Captain Lawrence Nor' Easter 2009

This one starts out as a rich, dark ale, brewed with five different malt varieties imported from the far reaches of the brewing world. Combined they produce a beer that is almost black in color, but very mild in the level of roasty character imported by the dark malts. The initial fermentation is carried out with our Belgian yeast strain which imparts some fruity and spicy notes to the beer. Once the initial fermentation is complete we pump in a “secret” elderberry blend that sets off a second fermentation and brings the alcohol level to around 12%. After a brief cold aging period the beer is then put into freshly emptied bourbon barrels and aged for an additional month before being bottled.

This years vintage is smooth, rich and has a pronounced elderberry character that I have not tasted since the original homebrewed version back in ’97.