Notes From the Captain Lawrence Tasting Room, Vol. 64 Days of Swine and Roses

With the first-ever Pig Roast at the new brewery space coming up inside of a week, thoughts turned to the pig roasts of the past, when Captain Lawrence was a significantly smaller brewing operation, and the crowd gathered around the spit wasn’t much of a crowd at all.

The first one, in Pleasantville in 2006, had maybe 200 people, says Laura DeMaria as she sips a Chico De Leche, Randy Shull’s sweet and malty milk stout. There was a lone pig and maybe five beers on tap. “Scott Vaccaro cooked the pig himself,” she says. “You won’t see that anymore.”

Laura knows her pigs; her father is John DeMaria, owner of Hemlock Hill Farm that was struck by fire, and that Captain Lawrence has been working to raise funds for all week. [see “Notes, Vol. 63”] Hemlock Hill has been supplying the pigs to Captain Lawrence since the beginning.

Laura went to several of the early Captain Lawrence roasts, and is looking forward to the first in Elmsford June 22. “Captain Lawrence’s fans and customers are like a growing family,” she says.

Out on the patio on a mostly sunny Sunday, Loren Verkovod of Stratford, Connecticut was there for Pig Roast 1 as well with his then-wee boys Nate and Andy. He remembers Scott and his brother Marc smoking the pig, and a band comprised of brewery workers rocking out on the loading dock on Castleton Street. “It was pretty mellow--they didn’t advertise it very well,” he says. “It was like a Deadhead vibe.”

Enjoying the Basil Haze Belgian witte, brewed by Matt Levy, Loren—a prolific brewer and beer scribe--mentions helping Scott with those initial batches of beer when he was learning the craft, and watching the pig roast grow from a scruffy little affair, to one with people driving in from all over the map to try special beers released at the roast—only to return to the “friends and family” vibe, he says, when the special brews were released at a different time.

There are many reasons to be at the brewery on this particular day. It is Father’s Day, and several dads have used their clout for the day to get the family out to the tasting room. It’s 75 and dry. And it is Pilot Batch Takeover Day, with over a dozen small-batch beers from the past year brought back for the occasion: The Chocoholic Stout. The Pride of Elmsford pale ale. The Wild Rover Stout and the Belgian IPA.

Thin Lizzy’s “The Boys are Back in Town” courses through the house system, adding to the reunion vibe.

Todd Winchenbach of Port Chester is enjoying the St. Vincent’s Quad, a bolder (11 ABV, in fact) take on CL’s annual Belgian brew, as wife Deena tends to baby Ava. “We didn’t know Captain Lawrence was so close,” he says. “That made it a no-brainer.”

Bill Lewittes of Mount Kisco too has offspring in tow—a set of twins who are nearly 4.  He’s proudly sporting a #1 Dad shirt—and a cup of the Wild Rover. “Dry, coffee flavored, a little bitter, smoky,” he says. “Good stuff.”

To borrow a phrase from Winchenbach, Captain Lawrence on Father’s Day was a no-brainer for Bill. “Beer and hot dogs—it’s the best way to spend Father’s Day,” he says.

“Don’t forget the kids!” reminds wife Caroline.

Bill nods. “There’s stuff for the kids to do,” he adds, as twins Isabelle and Henry romp around the bocce court. “It’s fantastic.”

Besides the stellar beer, Loren says he makes the trip to Captain Lawrence because his local brewery in Connecticut does not allow kids in the tasting room. Out on the patio, Kevin Marcinek of Deer Park and Claire Hsu of Glen Head note that dogs too are welcome inside and out. On their first visit to Captain Lawrence after scoring some Captain’s Reserve Imperial IPA at a local Long Island beer distributor (“Very impressive,” says Kevin), they plan to return with their Rottweiler. “I have these chips,” says Kevin as he fingers his drink tokens like a poker addict. “I think we have to come back and drink the rest of them.”

Also coming back is farmer’s daughter Laura and her friends Trish Vasta, who splits her time between Hemlock Hill Farm and San Diego, and Andy Morris of Briarcliff. Trish mentions cooking a 70-pound pig in a bread oven, marinated in garlic and cilantro, for a theater group in Vermont last summer. For his part, Andy is curious how the heck the cuts are made—and what the heck roasted pig tastes like.

“I’ve never been to one,” he says. “I look forward to coming back on Saturday.”

