish is a mix of rum, oak, smoke, chocolate malts, dark fruits, vanilla, black licorice, and some booze.

M - Medium-full bodied with mild carbonation. Feels smooth with a sweet, warming, and smokey finish.

D - Very drinkable. Nice Imperial Porter with the RUm barrels adding some nice complexity and depth to the beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2012 06:57:44 | More by ngeunit1

corby112

Pennsylvania

4.08/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottled 2010

Pours pitch black and completely opaque with a two finger mocha colored head that slowly settles into a thick, lasting ring. Streaks and chunks of lacing left behind.

Intensely smokey aroma with a nicely integrated barrel character that compliments the smoked malt without overpowering the characteristics of the base beer. Strong campfire presence with charcoal, smoked meat and butane along with toasted oak, roasted malt and a subtle spiced rum character. I can see how some folks would prefer more of a barrel presence but I'm a huge smoke head so this beer smells great to me.

On the thinner end of medium bodied with a stronger barrel presence than the aroma suggests. Still plenty smokey but there's a prominent oak and spiced rum character that's present throughout. Some zesty spice, toasted oak, coconut and sweet alcohol countered by deeply smoked malt. Hints of charcoal, BBQ and bacon along with burnt toast, coffee bean and oatmeal. There is plenty of sweet alcohol flavor but the high ABV is excellently masked making this beer deceptively drinkable. Nice barrel integration but I would prefer just a bit more smoke to tone down the rum flavors. Very nice.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2012 06:56:57 | More by corby112

mdfb79

New York

4/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From 10/13/12 notes. I brought this to the Top Hops tasting and drank it side by side with the Imperial Wine version thanks to Wherethewildbeersare; 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 Wine version.

s - Smells of roasted malts, chocolate, smoke, peat, alcohol, wood, toasted malts, and light coffee. Not as sweet as the wine version, and more alcohol.

t - Tastes of roasted malts, chocolate, alcohol, smoke, wood/oak, peat, burnt malts, coffee. rum. The wine version had some sweet dark fruit to it which was nice, whereas this one did not.

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

o - Overall a good smoked porter, but I prefered the wine version. I felt it had more sweet fruit and more going on. Still a good beer I was glad to try, and would have again.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2012 20:27:49 | More by mdfb79

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

4.5/5  rDev +14.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle: Poured a deep dark black color porter with a large dirty brown color head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma consists of roasted malt and residual sugar with some medium smokey notes and some light funky Brett notes. Taste is a very well balanced mix between some smoke notes with dry roasted malt offset by some residual sugar and light molasses notes with some notes funky Brett notes on top of this mix. Body is about average with good carbonation and alcohol is very well hidden. Rum notes provide a nice sweet edge without overpowering the rest of the flavours. Very well brewed and something I would like to drink on a regular basis.

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2012 13:23:43 | More by Phyl21ca

Jeffo

Netherlands

3.53/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Got all these variants from STEG a while back. Thanks again man!

From a 750ml into a snifter
Vintage: 2010

APPEARANCE: This one was a gusher, but once it settled down, it was just fine. All the variants basically look the same as well. 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: Milder here again, with some smoked malts, dark malts, chocolate and oak on the nose. Some tobacco as well, which differentiates it from the other variants. Not as boozy at the others either.

TASTE: Actually quite nice. Some smoked malts, roasted malts, and then a good dose of rum in there as well. Tobacco flavors and smoky notes at the finish, moving into a bold and lingering aftertaste of rum, smoke, and a bit of bitter dark chocolate. Pretty flavorful and well crafted actually.

PALATE: Somewhere in between the other two variants. Medium-light body and medium levels of carbonation. Slightly creamy, goes down alright and finishes relatively dry on the palate. Too light to be average for the style.

OVERALL: This one was definitely my favorite of the series. The only one I went back to for multiple pours. While the palate could have been a little more impressive, the flavors were definitely complex and forthcoming enough to be quite enjoyable. This is the only one I’d look forward to drinking again. Thanks again for the trade STEG. Was fun to try all these together.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2012 20:35:28 | More by Jeffo

DrinkSlurm

Connecticut

4.1/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from tap at Aporkalypse.
Pours a deep dark oily black brown with a slightly reddish hue.
Smell was incredible! Roasted malts, some raison, and of course a nice caramel vanilla booze.
Taste was very similar, of vanilla and caramel booze, roasted malts and a bit of chocolate. Slightly sharp mouthfeel, but otherwise a very delicious brew. I would love to get my hands on a bottle to age for a while...

