Notes From the Tasting Room, Vol. 11

From The Tasting Room

Hale Males Ride Rail Trail For Pale Ale

I’m waiting for three men.

They set out from the World Trade Center around 10:45 Friday morning, on bikes, with a stop at the Bronx Ale House and another at the beer wonderland DeCicco’s in Ardsley, before arriving at their ultimate destination: Captain Lawrence Brewing in Elmsford.

They’re running a little late, as tends to happen when enjoying a leisurely bike ride with a few stops for a beer along the way. It’s 5:30 and the tasting room is filling up. The post-work crowd. The Clash’s “Magnificent Seven” plays.

Finally, the men—John Kleinchester, Jeff Quinn and Pat MacGowan–roll up, dropping their bikes in a heap on the lawn.

I expected different. For guys on a 35 mile bike trek, I pictured sinewy fellows in lycra and those wacky cycling tap shoes, sitting atop mega-thousand dollar machines bearing Lance Armstrong’s insignia. Instead, I see three dudes in grubby jeans and …

Notes From the Tasting Room, Vol. 10

From The Tasting Room

Cinco de Derby

If ever a day was created to lift a few festive libations with friends, it may just have been May 5. A quick translation of the date into Spanish reveals, yes, Cinco de Mayo, and it happened to be the 138th running of the Kentucky Derby as well. The Derby is known, of course, for the wearing of more preposterous bonnets than a royal wedding, and the quaffing of mint juleps. Headwear is optional for Cinco de Mayo, though some opt for sombreros, and the beverages of choice include Mexican beer or tequila.

Yet both events elicit a hearty ho-hum at the Captain Lawrence tasting room on this day. Ben Eggleston of Elmsford suggests the Derby’s tagline may as well be Run For the Poses. “It’s a women’s hat holiday,” he says. “Women trying to outdo each other with hats—I have no interest.”

It is worth noting that Eggleston happens to be sporting one of the …

Captain Lawrence Wins TAP New York Silver Medals

Awards, CLBC News

Trying to choose a winner at New York’s largest craft beer festival is hard work to be sure. With over 50 breweries and over 200 beers from IPAs and lagers to wiesbiers, doppel and triple bucks, stouts and ales, the competition is fierce and, well, heady. Captain Lawrence Brewing Company is proud to announce that our Imperial IPA won a silver medal for Best Individual Craft Beer in New York State at the TAP New York Craft Beer and Fine Food Festival 2012. In addition, our Imperial IPA also won a sliver medal for Best Craft Beer in the Hudson Valley.

Learn more about the festival at tap-ny.com and try our Imperial IPA to see what all the fuss is about.…

Notes from the Tasting Room, Vol. 9

From The Tasting Room

Music Discussion Reaches Its ‘Peak’

Caroline Corley, the voice of Westchester’s popular rock radio station 107.1 The Peak, lives the rock and roll lifestyle, and certainly looks the part—dressed all in black, a jangle of bangles around her neck, wrists and ankles, each with a unique story—as she strides into the Captain Lawrence tasting room.

But while rock and roll and booze have long been passionate bedfellows–like Jagger and Richards, the pair is manic, a bit destructive, and usually pretty productive–Corley goes easy on the potent potables. She prefers small glasses of quality beer, which makes a visit to the tasting room a logical one. The fact that she lives close enough that she could get there in the amount of time it takes a Ramones song–1-2-3-4! to fade-out– to play on The Peak, makes the jaunt a no brainer too.

“Beers and rock and roll,” Corley says over a barrel. “It’s the formula. That’s what makes good fun.”…

Notes From the Tasting Room, Vol. 8

From The Tasting Room

THE CAPTAIN’S LOG: Benches, Bocce, Beer… Beverage Tax???

Big things are happening at Captain Lawrence Brewing, says owner Scott Vaccaro, most of them quite good. The four-month-old facility in Elmsford features an expanse of green space (well, greenish, at least), and plans call for benches, tables, and even a bocce court to be set up to enhance your beer sampling. (Bocce, involving heavy wooden balls, an asphalt court and, typically, older Italian men, is an even better partner to beer sampling than softball.)

The building permit for the outdoor space should be in hand this week. Captain Lawrence is also applying for a permit to serve beer outside.

And as you’ve probably noticed if you’ve been in a beer distributor or grocery store or Whole Foods recently, bottles are rolling out of the brewery, and into a retailer near you. Freshchester Pale Ale, Liquid Gold and the Captain’s Kolsch are currently out in six pack form, and Captain Lawrence Brown …