Captain Lawrence Brewing, at 444 Saw Mill River Road in Elmsford, is open Wednesday through Friday (4-8 p.m.), Saturday (12-6 p.m.) and Sunday (12-5). The author is paid by Captain Lawrence, partially in Freshchester Pale Ale.

Finger Lakes Whites Beyond Riesling

The Finger Lakes region in New York has become known as producing some fantastic Rieslings.  Yes, they are great, but they also produce some great whites besides Riesling.

I recently took part in a twitter tasting of 5 of those "other whites".  The varietals tasted were Pinot Gris, Gruner Veltliner and Gewurztraminer.  Gruner Veltliner is new to the Finger Lakes and it taking quite well to the region. Yes I am impressed!

When seeking out other white wines from the Finger Lakes, you might want to give these a try.

Thirsty Owl Wine Company 2012 Pinot Gris - While I am not a big fan of Pinot Gris, I was quite impressed with this wine.  I have to admit, I cheated as Thirsty Owl table was next to mine (Happy Bitch) at a trade show that week and I tasted the Pinot Gris.  Looking forward to more than an ounce in my glass, I embraced this wine at the tasting.  All estate grown fruit in this dry Pinot Gris that was very light in color.  It showed beautiful aromas of honeysuckle, pear, apple, citrus and some minerality.  Flavors of pear was dominate but had some lime mid palate and minerality towards the finish with very nice acidity. (yes that's my daughter in the picture being silly)

Three Brothers Winery Stony Lonesome Estates 2011 Gruner Veltliner is all estate grown and stainless steel fermented. This is the second vintage for them.   The initial aroma I got with this wine was stinky feet.  After a few swirls the aroma dissipated that brought on a nice floral smell. There were soft flavors of pear and melon.  Even though the technical sheet says 0% residual sugar I thought it was sweet.  My residual sugar taste buds would give it a 1.2% and others taking part in the tasting thought the same. There were 300 cases of this wine produced and it retails for $14

Fulkerson Winery 2012 Gruner Veltliner - here's another confession. I received a media sample from the winery and didn't realize it would be one of the wines featured in this tasting.  I had reviewed this wine the week before giving it it's own post.  You can read about it here. 

Knapp Winery 2011 Dry Gewurztraminer was a happening wine. After the grapes were harvested they sat on the skins overnight before they were pressed. Nice nose of jasmine, tangerine and some floral notes.  On the palate we saw some soft pineapple and lemon with some white spice. As a dry Gewurztraminer it did have .95% of residual sugar which balanced out the acidity nicely.   There were 116 cases of this wine produced and it retails for $14.95

Dr Konstantin Frank Vinifera Wine Cellars 2012 Gewurztraminer had a beautiful nose.  Aromas of soft jasmine, wet stone and citrus with a hint of floral filled the glass.  This very nicely balanced wine had flavors of orange blossom with a slight spice on the finish.  Even thought this had 1.1% residual sugar it wasn't a "sweet" wine.  The sugar balanced out the acidity to make it a very nice wine.  Discussions during the chat were what to pair this wine with.  Cheese Master Wendy Crispell suggested a "goey stinky washed rind cows milk cheese"  This wine retails for $14.99

Disclaimer:  I received these wines as a media sample from the Finger Lakes Wine Alliance.

Product Review: Savino - Wine Preservation Glassware

Savino is a new product on the market for the wine consumer. Their slogan is "Today's Wine Tomorrow."   All the wine preservation systems I've seen are large and take up space on the counter so when I saw this product, I new I wanted to give it a try. Finding a day where we didn't drink an entire bottle was the problem.

On a busy evening when we only had time for a quick glass and chat Paul and I opened the 2008 Longfellow, Dry Creek Valley, Syrah.  The aromas coming from the glass were strong black pepper.  In fact it was overpowering. The palate showed complex dark berry fruit.  Layers of blackberry, spice, black cherry finishing with strong black pepper and lots of tannins.

Day 2 arrived and we were anxious to see the changes in the wine and how this was going to pour.  Did we have to reach in and take the seal off.  How is this going to work.  Very cool....when you tilt the canister to pour, the seal moves with the wine so it allows the wine to flow.

Now let's talk about the wine. Boy did the Savino tame it down!  Much more dark berry fruit showed in the aromas coming from the glass. The tannins softened out quite a bit.  There was much better expression of the fruit showing in the wine now.  Lots of black fruit, black cherry, blackberry, some plum and a soft spice finish.

