Winter Ale - Captain Lawrence Brewing Co.

JoeyBeerBelly

New York

3.5/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle served in a standard pint glass.

L - clear copper/amber color with a off-white head that settled as a layer leaving spots of lacing behind.

S - nutty, caramel aroma.

T - spicing is subtle with solid malty taste and a dry bitterness on the finish.

F - medium bodied with mild carbonation.

O - a decent brown ale.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2013 00:10:47 | More by JoeyBeerBelly

metter98

New York

3.45/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: The beer is crystal clear dark reddish brown in color and has a light amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a finger high beige head that died down rather quickly, leaving a thin head covering the surface and lots of lacy rings of bubbles down the sides of the glass.
S: There are light aromas of nuts and toasted malts in the nose.
T: The taste is similar to the smell and has some faint bits of malty sweetness and hints of spices and earthy yeast towards the finish. There is a light amount of bitterness.
M: It feels a little shy of medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation. There are some faint hints of dryness towards the finish.
O: This is an easy drinking brown ale and the spices add a nice twist of flavors in the finish.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2013 02:23:28 | More by metter98

tempest

Pennsylvania

3.79/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

English brown ale? I know northern browns like Newcastle can be a little fruity, but this is practically juicy. Winter warmer IMO. Anyways, it's a tasty beer. I'm not usually a big winter warm fan, but this has a great balance of easters and bready malt. Underneath the cherry and strawberry notes is a blend of light caramel syrup and toasty bread crust. There's a hint of earthy hops in the finish, which makes this a clean, well-rounded winter beer. Check it out. It's just a step ahead of many American winter warmer-type beers. It's just a little more crisp and complex.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2013 20:27:30 | More by tempest

flagmantho

Washington

3.63/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from 12oz bottle into a pint glass. This beer is possibly more of a winter warmer than an English brown, really.

Appearance: medium brown hue with a haze-free body and a robust effervescence. Head is a thick finger of pillowy light-tan foam with decent retention. Attractive.

Smell: sweet malt with plenty of toasted malt character: biscuit, bread and caramel, plus an interesting spice component which seems to include cinnamon and nutmeg. Perhaps not precisely my cup of tea, but the elements here are well-balanced.

Taste: caramel malt first, then quickly the spices come in. Before they leave, the big biscuity toasty flavor comes in -- not my favorite. Hops aren't super evident in flavor, but there is a restrained but balanced bitterness toward the end. Fans of biscuity American amber ales will like this one.

Mouthfeel: medium body with a strong, well-integrated carbonation and an entirely satisfying creaminess. Quite good.

Overall: the spicing on this beer is nice and not overdone, but some of the malt choices here just don't float my boat. Well-crafted, and perhaps great to someone, but just OK to me.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2013 07:03:54 | More by flagmantho

EkimGram

New York

3.49/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: 12oz bottle poured into a pint. Colour is a light brown with a faint orange tint. Head is short and fades slowly to a film leaving moderate lacing. Small traces of visible carbonation.

Smell: Malty, nutty, bready, and a little sweet.

Taste: Starts off malty and bitter but quickly fades into a balanced nutty biscuit flavour. Aftertaste is bready and sweet.

Mouthfeel: Medium body, very carbonated, almost abrasive. Finishes clean.

Overall: This brew is slightly above average at best. The flavours are nice but the intense carbonation takes away from what should be polished simplicity.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2013 04:22:55 | More by EkimGram

Gmann

New York

3.4/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a crystal clear copper color with a brownish hue. The tight head is short and settles into a light cap.

The aroma is doughy and has notes of brown bread. Perhaps some black pepper and tea like scents. Not much "wintery spice" in the nose.

The taste is quite bready and has some toasted notes. There is some lemony tea like flavors to go along with an earthy spice. Can't quite pick out the specific spice but overall it is bitter. Perhaps a touch of cinnamon as it warms.

The feel is light to moderate with prickly carbonation. Starts off sweet on the palate but finishes with an earthy bitterness. Drinks fairly easy.

An ok brew, nothing really exciting. Well made, but nothing really pops to me.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2013 20:16:47 | More by Gmann

VelvetExtract

Massachusetts

3.73/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A-Bottle purges itself of a nutty wooden brown liquid. Mostly clear in body. Slow bubbles feed the thin, creamy, off-white head. Head isn't thick at all and it leaves softer lacing.

S-All malt with nuances of spice. A bit fruity, a bit bready and supplemented with Holiday zest. Toasty with some lingering yeast.

T-More of the same but it is quite pleasant. Perfectly toasted bread and fruity sweetness. The bread and fruit are paired with a nutmeggy spice bill. Not very deep but it definitely does the job.

M-Incredibly easy drinking. I had one of these before and after a Sam Adams Winter and this was far more pleasing and easier to imbibe. Lighter bodied with pleasing carbonation and no lingering flavor or feel that detract from the experience.

O/D-A subtler take on the Winter Seasonal. I enjoyed it. Drinking these was a cinch. I think I almost prefer my spicy Winters to be rather mellow. All that liquid Holiday cheer can be a drag on the palate sometimes. Legit but not my favorite from their line of 6ers.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2012 14:55:06 | More by VelvetExtract

scootny

New York

3.9/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Growler from Whole Foods in Ridge Hill. A nice clear light chestnut brown with a little carbonation streaming up my glass. A nice amount of lace as well. Smell is front loaded with malts and toffee. Big wave of spices as well. Nutmeg is the bigger player, with peppery holiday spiciness that flows back into a mild fruitiness. Taste is malty and full of toasted and nutty nuances. Spices are well done and take a good nutty brown ale and transform it into a top tier holiday session ale. Finish is dry with a crisp earthy hop bitterness. A light mineral sourness that gives a nod to and good English nut brown ale. Feel is light and crisp with a mild effervescence that is perfect. A wonderful addition to the holiday beer world. The toasted and spiced facets of this one will lend itself well to many holiday and winter meals.

Serving type: growler

12-25-2012 07:37:28 | More by scootny

Billolick

New York

3.9/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Fresh growler pour from the brewery this afternoon. I'm guessing at the "style", but it seems to land somewhere between an amber/mild/brown ale.

Pours pretty typical, lighter almond amber, retentive khaki head, with a nice low sheet of tiny bubble, as well as ringed lace.

Fairly nondescript nose. I'm getting some mild malts , honey and vanilla.

Toffee flows over the tongue. Flavor profile is built upon waves of smooth malts This new brew is an easy drinking sessioner. Highly enjoyable quaffer that doesnt punch you in the face.

I'm likely partial to my local brewery, but this seems like another high quality creation from the Captain. Not sure how much production there will be of this one, bottles? etc. But I'm a fan

Serving type: growler

11-24-2012 23:01:16 | More by Billolick