The
calendar has been insisting it’s spring, and finally there was another
indicator of the season on the last weekend of March—people hanging out on the
back patio at Captain Lawrence Brewing, sampling craft beer, tossing the bocce
balls, and thinking about the warm months ahead.
For one
party of six from the historic Battle Hill neighborhood in White Plains (“the
wrong side of the tracks,” jokes one), it’s a full-on class trip; Dwight Straub assures us that everyone
in their party had their permission slips signed. He’s sipping the Smoked
Porter, which he deems to be a fitting choice just hours before a giant bunny
was set to hop through Westchester, break into our homes, and leave sugary
sweets for the kiddies and the mice.
“It’s
got a licorice taste,” Dwight says. “Black jelly beans…A very appropriate
choice for Easter.”
A friend
of the Battle Hill gang had actually given up beer for Lent; not surprisingly,
he didn’t make the trip today. “He may have been incarcerated,” quips Mike Hritz of their pal’s decision to
lay off the beer.
Frank Vieni is quaffing the Brown Ale. He
recently brewed his own batch of a Belgian beer he called Ballpark Red for the
baseball season, though it was gone before Opening Day. Dwight’s wife Adrienne is enjoying a Kolsch.
“I’m
actually not a beer drinker,” she says, bringing an awkward silence to the
patio. It’s punctuated by the sound of dogs barking; there are a high number of
them on site today, which the Battle Hill boys think may be related to the
inviting fire hydrant smack in the middle of the patio.
Everyone—two
legs or four--is digging the warmest day of the year. “The crocuses came
through on our front lawn for the first time,” says Dwight. “It inspired us to
come here and enjoy the great outdoors.”
The blessed
weather has compelled Julie Vanderlee
to make the trek from Chester in Orange County. She’s been visiting Captain
Lawrence since well before its Elmsford days, selling nuts at the Pleasantville
farmer’s market down the road from the brewery’s original locale. Julie’s
brought some nuts for the boys behind the bar, and is simply enjoying a quiet
moment in the sun with a cup of craft beer. “I went with the Kolsch because
it’s a beautiful, sunny day,” she says. “My eagerness about spring led to my
taste in beer today.”
Also
saying hello to the boys at the bar—and venturing from the northlands, for that
matter--are George and Liz Okon of Hopewell Junction. They’re
friends with the father of Justin Perrone
behind the bar, who’s due in the tasting room at any moment. The Okons are marking
their first trip to Captain Lawrence with a couple Kolsches. Thoughts are
drifting to summer barbecues; George is eager to take his new smoker for a test
run. “Ribs, salmon, trout, wild turkey---not the stuff you drink,” he says.
“You’re invited.”
I’m in.
Across
the room, a gaggle of pals from their days growing up in Harrison is relaxing
after some hardcore bocce. The guys beat the girls, 8 games to 1. A rematch may
follow. Sampling the Winter Ale, Celeste
Hofland of West Harrison is taking advantage of the final weekend before a
new pricing setup goes into effect at CL.
“Free is
a good incentive to try different beers,” she says.
Next up
for Celeste: the Ginger Man Ale.
The line
for samples is short. The Brian Setzer Orchestra’s retro swing cranks out of
the speakers. Steven Derosa is
talking Hitchcock with his dog Bogey. The mood is upbeat, despite the fact that
someone has parked in the Budget Rental lot again.
Back on
the patio, David Peretz is enjoying
his good fortune. He’s up from Philly, visiting some old friends, who surprised
him with a visit to the brewery. “I wanted to introduce him to something that’s
up and coming,” says Steve Rosenberg
of White Plains. “I liked the idea of taking the tour and sampling some beers,
and the weather is great—I didn’t expect this.”
David
sips a 12-ounce cup of the hoppy wheat beer Sun Block. He takes in his
surroundings—the sun, the dogs, the buoyant crew from Battle Hill--and smiles.
“What could be better?” he says.
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