Golden Delicious
Captain Lawrence Brewing Co.

Golden DeliciousGolden Delicious
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From:
Captain Lawrence Brewing Co.
 
New York, United States
Style:
Tripel
Ranked #114
ABV:
10%
Score:
87
Ranked #15,442
Avg:
3.9 | pDev: 13.85%
Reviews:
235
Ratings:
663
Status:
Active
Rated:
Oct 24, 2023
Added:
Feb 01, 2008
Wants:
  109
Gots:
  111
Triple Aged In Apple Brandy Barrels
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by jzeilinger:
Photo of jzeilinger
Reviewed by jzeilinger from Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
A - Hazy golden orange with a thin creamy white lacing ring.

S - Apples and light brandy.

T - Apples, brandy, and oak with a bitter apple finish. Alcohol level is fairly well hidden.

M - Juicy and makes the mouth water profusely.

O - ABV is well hidden.
Apr 02, 2016
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.83 by DBosco from Massachusetts

Oct 24, 2023
 
Rated: 4.18 by BNoble4Life from New York

Jan 24, 2021
Photo of Rug
Reviewed by Rug from Massachusetts

3.79/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Canned 10/16/20

This seems like quite an interesting concept. As far as BA tripels go, I've only had Curieux, which I was not a huge fan of. The fact that this was aged in apple brandy barrels is the reason I picked it up to begin with, as I'm sure it imparts a great flavors

Pours a cloudy gold amber with a finger of white head that fades to a ring at a reasonable rate and leaves minimal lacing

The alcohol is strong in the aroma here. Very hot and sweet, some grain, maple sweetness, and spice to match the subtle but present green apple character, which seems mildly tart. Maybe just a hint of dry oak and malt but it's mostly just boozy

No surprise here that the taste is boozy. The sip at first reveals notes of clove, pepper, grain alcohol, and light apple. The swallow brings further notes of green apple and pepper, as well as lightly sweet honey and deep malt

The body is full and slick, with the only "carbonation" coming from the alcohol tingle. Finishes hot, dry, and sweet

This was, uhh....an interesting case. Absolutely a contemplative sipper, but hard to drink at some points, especially in the absence of food. Probably the booziest beer I've ever tasted, and I've had plenty of beer with a higher abv than this. Pretty good all things considered, but something I won't have again for a long while
Dec 07, 2020
 
Rated: 4.21 by WynnO from Florida

Nov 21, 2020
 
Rated: 3.84 by TheItalianStallion from New York

Oct 25, 2020
Photo of haines710
Reviewed by haines710 from Delaware

3.79/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Fun to drink but not my favorite. A little sweet with nice kick. This is easy to drink with nice apple flavor and not obvious alcohol given the ABV. I’m glad that I got just one as part of a make your own at Wegmans. Great brewery that makes some fun beers. I prefer IPA but this one is a nice one to try and savor at the end of the night.
Jun 27, 2020
 
Rated: 3.8 by Skabiski from Maryland

Feb 22, 2020
Photo of Beginner2
Reviewed by Beginner2 from Illinois

3.83/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75
Very clever -- and fitting -- to make a tripel taste like apples.
But it proves this adage: if you want good ratings, jack-up the alcohol.
While enjoyable, Golden Delicious is over-rated.

I'd like a tripel to have more foam, more effort being made by the yeast; so its Looks are just average.
Smells are accomplished; smelling this much apple in a tripel reminds me that fruit is, indeed, fruit.
And Golden Delicious Tastes like it Smells, only at the finish line the alcohol hits me in the face and loses some points.
I had this before dinner; but had I had it with dinner, the tripel would not have improved either.

Captain Lawrence is 14 years old; yet 3 of its top 6 BA rated ales are Belgians. In my book, this is worth something. But I'd like to try their other Belgians to see if they have figured out the centrality of yeast.