Serving type: on-tap

02-29-2012 13:55:45 | More by DrinkSlurm

Gueuzedude

Arizona

3.48/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Bottle date of 2010; Sampled September 2011
A steady pour, that ends with a flourish, into my Lost Abbey Teku glass produces a fat-two-finger thick, pale cocoa tinged, dark tan colored head. The beer is an almost black color, that just shows that it is really a deeply concentrated brown color; the beer remains quite dark and opaque when held up to the light, but just might show a touch of an amber glow (but I could just be imagining this). The aroma smells of spirits and oak as I am visually inspecting the beer, a more focused look at the nose yields lots of dry, peppery, spicy oak notes; this is more spicy and dry than typically from oak, and I get some feeling that the rum character is part of this. Lots of toasted / roasted malt notes are noticeable, these are actually probably a bit more pronounced than the oak notes, and wait a minute, I completely forgot the smoke character (took it for granted maybe) which is actually the biggest aromatic note in this beer. The smoke lays down a savory base for all the other notes in the nose. The nose can seem to have a sort of green apple like note to it at times as well as some warm alcohol notes, both of which can be somewhat distracting.

Rich feeling and viscous as it first hits my palate, the smoke lays downs a savory base note to some roasted brown malt notes and the finish has some spicy oak notes as well as some cheap clear rum spirit character to it (though I wouldn’t really describe this last as hot). There is a fair amount of carbonation here, though it is not overly much, that provides a nice lively prickle which helds to move along the viscous body. There is also a fair amount of dark malt sweetness to this brew, but it is fairly well hidden by the savory smoke, slightly bitter and roast dark malt, and spicy oak / rum notes. Touches of chocolate are noticeable from the dark malt and this pairs well with the inherent smokiness of this brew.

In the end this is a fairly enjoyable beer, but it has a touch too much sharpness to it; both the oak and the booze contribute an edge that is just jagged enough to not make this the smooth, savory, sipping experience that it should be. I am not really sure what the rum adds to this (other than the spicy, somewhat hot boozy character), I would have loved to have tasted more of the concentrated, dark rum character that would have gone perfectly with the base beer (I don’t even know what the actual rum type was though).

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2012 18:49:04 | More by Gueuzedude

tewaris

Minnesota

3.15/5  rDev -19.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Shared by Sender, along with the Apple brandy version. Thanks! Poured into a tasting snifter.

This was the last in the series followed by the Wine and the Apple brandy version, and the most disappointing one. I went in expecting spice, chocolate and vanilla, and found none :/ The smoke was fine but in my opinion it should have had something more to offer than just a smoked porter, especially for the hype and what not. Nothing new to say, it's just an above average smoked beer.

4, 3, 3, 4, 3

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2012 19:33:31 | More by tewaris

nlmartin

Ohio

4.58/5  rDev +16.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Dam I forgot who sent this beer to me! Anyhow thanks! This beer was lightly chilled and served in a snifter.

A- The body of the beer is black with a thin cocoa colored head. Whisp of lacing line the glass as it was consumed.

S- True to the label smoke signals rise out of the glass. Vanilla more smoke darkly roasted and mildly burnt cocoa rise from the glass.

T- The smokey flavor seemed to be layered and deepened with consumption. Darkly roasted malts hit cocoa notes. Earthy peat flavors and yes definately rum flirts with the flavor.

M- The body of the beer is full kind of chewy. The carbonation is light but works really well with the earthy smoked character of this beer. Its a bit boozy but again it plays well with the beers character.

O- This was a very nice smokey / boozy beer treat. Wish I had more bottles.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2012 11:47:46 | More by nlmartin

maximum12

Minnesota

3.55/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to sender for popping this open at a tasting last night, so we had a complete set of the 2010 Oaks.

Pours near black just like the other oaks. This one isn't as aggressive as the wine barrel in the nose. There's plenty of smoke, but a touch of rum & some roast amongst the campfire.

