Sun Block IPA
Captain Lawrence Brewing Co.

 

I feel this is underrated here on BA.

A) nice golden body with white cap and plenty of last and lace.
S) bready malts with a floral hop backdrop and plenty of pineapple and tropical fruit flesh. Juicy.
T) Dominant Sorachi Ace hop, japanese flavor with floral and piney bitters on top of a solid, ample malt base.
F) mid body and carb.
O) Great underrated IPA that has strong malt base with fresh, juicy, piney Sorachi Ace hop dominant.

 

Just a hint of hoppy aroma, a light malt and resin flavoring, light gold body, and two fingers of suds after pouring and nice lacing down the glass after several sips. Something about the selected malts and the hops gives this a flavor that's hard to get used to. The haze does not add to the mouthfeel, but it finished clean and dry. I was expecting something a bit juicy, but got a hazy, but almost pilsner-like ale. Not the best effort from Captain Lawrence but better than most summer IPAs.

A cloudy deep golden oak color with a sized head. Lots of lace.

Nose has lots of lemon and a bit of dill, no doubt from the Sorachi Ace dry hopping. Sweet malt body.

Taste is tightly bitter with a leafy grapefruit quality. Light malt body has some bready contributions to the mix. Finish is short, clean and very dry. Bits of hop oil and cracker are left lightly as you swallow.

Feel is crisp and refreshing, with a light creaminess. Body is perfect for summer, with an easy drinking weight that is not watery but still feels like real beer.

A solid brew. One that is easy to session and nicely hoppy.

 

 

 

12oz bottle into Nonic Pint
undecipherable date code
L-pours a clear (even though bottle says unfiltered) dark gold with 1 inch white cap, a little lacing
S- breadiness amidst a floral backdrop with a slight tropical twist
T- the breadiness continues to the taste where there is a strong malt presence, which follows into a lemon-y Sorachi Ace linger, and piney bitter finish
F- medium bodied, mainly because of malt presence, highly carbonated
Overall a unique IPA that has very strong malt/bready aspect, with the clear lemon from the Sorachi Ace dry-hopping

 

Not for me, i'd say go with their Effortless IPA much better than this one.

 

 

Captain Lawrence Brewing Co. "Sun Block IPA"
12 fl. oz. brown glass bottle, "BATCH 8 MPN 669 13:19:00"
$2.79 @ Total Wine & More, Cherry Hill, NJ

Notes via stream of consciousness: Nice looking glass of beer. A rocky bright white head rests gently above a hazy straw gold body. The head retention seems to be good so far but we'll see where it goes. It smells a little like a Pilsner. Nope, the label says it's "dry hopped with Sorachi Ace hops". OK, let's see... the aroma is a little woody like Sorachi Ace, and grassy and herbal and floral. There's even a spritz of lemon. That follows in the flavor. It's grassy, and woody, or even like dill - maybe actually very like dill - and there's a bit of dull lemon, and I think that's where I was getting the Pilsner impression from, the grass and lemon and herbs. Hmmm... one might even call it a little piney as it's kind of like dried pine needles on a damp forest floor. It finishes with lemon, grass, and wood and earth along with some residual bitterness. So now I have a conundrum. It's an IPA only in the sense that it's hoppy as it's really not that bitter, or strong at just 5.8% ABV, and has a light-medium body and moderate crispness. I'm not sure if I'd have preferred if it was labeled a "session IPA" or not as I kind of hate that term, but this fits in there as well. So should I rate it as an IPA? It'd bomb! No, I'll just have to accept the fact that brewers are going to use whatever label they want, categorizing it as a style that's popular while also moving it away from the style that it actually is if that one's not so popular. Putting that aside, it IS a great summer beer. The hops are unique, and it's easy to drink and refreshing. Nicely done!

the beer poured very clear and very light in color. It formed a half inch white head, which stuck around for a while leaving some lacing. The smell of very light citrus notes hints for a very light summer type beer. Tasting the beer , I can identify maltiness up front, fruit like lime in the middle, the hops taking control in the back. This is a beer which is confusing, but is very refreshing and drinkable. But is also not your typical IPA. Maybe that was, what the brewer had in mind!!