Ken Kesey and his band of Merry Pranksters had their acid
test, and Scott Vaccaro and his Captain Lawrence boys have theirs too. Taking
place at a number of better beer establishments in the region, The Captain
Lawrence Acid Test offers up three pale ales of increasing hoppiness: The India
Pale Ale, the Imperial IPA and the Seeking Alpha mega-monster Triple IPA.
Brewers measure a beer’s bitterness on the International
Bittering Units (IBU) scale. The IPA weighs in around 65, the Imperial IPA at
90, and the Seeking Alpha—an 11% alcohol, twice dry-hopped colossus—hits the
full 100 in the IBU scale. The three-beer flight allows sippers and samplers to
note the escalating acidity on their taste buds, and vote for their favorite of
the trio. Craft beer purveyors participating in the merriment include Bierkraft
and Brouwerij Lane in Brooklyn, Bronx Beer Hall and Beer Table in Grand Central
Terminal.
“The Acid Test is a way for people to taste their way up the
scale,” says Scott. “It’s also a way for people to taste some special beers
alongside the beers that are more everyday ones.”
Speaking of special beers, some Golden Delicious is stewing in
apple brandy barrels, and Scott and the guys will put the dry-hopped tripel ale
in four-packs for the first time in the fall. The brew, also weighing in at 11%
ABV, has only been available in hefty 750 ml bottles in the past. “Eleven percent
is a big commitment,” says Scott. “This is a better way to offer a beer that
strong.”
Ideal as an aperitif, the Golden Delicious features notes of
vanilla, tropical fruit and green apples.
Captain Lawrence aims to put a different specialty brew in
four-packs each quarter of this year; the Golden Delicious follows the Frost
Monster imperial stout and Seeking Alpha.
Those double-digits uber-brews are not for everyone;
sometimes you just want a refreshing Kolsch or plain old Pale Ale without the
India or Imperial or Triple prefix. All will be available when the signature
Captain Lawrence Pig Roast goes down Saturday, May 17. Last year’s, the first
for the brewery in Elmsford, took place on a steamy June day. This year’s will
be cooler in every respect, with music from Evan Watson, Rebecca Haviland and
others, pigs on the barbie, lots of beer, samples of the “287” Captain
Lawrence/Still the One whiskey, and cornhole and bocce for your other hand.
“I think the weather will be better,” says Scott. “It was a
little warm last year.”
And speaking of al fresco sipping, once we get past Tuesday’s
last blast of winter, we’ll hopefully catch a break in the weather and be out
on the patio again. Scott mentions a “beautification plan” for the outdoor
space—canals, gondolas, a reimagined Venetian cityscape right here in Elmsford.
OK, maybe not something that dramatic, but the guys at the
brewery are planting fresh shrubs and other assorted flora, cleaning up the
area, and making it that much more inviting on which to sip the Liquid Gold,
the Sun Block, and others that go well with spring and summer sun.
“We can’t wait for the damn weather to get warm,” says
Scott. “I’m sure you can’t either.”
--Michael Malone (malone5a@yahoo.com)
The “Notes From the Tasting Room” book is available at the brewery and on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Notes-Captain-Lawrence-Tasting-Room/dp/0985632844/
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