Captain Lawrence's Captain's Reserve - Beer of the Week

by Joshua M. Bernstein, Posted Sep 8th 2009 @ 5:00PM

Photo: Joshua M. Bernstein

Joshua M. Bernstein, Gourmet.com's beer columnist, has written about brews, bars and booze for New York Magazine, Time Out New York, ForbesTraveler.com and The New York Times.

Until a couple of weeks ago, if you wanted to pound a pint of Captain Lawrence's Captain's Reserve imperial IPA, you either had to pay a visit to the Pleasantville, N.Y., brewery or pray to a boozy deity that your local saloon was serving the ludicrously aromatic elixir.

Your prayers have been answered. The medal-winning Captain's Reserve has ditched its draft-only status, and the brewery's brand-new bottling line has begun humming. However, the Captain's not capped in the usual 12- or 22-ounce glass carafes, but instead the squat pint.

"Everyone makes beer in a 22-ounce bottle; why not be a little different?" asks head brewer Scott Vaccaro, who accentuates the beer's value at about $5. "It's a good way to get a single serving at a more reasonable price than a massive 22-ounce imperial IPA, which can cost up to $10."

We'd gladly pay that price for this righteous Reserve. Uncap the sturdy flagon (the same bottle used for that other double-IPA dream, Russian River's Pliny the Elder), pour out the golden-orange grog and you'll be struck by an 80 IBU blast of crisp, floral hops-pine tar and fresh-sliced grapefruit sprinkled with sugar.

On first taste, you'll notice that the biscuity malt backbone stands up to the bitterness. This creates a creamy, even-keeled IPA that doesn't cinch your taste buds into a stranglehold, 8 percent ABV be damned.

A drinkable double IPA? That's like catching lightning in a bottle.

What double IPAs do you crave? Spill it in the comments.

Filed Under: Drink Recipes
Tags: beer, Captain Lawrence Imperial IPA, CaptainLawrenceImperialIpa