The glassware is a great size and an easy fit in the fridge should you be drinking a white wine. When you have those tall Riesling bottles that won't quite stand up in the fridge, the Savino will be great to pour the wine in and put in the fridge to keep it chilled. It's also a nice piece of glassware and is a great piece to preserve your wine should you only want one glass.

The Savino retails for $59.95.

Disclaimer:  I received this as a media sample from Larson Communications on behalf of Savino

Notes From the Captain Lawrence Tasting Room, Vol. 63 The Captain’s Log

Captain Lawrence’s pig roast was a yearly highlight at its previous Pleasantville locale, people schlepping from all over the county—and beyond—to partake in fresh roasted pork and, of course, locally brewed craft beer. The event was skipped last year, Captain Lawrence’s first few months in its new Elmsford home, but is on for June 22. There will be a dozen beers on tap, including the Freshchester Pale Ale and the Kolsch, live music from Rebecca Haviland and Captain Lawrence Brewing alum Evan Watson, and lots and lots of roasted pigs for your porcine pleasure.

Owner Scott Vaccaro has fond memories of that first roast back in 2006, where a lone pig served the modest crowd, and he and wife Megan poured the beer. “The first one was me cooking the pig,” he says. “We’ve gotten way, way beyond that.”

The best beer to go with roasted pork? “Smoked Porter,” he says. “Smoked Porter and swine.”

One constant of the pig roast over the years is the source of the pigs: Hemlock Hill Farm up in Cortlandt. Scott’s relationship with farm owner John DeMaria goes back to the first batch of beer brewed in Captain Lawrence history. Scott had a giant bunch of spent grain that he didn’t know what to do with, and after leafing through the Yellow Pages, found a local farmer who was happy to take it off his hands. A business relationship, and friendship, ensued.

Tough times have struck the farm--which lost a 200-year-old barn and thousands of chickens--in a fire in late April. Captain Lawrence is doing its part, and then some, to help an old friend. A week’s worth of “Barn Raiser” events, including Trivia Night, a June 17 brewery dinner prepared by Armonk’s Restaurant North, and finally the pig roast, will raise funds to help one of Westchester’s remaining farms.

“We’re trying to make a difference for Farmer John,” says Scott. “We hope to hand him a big, fat check.”

For $200, guests at the brewery dinner get access to five tables of food—sourced from Hemlock Hill and prepared by the Restaurant North chefs--and beer pairings from Scott, including the first taste of the brewery’s first-ever triple IPA, fittingly called Barn Raiser Ale. “It’s dry hopped four times—it’s strong, big, delicious,” says Scott. “The event is an expensive ticket, but the experience is top notch; the food will be amazing.”

Speaking of big and rich beers, with Father’s Day coming up, it must be time for another St. Vincent’s release. Each Father’s Day, Captain Lawrence puts out the St. Vincent’s—an ode to Scott’s own dad, Vincent Vaccaro, with Dad’s beloved bright red 1969 convertible Datsun 2000 on the label. Every previous one has been a Belgian-style dubbel, but 2013 is a quadruple. At a lively 11 ABV, the draft-only quadruple will be a mouthful.

“It’s real rich, real strong, and real intense,” says Scott.

When a thousand or so of his closest friends are sipping St. Vincent’s and chowing down roasted pig in the brewery parking lot June 22, Scott will think back to the first roast in ‘06, with about a hundred guests, as evening turned to night with the Pleasantville Day fireworks overhead. “What a trip that day was,” he says. “We’ve come a long way.”

Captain Lawrence Brewing, at 444 Saw Mill River Road in Elmsford, is open Wednesday through Friday (4-8 p.m.), Saturday (12-6 p.m.) and Sunday (12-5). The author is paid by Captain Lawrence, partially in Freshchester Pale Ale.

GlassHouse Winery - A Community Supported Winery (CSW)

Boy, the three letter CSW certainly has many meanings.  If your a social worker it means "Certified Social Worker" and if you are in the wine business it means "Certified Specialist of Wine" and it now has a new meaning "Community Supported Winery."

The Community Supported Winery idea is the brain child of Rodney Gagnon.  Why not, for all those who belong to a CSA it's a fantastic membership.  You purchase a share in the farm and get rewarded with what is produced that year. You hope for good weather and a bountiful crop.  Why not take that model and use it in the wine industry.  That is exactly what Rodney has done.

Rodney is a New England native (WhooHoo for an East Coaster!) who now resides in Petaluma. He is the owner and founder of GlassHaus Winery a CSW.  Being intrigued by the idea I interviewed Rodney about his venture.  I wish him the best of luck!

