There it
stood, in the middle of the tasting room bar—a chubby 10-gallon keg of the
special Captain Lawrence-Peekskill Brewery collaboration on behalf of the
Hudson River environmental watchdogs known as Riverkeeper. Captain Lawrence
tapped the barrel as part of a special event, and many in the room came specifically
to try it.
“It’s
pretty hoppy,” says Bob Yankou of
Hawthorne. “What you’d expect from a double IPA—a lot going on.”
Bob
knows his double IPAs—he sports a Captain’s Reserve Imperial IPA t-shirt. His
son Bobby, meanwhile, wears a Beeriodic Table of the Elements shirt. One
imagines the Yankou family gatherings are quite fun. Bob says he’s enjoyed
having beers with Bobby since the kid turned 21 two years ago—and not a day
longer.
The brew
features mosaic and New Zealand waimea hops, and a hearty 8% alcohol count. “It’s
fresh, light, not overwhelming,” notes Bobby.
If Bob
Sr. has one complaint, it’s that Riverkeeper did not pick his entry in its online
Name-the-Beer contest. His suggestion was Sturgeon General, while the winning
entry was…Lucky Sturgeon IPA. “At least they picked something in the sturgeon
family,” he says.
Bob is
not a “super-activist,” he says, but appreciates the efforts of Riverkeeper and
other environmental groups. “I like to breath air,” he says, “and do things
like that.”
Across
the room, Tom and Maria Robinson of Yorktown make their
way in with Maria’s wife’s husband, a Slovak named Josef. Tom is a regular at Captain Lawrence, coming for the
imperial IPA. (“If they don’t have it, I don’t come,” he says.) Maria does not
drink beer. Josef speaks not a word of English. “If a visitor comes from a
country that makes good beer, you want to bring him to Captain Lawrence,”
reasons Tom.
“They
know good beer in Slovakia,” adds Maria.
The
language issue is tricky, but Maria has worked out a good system, translating
Slovakian to English, and vice versa, on her phone. Josef enjoys the “Urodu
Pivo,” as the Harvest Ale roughly translates to. Next up for the men: some of
the “Rieka Brankar”—the Riverkeeper. (Her iPhone is still searching for the
Slovakian translation of “sturgeon.”)
Also on
the agenda besides Captain Lawrence for the Robinsons and Josef the Slovak—trips
to the Statue of Liberty and the Intrepid.
The work
day winds down and the tasting room begins to fill. The Stones’ gem “Rocks Off”
cranks from the speakers. “The sunshine
bores the daylights out of me,” howls Mick. Indeed, it’s a great time to
duck out of the glare and sample a beer or two.
Jamie Desmond and Ashley Davis are taking a break from studying at New York Medical
College just up the road in Valhalla. Fans of hearty, hoppy beers—Ashley
laments the absence of the late, great Seeking Alpha triple IPA--they make a
point of trying the Lucky Sturgeon.
“Hoppy,
citrusy, woody,” says Ashley. “It tastes like it’s been aged in something.”
“Actually
pretty light for a heavy IPA,” adds Jamie. “Easy drinking!”
The
ladies are down with the idea of supporting a worthwhile cause by draining a
few samples of quality craft beer. “I can get behind that,” says Jamie with a
smile.
Also
smiling is Dan Shapley, water
quality program manager at Riverkeeper. The crowd is a good one and the new brew
is going over well. Dan says both Captain Lawrence and Peekskill Brewery, which
had its own Lucky Sturgeon unveiling, have pitched in in the past by hosting
parties for volunteers who’ve helped out with “Riverkeeper Sweep” clean-up
events. “It’s a great connection,” Dan says. “They need good water, and we
protect it.”
Dan
describes himself as an “equal opportunity drinker”—he enjoys a variety of
beers, none more so than the others. He samples the Lucky Sturgeon, noting the
major hop aromas, a hint of pineapple in the flavor, and a real smooth taste
despite the robust 8% ABV.
“I’m
happy we came out with something on the quality side,” he says. “It’s no
surprise, since they’re two great breweries.”
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 India Pale Ale.
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