The rest of their story is not uncommon: home-brewer in a suburb in 2004 follows his bliss, grows his business, moves to a bigger suburb closer to the metropolis, gets better distribution, grows some more and, finally, an obscure Poo-bah from the Midwest finds his beer in a nearly-foreign land (Florida) and gives the brewery his first review. (If that is not a common story to your ear, I tell it all the time.)
Jan 28, 2020
Photo of maddogruss
Reviewed by maddogruss from New Jersey

3.76/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
Based on notes from 2013. Had this in a bottle.
A: pours golden body with small white head with ok retention and lacing
S: sweet, golden delicious apple taste with some alcohol and toffee notes
T: sweet, dry alcoholic taste; some apple aftertaste; sweet, subtle toffee aftertaste
M: medium bodied and smooth; pretty crisp as well
D: excellent mouthfeel and taste combo; great drinking beer
Dec 29, 2019
 
Rated: 4.1 by Marklaker from Florida

Dec 01, 2019
 
Rated: 3.77 by user785335 from Florida

Nov 25, 2019
 
Rated: 3.84 by Jcarriglio from Florida

Nov 24, 2019
Photo of avalon07
Reviewed by avalon07 from South Carolina

3.82/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75
L: Poured from a tallboy can to a goblet. Had a golden yellow color (of course), and a mostly clear consistency. There was a quarter inch of foamy head that quickly dissipated. Below average lacing.

S: A decent, but not spectacular of apples, hops, malt, booze, and tropical fruit.

T: Tasted of hint of hops (not a huge presence), a lot of apple brandy (a big factor in the flavor), a little malt (present throughout, though subtle), and a tinge of tropical fruit (passion fruit). This is an odd, sometimes off-putting, but interesting flavor. It's boozy as hell, but doesn't really resemble a tripel. Still, not a bad flavor.

F: A fair amount of carbonation with a warm, somewhat slick finish. Medium-bodied.

O: An uneven beer with some interesting characteristics. Worth a look.
Nov 23, 2019
Photo of hman43
Reviewed by hman43 from North Carolina

4.1/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Look: It pours golden and clear with a white head. Head retention is good.

Smell: It has aromas of apple and spice. There are some light honey notes with bread dough.

Taste: There are some brandy flavors with apple. It has some spice to it with a bit of honey. It has some doughy elements in the background.

Feel: It has a medium full body with noticeable alcohol which is pleasant and warming.

Overall, the apple brandy element brings this tripel a new dimension which is quite good.
Nov 16, 2019
 
Rated: 4.06 by robotic_being from Illinois

Nov 15, 2019
 
Rated: 4.35 by Saylor from Pennsylvania

Oct 24, 2019
Photo of woodychandler
Reviewed by woodychandler from Pennsylvania

4.37/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Today has been shaping up & progressing nicely. For too long, I spent time & $ as a barfly, habituating local establishments & bringing beer home with me. The problem beCAN when I was not home enough to drink my procurements. It was CANpounded when I took up with an online site that would ship. 8=O Plus, I have my local, in-person trader @tone77 dropping beer off in a most generous way! 8=O It took prostate CANcer, surgery & a (mostly) home-bound Summer to open my eyes! The backlog is massive & staggering & I am moving through it as quickly as possible.

First, a 2017 Bottle.

From the Bottle: "Ale aged in Apple Brandy Barrels"; "Award Winning Ale"; "There’s nothing quite like Mom’s apple pie…but I’m willing to bet this beer’s pretty darn close. An American Tripel, dry-hoped with Amarillo hop and aged in Apple Brandy oak barrels from one of this country’s oldest distilleries. The tropical aroma of the hops and the delicate apple aroma from the barrels are a perfect match. Straight from the Captain’s cellar to yours, we hope you enjoy."; "2012 Great American Beer Festival (R) Bronze Medal Winner 'Wood and Barrel-Aged + Beer'"; "2008 Great American Beer Festival (R) Bronze Medal Winner 'Wood and Barrel-Aged + Beer'".

I Pop!ped the blank, gold cap & beore I did anything else, I took note of the lees sitting on the kick/punt. A VERY slow, gentle pour was therefore in order, absenting a nice Belgian wicker basket. I was proceeding nicely when I saw some of the flocculate break loose & begin inching forward! 8=O ALL STOP! In the glass, a minute finger of fizzy, foamy, soapy, bone-white head had formed & was falling away to wisps. Color was solid Gold (SRM = 5) with NE-plus quality clarity! The Gelt Gang of Midas, Mammon & Croesus suddenly appeared & in a frothing frenzy!