Smoke from the Oak Rum is the middle child of the three we tried. The smoke is readily apparent but not trampling everything in its path like the wine version. Roast is distinct from the smoke & helping to tame it a bit. Spiciness from the rum tickles, and the rum itself drifts in on the aftertaste. But another beer that would be difficult to wade through another full glass of; smoke is just too dense.

Good beer that moves towards the right balance of smoke & barrel.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2011 19:56:22 | More by maximum12

Jwale73

Rhode Island

3.83/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

750ml capped bottle courtesy of Cuzco. 2010 vintage served in a tulip. Pours pitch black with a creamy, dense, quarter inch khaki-colored head. Textured clumps of lacing are revealed during the tasting. Nose gives off a big smoked meat/jerky character that is a bit overpowering. Once that dissipates a suggestion of artificial sweetener comes out. Taste is consistent with nose; however, the smoked meat quality is a bit more tempered by the malt and char. The rum barrel aging also pleasantly manifest towards the back and nicely dissipates some of the more assertive cured meat qualities. Mouthfeel is medium-light with an even carbonation and a slightly creamy texture. All and all, a decent brew. I am not a huge fan of overly smoked beers, but these brews have been interesting. That said, I have to say that the Apple Brandy barrel was my favorite of the three, followed by the wine and then the rum. A solid beer if you like smoked brews, but this just becomes a bit too much for me.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2011 23:14:47 | More by Jwale73

TMoney2591

Illinois

4.18/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Served in a Walter Payton shaker pint glass.

Big thanks to Hophead101 for this bottle!

VDubb86 and I cracked this bad boy as part of our post-Nellie's nightcap. It pours a ridiculously dark brown, as close to black as one can get while still being brown, topped by over a finger of dark brown (though decidedly lighter than the beer itself, o' course) foam. The nose comprises roasted malts, cocoa, light coffee, molasses, dank oak, light peat smoke, brown sugar, and mild alcohol. Not much rum, strictly speaking, just yet. The tase brings in more of the same, with the oak coming across a bit toasted here, and the molasses seems darker. There's finally a vein of rum in there, running close to the back of everything. It really comes through near the finish and seems to gain some momentum as the beer warms, but never really gets all that prominent. The body is a hefty medium, with a light mdoerate carbonation and a nearly chewy feel. Overall, a very nice beer, with a delectably subtle use of rum, but I was expecting a bit more smoke... Oh well, it was still there, and everything came off damn fine to me. Good times.

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2011 18:56:41 | More by TMoney2591

jamescain

Texas

3.3/5  rDev -15.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a sniffer

Appearance: Black with dark brown edges and a dark brown head that lingers until I finish my glass.

Aroma: A mix of chocolate, roasted notes, vanilla, smoky undertones and rum. Mostly rum and booze.

Taste: Slightly smokey and roasty with alcohol and rum, not my favorite.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with medium carbonation with a boozy finish.

Overall: I already knew that I wasn't going to like this beer, because I don't like rum. The only other rum barrel aged beer I had I felt the same way about it.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2011 20:11:46 | More by jamescain

DefenCorps

Oregon

4.47/5  rDev +14%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Almost 9 months and only 30 reviews? I guess this beer doesn't have the hype going for it. I received a set of these from joefuzz, thanks, man! It's very fitting to drink a rum barrel aged beer on this night when Irene wreaks havoc everywhere but here.

For all intents and purposes, this beer is black. I can't really say I see any highlights either. There's a dense, dark brown head with excellent retention, slowly falling off to a thin disk, leaving some lace. The nose is rather intensely smokey, and in a way I really like. With a blend of smoldering wet wood and a mildly meaty malt backbone, this is *really* good. Swirling my glass brings out the barrel character, with a big, rummy sweetness with brown sugar, some coconut and vanilla and the aromas you expect from a good rum. The smoke and the rum play off each other really really well. Excellent stuff.

