captain lawrence brewing - cuvee de castleton release :D

our trip to captain lawrence for the release of cuvee de castleton (along w/barrel select cherry and barrel select rasberry) was preceeded by a 2 hour (12 miles) run at rockefeller state park. the park was a 5 minute drive from the brewery, and we arrived just after 10 for the 10:30 opening - only to discover that all the numbers had been pulled! with none left, it meant we wouldn't get to buy any of the new releases!

but, with plenty of beer to taste while we awaited some form of divine intervention, we decided to stick around and see what happened. and just like miracle tickets at dead shows - yes this stuff does happen! - a complete stranger offered me 2 numbers (259 & 260) - but immediately asked for the second one back when his girlfriend wanted it!

regardless, because like charlie's golden ticket into wonka's factory, anthony and i could get in the door. even with the limitations (2 per person for barrel select, 4 for the castleton) we could each get a bottle of the barrels selects and 2 of the cuvees. as it turned out, by the time we our number was called, they had sold out of ALL the barrel select - but, we each got to purchase 4 bottles of the curvee!

while i was happy with the curvees, i had really wanted the barrel selects (especially the cherry). then, again, sometimes fate just happens - anthony found someone in the tasting room that would sell us a barrel select at cost!  so, amazingly, i managed to buy a barrel select chery after all.  what a turn of events :D

captain lawrence brewing: "flaming fury" limited release

yesterday, instead of the trip to prospect park in brooklyn, for the nike human race 10k, a weather induced audible made me change directions and head north, to pleasantville, for the limited release of captain lawrence brewing company's "flaming fury," a sour ale, infused with peach! this is not beer profile suitable for most (nay i say, even some hard-core) beer aficionados. the pucker inducing sourness is definitely an acquired taste. but i've managed to acquire one over the years and love these wild american ales - in the european lambic tradition.

i wasn't the only one it seemed. a limited edition of 750 (small 375 ml) bottles sold out in well less than an hour! in fact, when i got on line - maybe 12:15 - my "number" from the pull tag machine was a whopping 737!! i was surprised, no shocked, at the relatively huge turnout out because (a) the beer wasn't a typical release and (b) the weather was downright lousy! my luck held out and there were 4 bottles (maximum per person) waiting when i finally reached the makeshift table set up inside the brewery.

concurrent with the release, regular customers were headed inside the main tap room for growler refills - and samples! and, outside - yes in the lousy weather - craft brewers had set up on the picnic table (strangely at home in an industrial parking lot - ha) and were sampling each other's recent creations. the entire scene - inside and out - was a heady (couldn't resist that easy pun) atmosphere.

in addition to the samples of the sour ale i tasted while on line, i also got to taste (dare is say it?) copious quantities of their pumpkin ale - which was the perfect seasonal accompaniment!

for those curious, here is the beer profile (courtesy of captain lawrence):

Flaming Fury – Barrel Aged Sour Ale with Peaches. This one is for the sour lovers out there, and I mean real sour lovers. I will be very blunt; this one is one of the more intense sour ales we have produced. It sat in the barrels for well over a year, aging with NY grown peaches from a local farm and Brettanomyces. The flavors are fruity and sour, with a very lively carbonation (chill well before opening, like champagne)

Release Date: October 24th – 12pm
Price: $10 – 375ml bottle
Sales: Limit 4 bottle per customer
Production: 750 bottles