Late 2014, Captain Lawrence Brewing Company of Westchester County, New York, made its official debut within the greater Philadelphia market—and we welcomed them with open arms.
With our admiration of its wide-ranging repertoire of finely crafted beers, including one hell of an IPA and impeccably well-balanced barrel-aged beers, we were eager to tap head brewer Scott Vaccaro for the full scoop on expanding his distribution to the City of Brotherly Love. Below, you’ll discover which of his beers tells the best story of his brewery best, what “it” funky beer scored him Great American Beer Festival gold medals and even how the beer industry significantly shaped his life.
PA Eats: What’s most exciting to you about expanding your brand down the East Coast, to become part of a beer city like Philly?
Scott Vaccaro: Whenever you talk about great beer cities, Philly is always at the top of the list. Once we took a closer look at the beer scene, we knew it would be a natural fit! And, it doesn’t hurt that we are only 120 miles away.
The plan is to continue to expand your offerings and launch them steadily into the Philly market. Which of your releases would you identify as a Captain Lawrence “gateway beer”?
If you are looking for a very drinkable “gateway to craft”-style of beer, I would go for our Kolsch. Super drinkable, moderately hoppy and packed with malt flavor.
As a followup to that, which release do you recommend we have to get acquainted with—no matter what kind of beer drinker we are?
If you are looking for the beer we think tells our story as a brewery, take a sniff and taste of our IPA.
Since Captain Lawrence has launched in Philly, I suspect you’ve been hitting the local scene regularly. What local bars are some of your favorites?
To be honest with you, I have been dragged (happily) all over the city to more places than I can remember. I will say that I have not been disappointed with a single spot.
Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty of Captain Lawrence. I love that the brewery is named after the road of your childhood home and that you can regularly catch your dad, Vincent, haunting around the brewery and even giving tours. Would you consider Captain Lawrence a family affair?
Family has always played a big role in the brewery. From actually building the infrastructure, hanging pipes, running wires all the way down to the colors of the floor and the pictures on the wall in the tasting room, my family has taken part in all of it. They leave the direction of the beers and the production up to me, but are always around to help.
What’s so special about Westchester County, New York, that you had to open a brewery there?
Westchester was an easy and obvious choice in my mind—this is where I grew up and this is where I had the support network it was going to take to start a brewery and to be successful.
You skipped out of studying accounting at Villanova University to pursue brewing professionally. What about the modern-day beer industry makes you eager to be a part of it? How has it changed since you debuted Captain Lawrence in 2006?
The industry has helped shape my life and is big part of who I am. The history, art and science of beer making is what I have lived and breathed for more than half my life. When I was 17, I knew that I was born to brew beer. The industry has made some huge leaps in the nine years since we started. Craft brewers have become—and continue to be—more and more a part of the communities they are in. The support we have received, in the form of increased sales, has been tremendous.
You have quite a reputation for barrel-aging beers. Hand-pick one of your funky favorites and describe to me what makes it so special.
Cuvee de Castleton. This was the first of the sours we brewed at CLBC; it went into the oak just a few months after we brewed our first batch of beer in 2006. Golden sour ale, aged in French and American oak wine barrels with Brettanomyces. After a few months of aging we add in whole, crushed muscat grapes. The beer then sits until we deem it ready to be bottled. This was also the first beer to win a gold medal in the American Sour Ale category at the GABF in 2007 and our first Gold Medal at the GABF.
Find Captain Lawrence Brewing Company at 444 Saw Mill River Rd., Elmsford, New York (directions here); phone: (914) 741-2337. Be sure to also scout out Captain Lawrence beers in the greater Philadelphia region.
- Photography: Captain Lawrence Brewing Company