My one beef with liquor is that the alcohol is too prominent, making the beverage seem too light. I find myself wishing for the flavors expressed on a more bodacious platform, which is why I enjoy a lot of barrel aged beers. Some do it right, some fail. This beer is an unabashed success. The smoke, chocolate and cocoa of the base beer (one I regret never having) lay a wonderful foundation on which all the things I love about rum - its complex sweetness with brown sugar, molasses and a little bit of burnt sugar - are expressed. In fact, there's even a mild brandy-like character here. The exceptionally expressed rum character then fades, leaving layers of smoke, vanilla and dark chocolate. Alcohol warmth is noticeable on the finish. Medium-full in body with moderate carbonation (initially too high but letting it sit in my glass solves that problem), this beer is incredible. Highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2011 01:03:43 | More by DefenCorps

russwbeck

Virginia

4.53/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Got this from cosmicevan in the Hype Train BIF. Really looking forward to this! Bottled in 2010

A: Deep brown pour with a huge brown head. I was very impressed with the color, size, and thickness of the head. Retention isn't great, but the lacing is.

S: The smell from the bottle after I took the cap off was phenomenal, smokey and rum. From the glass, the smoke really takes over, roasted malts, oak, and rum all come in the background. Smells far more like a rauchbier than a porter!

T: This beer developed phenomenally on the palate. The roasted malts, and perhaps some chocolate start it off. Next up is roasty smoke, much like meat (bacon specifically). The finish is rum, oak, vanilla, more chocolate, with dry notes lasting well after the beer has been enjoyed. As the beer warms, the rauchbier effect really back off and the chocolate, rum, and roasted malts shine.

MF: Very heavy, creamy, notes of alcohol, nicely carbonated.

O: This beer was top notch. Really glad I got this in the BIF (essentially for Voodoo Black Magick, the rules were funny). From the look to the taste, just loved it.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2011 19:52:33 | More by russwbeck

jlindros

Massachusetts

3.95/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to BlessedBeBeer for cracking this one.

Pours a super dark colored beer with a creamy lighter head.

Nose has dark roasty but salty malts, lots of smoke, bit of brine, hint of chocolate, bit of booze, lots of roast, and hints of oak and rum.

Taste has semi sweet dark roasty malts, tons of smoke, bit of brine and salt, dark malts, oak hint of vanilla, bit of butter rum, bit of chocolate, nice smoked malt flavor and chewy caramel malts.

Mouth is a bit heavier bodied, decent carb, hint of warming booze.

Overall great but a bit briny and salty, nice smoke, nice malts, not too drinkable but great flavors.

Serving type: bottle

07-23-2011 20:38:10 | More by jlindros

n2185

North Carolina

4.28/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: Pours black with three fingers of brown head that recedes into a thin layer with a little lacing.

S: Lots and lots of smokey malt aromas at first--almost like a rauchbier. Aromas of vanilla, caramel, toffee, oak, and rum come out on the finish as the beer warms.

T: Similar to the aroma, this beer tastes almost like a rauchbier at first with lots of smokey, roasted malt flavors. Caramel, vanilla, oak, and rum flavors bring up the finish along with a light alcohol burn. The flavors blend surprisingly well, which I did not expect since rum is normally a sweeter liquor. Very tasty, though.

M: Medium-thick body with medium carbonation, this beer is relatively light for such a high gravity beer. The lighter body goes well with the strong smoke flavors, though.

O: I quite enjoyed this beer--it's like rum-infused bacon. I wish the smoke wasn't quite so strong to let the rum characteristics shine through a bit more, but that's a minor complaint since the beer is still delicious (if a bit pricey).

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2011 20:24:57 | More by n2185

AgentZero

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - Looks like the other versions, leaning toward more head like the wine one did. Black beer, brown on the edges, minor lace off a tan head.

S - Out of all the versions this one seems to have taken the least to the barrels. A lot of smoke, roasted malts, a little chocolate, slight bit of barrel and some rum spices.

T - I don't generally go for rum, and don't find it to be a particularly great addition to this beer. It seems to have thinned out the flavors a little bit, although there is still plenty of smokey goodness. Their is some sweet spiced notes from the rum and I don't think are a good addition.

M - Medium bodied, with moderate carbonation.

O - My least favorite of the three, I just didn't care for the addition of the rum and found it kind of strange. Not bad, but I'd rather have the other two or the base beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2011 15:47:34 | More by AgentZero

Damico

Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The aroma is tons of smoky wood chips very potent in the nose. The appearance is excellent, rich dark chestnut roasted black with a tan head and a nice size to boot. The flavor is a rich creamy porte with light bitter notes at the end. The body could be a bit thicker, but no bite at all for such a high ABV.