They would have had it all for themselves had I not rushed upstairs, donned my Cyberleader suit & wrested it back from them. It also set off an alarm at Torchwood as well as my seeing the TARDIS materializing in the parking lot across the way. 8=( I quickly doffed my aluminum suit, stowed in in the closet & waited for things to calm down.

Once I felt reasonably safe, I went back to my beer. The nose was redolent, nay, pungent with brandy! 8=O O-M-F-G. It also held a Belgian-yeast strain's mustiness, which probably accounted for the lees. The yeast had probably been hard at work once it was bottled. Bringing the snifter up to my nose for my initial taste, I really got hit with the scent of apples. It was like Fall in a bottle! Mouthfeel was medium. The taste was weepingly dry, full-on apples & brandy! Mmm. What could have beaten this to take Gold & Silver?!? Man, this was a HUGE beer, perhaps bigger than its measured 11% ABV at the time of its bottling. I let every sip just roll around in my mouth & on my tongue to get the full sensation. The base Tripel was evident in its dry mustiness which was unrelenting. Phew. The apple and brandy flavors melded so nicely that it would have been all too easy to just toss it off & suck it down. What a mistake that would be! My second pour represented ~ 1/2 of the bottle's contents so it lacked the button brightness of the initial pour, but I was still saving the lees for a final, stand-alone pour.

This last was murky as heck. The Belgian yeast was really on display as everything else too a back seat to its mustiness. Quite a finish!

Now/next, a 16-fl. oz. CAN of 2018 vintage for The CANQuest (tm)! Normally, I am a CANvocate, but THIS in a pint CAN?!? 8=O

From the CAN: "Aged in Apple Brandy Barrels"; "GABF Bronze Medal Golden Delicious Wood-and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer, 2008"; "GABF Bronze Medal Golden Delicious Wood-and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer, 2012".

I have to admit that a pint CAN was a daunting task, but I Crack!ed the vent anyway. I then CANmenced a slow, gentle C-Line Glug into the awaiting goblet. It poured more easily than the 2017 version, perhaps not having built up it level of lees. At any rate, I was seeing greater foaming action with nary a hint of lees. I stopped pouring once nearly two fingers of dense, foamy, rocky, bone-white head had been established. Color was now a slightly-lighter Yellow-Gold (SRM = 4 - 5) with NE-quality clarity, meaning that while The Gelt Gang of Croesus, Midas & Mammon rejoined me, they were not as ravenous with greed as before. Phew! On this iteration, the nose was more pronounced in terms of its apple origin, followed by the brandy barrels with the yeast trailing in a distant third. Much more to my liking! Mouthfeel was medium-to-full, not quite creamy, but on the approach. Its (relative) youth really allowed the apple flavors to shine while the brandy barrel-driven heat was more focused, like a laser as opposed to a shotgun. Phew! Now, if you want to talk about dangerously drinkable, this was its personification! I was losing the battle at this point. Finish was semi-dry to dry, nowhere nearly as gasping as 2017. Still, I give up.
Sep 21, 2019
Photo of HellsRanger
Reviewed by HellsRanger from Pennsylvania

4.09/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
This pours a nice light gold slight hazy yellow, with nice white foam with mild lace and retention.
The aroma is full of the apple brandy barrel with the oak coming along for the ride, and some decent acohol scent to it, with some nice maltiness.
Now as for the taste, Wow! it definitely has the apple (maybe more a Granny Smith than a red delicious), malt, syrup, and acohol...all of the above (letter D). very enjoyable and somewhat unexpected pleasure.
As for the feel it has a somewhat bite with the acohol, and the "Granny Smith" bite, but the apple brandy barrels recover nicely and make it a pleasure to drink.
all in all, a very nice apple blended brew. Way to go Captain Lawrence. Cudos!
Jun 07, 2019
 
Rated: 4.5 by rdoggg from Pennsylvania

Mar 09, 2019
Golden Delicious from Captain Lawrence Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 87 out of 100 with 663 ratings