     How did you come up with the idea of a CSW and what inspired you?

I wanted to build a truly different kind of wine company, based on insane transparency, strong community and real purpose. I am inspired by my CSA Membership (Tara Firma Farms), crowd-funding trends (Kickstarter, Naked Wines) and conscious capitalism (for lack of a better descriptor -- ex. B-Corps, OneHope Wines)

Tara Firma Farms + NakedWines + OneHope Wines = Glasshaus Wines, Community Supported Winery

     As with a CSA, members take the risk, risk being weather.  How will make your members understand the risks of a variable vintage?

I include that as one of the reasons for the 20% pre-harvest member discount. I also keep all members informed with weekly vineyard briefs (photos, short descriptions of conditions/vineyard actions) and monthly winegrowing analysis (complete weather analyses comparing historical averages and recent vintages). I try my very best to keep everyone informed throughout the entire process so that expectations are always set accordingly.

This is also one of the reasons that I don't sell all of the wine as member shares. I only sell enough to cover yearly vintage costs and reserve the remaining wine for sale at retail. This way, I'm "guaranteed" to have enough wine to cover all member shares in years of poor fruits sent or/and low yields due to difficult ripening conditions.

Great question! 

What is your vision for the future of the CSW?

My "big idea", if you would, is that CSWs (including transparency/community +/-purpose) are the new wine clubs.

     Will you only produce Chardonnay and Pinot Noir?

I'll expand to other varieties grown in the Petaluma Gap (Syrah, Pinot Gris) and offer it as the Sonoma Coast Share. I also envision offering other AVA specific shares. I'll most likely follow on with a Dry Creek Share (Zin, SB, etc). I'm also toying with an idea to create a "member swap" meet / barter system to add some flexibility for those members who prefer certain varietals over others since it is not feasible for Glasshaus to offer an a la carte menu.

     When do you expect to bottle your first vintage?

Our first vintage is 2013 and it will be bottled in the summer of 2014 with an expect fall delivery date.

     When you purchase a share, it’s only good for that year correct (2013 would be good for when you release the 2013 vintage – regardless when that release is)?

Yes. All shares are vintage shares. But, there's always a but, if for some reason we cannot deliver the share, members can opt for a full refund or rollover to the next vintage for the same or lower cost (depending on the vintage share price which is set every March)

     At what point in time will the cutoff be for membership for the 2013 vintage? Or any vintage?

There will only be a certain amount of shares offered every vintage (350 in 2013). There is no share cutoff but 20% discounted shares are offered only up until harvest. Discounts drop progressively after harvest up until bottling (15%, 10%, 5% timeframes TBD).

     How many cases do you intend to produce each year?

We are only starting with 500 cases in 2013. We will increase to 5,000 cases in a timeframe that is in accordance with member demand. We have capacity to reach 10,000 cases. I don't envision producing more than 10,000 cases.

     Does your membership in the CSW renew each year automatically?

No, but you very adeptly recognize the "subscription" vs "club" nature of the CSW program. We have a member only sales period each vintage (4/15-5/15) to allow past members to re-up but nothing is automatic. Maybe someday but for now, I'd rather under promise and over deliver so that people always want to opt-in because of personal interest (great wine, less money) and higher purpose (giving back).

     Anything else you think I should know?

Maybe one last thing. Members accrue greater discounts the longer they are in the program. 2% for every qualified purchase year. 

For more information about purchasing a share in Glasshouse visit http://bit.ly/17GLX7P

Chenin Blanc - African Passion

Chenin Blanc which locally in South Africa is called Steen is the most widely planted varietal in South Africa. The southwest area around Cape Town that is more Mediterranean is well suited to growing grapes.  It is in this region that you will find the prime winegrowing areas of South Africa.

The 2011 African Passion Chenin Blanc is paleyellow with greenish tint in color.  It has a beautiful nose of tropical fruit, pineapple and shows some minerality. As you drink this wine, soft citrus flavors fill your mouth.  The nuisances of pineapple softly present themselves.  The slight acidity in the wine balances it out with a nice crisp finish.

This will be a nice wine for a sunny summer afternoon on the deck.


Disclaimer: I received this wine as a media sample from the KWV Wines of South Africa.

Notes From the Captain Lawrence Tasting Room, Vol. 62 Bags, Boards, Beers!