Serving type: bottle

07-08-2011 02:42:07 | More by Damico

glid02

Georgia

4.2/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle shared by Corey – thanks! Side-by-side with the wine and brandy versions.

Pours black with a tan head that leaves decent lacing.

Smells of smooth roasted malts with a good deal of boozy rum and hints of vanilla. Also present are slight hints of smokiness.

Tastes similar to how it smells, though not as complex. Robust roasted malt flavors up front are joined by a light smokiness midway through. Near the end the rum barrel comes into play with lightly spicy rum and mild amounts of oak that carry through to a moderately bitter ending. Mouthfeel is good, with smooth carbonation.

Overall I thought this was the barrel treatment that meshed the best with the style of beer, something I don’t normally expect from rum barrels. An interesting beer that’s well worth a shot.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2011 18:57:00 | More by glid02

liamt07

Ontario (Canada)

4.03/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle from Whole Food Bowery NYC, 750ml into a snifter. 2010 vintage marked on the bottle.

Pours black, with a finger and change of light brown head. Big legs on this one, solid retention. Nose has an immense smoked character, rivaling but different in many senses from a Schlenkerla. Big, meaty, brown sugar, alcohol, some tar, rum and molasses are here but are quite peripheral - not alot of barrel character evident initially. Taste is just as smokey, charred, some brown sugar, rum again only to be found around the edges of this one. Adds more sweetness and alcohol notes than it does a distinct 'rum' character, although some makes its way to the front when this hits room temp. Sweet and smokey throughout, interesting but not mind-blowing. Sticky, thick and full mouthfeel; intense lingering smoke that refuses to subside and refrain from being 'in your face.' Overpowering in many senses, but enjoyable as I enjoyed alot of the flavours been thrown at me here.

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2011 04:03:38 | More by liamt07

MbpBugeye

Ohio

2.9/5  rDev -26%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

This cool bottle was sent by boatshoes. My second Smoke from the Oak offering from Fletcher.

Bottled in '10. Poured into a Jackie O's snifter.

Appearance
The beer is a deep ruby-chestnut on the pour, but collects near black. The head is really nice, but fades to a thick collar and broad pillow. The foam is a wet sand color that leaves lots of matching lace.

Aroma
Uhhh, strange. I haven't had many rum barreled beers, but none of them have had many of the same aromas that I'm finding here. There is a big wave of smoked meat/glazed ham. It reminds me of that Aecht Schlenkerla beer that I tried on tap at Jackie O's only a couple days ago. There certainly is a lot of smoke here, sometimes bordering on cigarettes. The spicy, cured meat aroma is nearly only perceptible when the beer is standing still, a gentle swirl brings out nicer aromas. The swirled up aromas include: tannic wood barrels, tropical spices (jerk spice and spiced rum) and roasted coffee and chocolate malts.

Taste
Just about as weird as the aroma but perhaps not as off putting. Its certainly a flavor profile that you need to take slowly and allow your palate to figure out exactly what the hell is going on. The beer starts out with flavors that I commonly associate with Baltic Porters and Export Stouts. It has that rich, berry-and-licorice malt fruitiness with a touch of sweet smoke. Then the rum is unleashed. Its quite sweet and spicy, like Caribbean jerk spice with mango and coconut, lots of toasted coconut. There is a sweet bite of rum alcohol on the back end. I've found myself upping this score a few times as I become accustom to this beer and its unique complexities, but then I bump them back down as my palate gets absolutely sick of these flavor combinations. This is one that is best in small to medium doses.

Mouthfeel
The carbonation is quite gentle, which is nice. It helps give this beer the allusion of a fuller body, which, when you focus on it, is actually only about medium.

Overall
This one is all over the place for me. I can enjoy it for what it is. It certainly is interesting and unique. I'd imagine this would go extremely well with a cigar or some Cajun food or wings slathered in jerk sauce. But in the end, I wouldn't drink this again.

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2011 20:46:35 | More by MbpBugeye

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.68/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Like many Captain L brews, this one is a sipper. A small tan head on dark body, some lace dots. Creamy, particular at the end of the bottle. A little sugar on the margin, rather than any overt rum taste. So drinkability is OK, mouthfeel is very smooth.Thanks for sharing Liam.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2011 13:59:34 | More by northyorksammy