December 1st - Captain Lawrence Brewing Company Double Pull

And so it begins, the journey that I (and you, vicariously, of course) take each December for the past 5 years.  Being that it's the weekend, it's perfectly acceptable to start things prior to dinner time this year.  Couple that with the fact that I just returned from Target for an impromptu shopping trip on a Saturday during the Christmas season.  If you've never experienced crowds like that before during the day, feel free to join them there.  It'll be fun.  I promise.

So, upon returning home and taking care of some small chores around the house (not to mention eating a very late lunch), I opened the fridge to see what choice numero uno would be this chilly, rainy Saturday afternoon.  I mean, after that shopping trip, it was warranted.

One particular can caught my eye that I snagged from local distributor, W & S in Northumberland earlier this week.  

Poke-beer, I choose you!  Nah, just kidding.  My kid is into Pokémon and it was the first thing I thought of.

I decided to reach for the Captain Lawrence Brewing Company Double Pull, a limited release according to the can.  A stout brewed with espresso clocking in at a hefty 10.5% to get things rolling this month.  The rest of the can tells me it's brewed with milk sugar, so I expect a sweet yet bitter flavor that is going to come from the espresso.  

Before reviewing this beer, I have to tell you that if you're an IPA fan, you need to find Orbital Tilt, which is also a limited release unfortunately.  The brewer makes this beer with rotating hops, however, the one I had this past fall was outstanding!  I shared with my brother in law and another beer drinking friend of mine and they both agreed.

The pour was a deep opaque black with a creamy, yet thin head at the top after I poured it down the center of my beer/coffee mug I like to use for coffee stouts like this one.  

The aroma, as expected was coffee/espresso dominant with a touch of sweetness.  Pretty straightforward there.  

An abundance of bitter (not overly bitter mind you) coffee flooded my taste buds upon my first sip with some roasted notes as well.  The bitterness definitely lingers here on the palate but the beer finished with the sweetness I expected with the lactose sugar advertised on the can.  The mouth feel is relatively lighter than I expected for an imperial stout.  It's more of a medium-heavy than something that weighs it down.  Very likely the mouthfeel is a by-product, albeit intentional by the brewer, of the flaked oats in the recipe (also noted on the can).  Thick and syrupy this is not, that I'm alright with that!

All in all, for the first choice of the month, this was a solid way to open things up.  I've had coffee stouts I enjoy a slight tick better, but in this case, with just a tad different ingredient in the espresso, it still worked well for my palate.  The best part is that you can find a can or 4 locally if you're in my neck of the woods instead of through mail order.  Don't worry, you'll see Tavour stuff very soon.

Happy December 1st to you and yours!  Cheers!