Rich Queen was down from Woburn, Massachusetts on business, selling medical supplies in Westchester for the day, and figuring he’d spent a boring night watching TV in his hotel room when the message popped up on Facebook: a cornhole tournament at Captain Lawrence.

Next thing he knew, the man found himself at the brewery, rocking his Bruins t-shirt and Baaahhhstin accent, slinging beanbags in the sultry pre-summer night.

Captain Lawrence, and Pat Ward of the cornhole board maker Ward Boards [wardboards.com], brought together an array of bag-tossers and craft beer-quaffers for their second-ever cornhole tournament.

What is cornhole, you, dear resident of the northeast, ask. It involves a pair of raised boards spaced about 10 yards apart, each with a six inch hole cut into them, and players taking turns hurling bean bags into, or at least close to, the holes. Think of horseshoes, but with bags aimed for holes instead of iron rings hurled at posts, and nothing that can leave a serious dent in your shin. A bag in the hole counts for three points, while one on the platform scores one, and the first one to 21 wins. (Thanks, Wikipedia!)

Rich had partaken in this pastime a few times before, though never in such a setting. “It’s nice to play outside, even if it’s a little hot,” he said amidst thick air that didn’t slip much below the day’s 90 degrees. A cup of Smoked Porter, he said, cut the heat nicely.

The tourney was a blind draw, meaning players got paired up randomly, and a team comprised of Rich and Beth Bricker of Pleasantville zipped through the early rounds. Beth originates from Illinois, where cornhole’s history runs deep; she grew up knowing the game as “bags” or “baggo,” she says.

The key to successful cornholery, besides a cold cup of Kolsch? “My partner Rich,” Beth says with a smile.

Indeed, good partners and good beers are equally essential. For Shane Noetzel of Elmsford, the ideal beer for cornhole is the Imperial IPA. “I’ve done all the beer sports”—bocce, softball, darts, Frisbee golf—“and there’s nothing better than drinking beer and playing cornhole,” he says.

And so they played, the sounds of bags hitting boards--thukk! thukk! thukk!—carrying through the quiet Elmsford night. The knockout rounds continue. Strange calls—“Cancel it!” “Nice bag!” “It holds!”—rang through the air as well. While cornhole can be competitive, the mood is unfailingly jovial; players decide who gets first toss by a sudden death rock-paper-scissors, and conversations—the new season of Arrested Development, weekend plans, favorite beers at Captain Lawrence—carry on during play. Heck, a guy could even wear his Bruins shirt days after the team knocked out the Rangers without a Blueshirts fan getting in his grill.

Dennis Montaruli of Irvington won his first three matches before a loss relegated him to the loser’s bracket. Dennis—who picked up the game from family in Ohio (his father in law made him a “beautiful” set of boards and bags, he says)—was having fun nonetheless. “I was a big horseshoes fan,” he says. “It’s similar, but this is less wear and tear on the old elbow as you get older.”

As the competition winds down, the finals find Beth and Rich against Pat and his partner Jack. Beth, the lone female in the competition, employs a looping rainbow style with deadly accuracy, like Knick Nate Robinson shooting a floating jumper; while Pat, a southpaw, puts a funky spin on the bag that keeps it on the board like it’s soaked in Stickem. “It’s one of the things you’ll see from the good players at tournaments,” Pat says, bag in one hand and Smoked Porter in the other.

But it’s Beth & Rich—true to the game’s rural roots, the team names sound like country acts—who take an early lead, and never look back. Pat & Jack level the scores at 14, but Beth and Boston Rich run away with it to take the game—and the cash jackpot—21-15.

The key to victory? “Beth really stepped up her game in the final,” says Rich.

There is that. But maybe there’s more to it. For the first time all night, both sipped the same beer while competing: the German-style Captain’s Kolsch. “That was the key too,” says Rich.

Rich had the traffic-snarled trip to Boston to contend with in the morning, but for the night, he, and Beth, held backyard bragging rights at the brewery.  

**

Speaking of outdoor fun at Captain Lawrence, the brewery’s famed Pig Roast takes place June 22^nd, 12-6 pm, with live music from the likes of Rebecca Haviland and veteran CL family member Evan Watson.

Captain Lawrence Brewing, at 444 Saw Mill River Road in Elmsford, is open Wednesday through Friday (4-8 p.m.), Saturday (12-6 p.m.) and Sunday (12-5). The author is paid by Captain Lawrence, partially in Freshchester Pale Ale.