Review #9 Captain Lawrence: Smoke from the Oak batch #4

I didn't get to make it to the release for this beer a few weeks ago, but luckily my buddy and fellow beer lover @paul_mar hooked me up with a couple of bottles.

This is the fourth batch of Smoke from the Oak, a smoked porter that was aged in wine barrels.  The three previous releases were done in rum, apple brandy, and port barrels.  The next one in line is currently being aged in bourbon barrels.  Get pumped!

The white label on the bottle reads:
Highly Carbonated
Refrigerate at least 24 hours before serving

What it should have said:
Grab a fucking tarp and a mop, its gon' rain!

All joking aside.  Open this in the sink, or maybe the bath tub.  Once the geyser is done erupting you are left with one hell of an awesome beer.  It is very deep brown in color, almost like a cola, and smells sour, fruity, vinous (thanks thesaurus.com), and malty.  The flavors of roasted malt, sour fruit, and wine permeate through the beer.  There is a definite acidity present, along with a little vanilla, a little smoke, and call me crazy; but I detected some chocolate in there too.  This beer is awesome.  Everyone who tried it with me seemed to agree as well.

What it is, yo?:  I don't think you can get this anymore, so I can't really say "GO GET IT!" like I would want to.  What I can say is that if you are in the NYC area for one of the upcoming Smoke from the Oak releases at Captain Lawrence, you should definitely check it out.  I will be there.  Also, luckily for me, I have another bottle in my fridge.

Review #2 Stone, Ken Schmidt, Maui: Kona Coffee, Macadamia, Coconut Porter

So I suppose I will do the first collab in this series next, kind of working backwards, but whatever.

This wondrous creation of all that is good in the world tastes like a chocolate macaroon being served with a great cup of coffee. I really dig porters, but I have been not so happy with most of the ones I have recently tried. It's not that they were bad, they just weren't something special. This brew ends that streak.

It pours out black, with little to no head. Then it punches you in the nose with a HUGE sweetened coconut right hook, and follows up with a left jab of coffee and chocolate. It's silky and smooth to the taste where the coffee takes over, and the coconut and chocolate become a pleasant backdrop. Then you get some nice fruity hints from the hops. But wait- there's more! Just as it hits the back of your tongue and you are ready to swallow you get a nice kick of tasty roasted macadamia nut goodness. OMG!

My verdict: This beer should be available all the time! I would shell out the $6.99 to drink 12 ounces of this again and again. But it's not, so I have cellared a few for a rainy day, as you should too.