Captain Lawrence, Elmsford, NY
Effortless IPA Session Ale
- * Skip It
- ** Good Craft Beer
- *** Well Above Average
- **** Exceptional
- ***** Top 1%
Abv 4.5%
20170103 (Our Beers of the Day in January look back to some of our favorites of 2016)
We’ve had mixed luck with Captain Lawrence beers. Sometimes we’re pretty sure problems are the result of the way they’ve been kept, but a trip to the brewery still left us wishing for more consistency.
We were pleasantly surprised to find a beer from them that significantly exceeded our expectations. We couldn’t tell how fresh the bottle was and session IPAs in general have underwhelmed us. The Captain’s Effortless, however, seemed to reflect a great deal of effort in achieving plenty of hop character without falling so far out of balance to make the goal—a session—unwelcome. It’s hop forward, of course, but a blend of hops that includes a good deal of leafy and spicy flavors works better than the narrow citrus and tropical fruits to make a beer that’s quite moreish.
The malt seemed a bit gummy, but we think that’s age and storage; we’re looking forward to a chance to try it very fresh.
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