It is
the time of year when our new year’s resolutions, not quite a week old, are—for
the most part—very much intact. Yet we all might learn something from the
denizens of Captain Lawrence’s tasting room, where the most popular resolution is,
on a lazy and gray Sunday, drink more beer—and make it dark, rich, delicious,
and locally brewed.
Adam B of White Plains and Christina F of Manhattan are in
training mode—training for a strong performance at Oktoberfest in Munich next
fall. Marking their first time at Captain Lawrence, Adam is having the Schwarzer
Hund, the clean and crisp German black lager on tap in the tasting room. “We
got into German beers—we’re on kind of a kick,” explains Adam.
Christina
enjoys the Kolsch, but finds a flaw in their preparation for Bavaria. “This is
the wrong size glass,” she says, her sample vessel a drop in the bucket
compared to those massive steins served under the bier tents.
Next up for
their training routine is Adam’s birthday, which they’ll celebrate at either
the Hofbrau Bierhaus or Reichenbach Hall in midtown Manhattan.
Resolutions?
“Make sure we’re ready for Oktoberfest,” says Adam.
“Travel,
experience new things,” says Christina.
Across
the room, Kim O’Brien is
experiencing new things, such as the Frost Monster imperial stout. She and Michael Norelli, both of Pleasantville,
are bellying up to the bar for a few samples. Kim describes the Monster as
“comfort food” amidst these unforgiving winter days. “I like dark stuff,
especially in the winter months,” she says.
Michael,
drinking the citra-hopped Rose Bud pale ale, recalls visiting Captain Lawrence
in the early days, camping out for the special releases, and scoring a few #1
tickets over the years as a reward for being first on line. “To me, those were
the days,” he says. “It’s been a love affair ever since.”
A
schoolteacher, Michael has a special connection to owner Scott Vaccaro—he taught Scott’s siblings at John Jay High School in
Cross River. His resolution? More fresh, novel, open-minded approaches to
teaching, and coaching, his students. “I try to remember that children are
children,” he sagely notes.
Kim’s
resolutions? “No,” she says, sipping her Frost Monster happily.
Elsewhere
in the room are John and Joanne Flynn of White Plains. John’s
resolution is, simply put, drink more beer. “It’s easier to try to do more of
something than say you’ll do less of something,” he reasons. Like many in the
tasting room, he’s digging the Frost Monster. “It’s like raisins,” says John.
“I don’t normally like sweet beers, but I love this.”
As was
noted in our Christmas 2012 poem, Joanne adores the Smoked Porter, but has
opted for a sample of the Pale Ale today. Yet the porter is well represented in
their party—a five-gallon keg of the dark stuff rests at her feet. She insists
it’s mostly for cooking purposes: “Stew, pork, meatballs--we marinate
everything,” Joanne says. “A lot of people cook with wine, but I think beer has
better flavor.”
Her
resolution is similar to her husband’s: Drink more beer. No wonder they’re
still pals after nearly 30 years of marriage. “I just agree on everything,”
says John. “It’s easier to just join the Honey Do club.”
In the
fenced-in pen alongside the brewing operation, band members from Westchester
Broadway Theatre, a few doors down on Clearbrook Road, are unwinding in between
productions of “White Christmas”, which runs through January 12. Trombonist Jason Ingram of Weehawken enjoys the--you
guessed it--Frost Monster. “I like dark beers,” he says. “I like this better
than Guinness.”
Musical
director/conductor Andrew Smithson
and pal Franca Vercelloni, both of
Astoria, sip the Rose Bud pale ale. Violinist Mioi Takeda likes the Frost Monster so much she bought the
four-pack. “The bitterness, the darkness, the very strong alcohol level,” she
explains, insisting she’s up for the evening show after a few samples.
Trumpeter
John Trombetta of Brooklyn teases
bassist Jordan Jancz of Bridgeport
about his next gig at the theater after January 12: “Titanic.” “You’re going
down with the ship,” he says.
They
laugh. They sip. Franca, an actress and musician who gives “White Christmas” an
enthusiastic thumbs-up, changes her resolutions on the fly. “I always say, lose
weight,” she says. “But…be happy. Just be happy. Drink beer, stay happy.”
No comments:
Post a Comment