Sun Block - Captain Lawrence Brewing Co.

    Sun Block is a Wheat Ale brewed by the Captain Lawrence Brewing Co. which is located in Elmsford, New York. The bottle describes the brew as a "Hoppy Wheat Beer". I realize that we've just gotten into the beginning of winter here in the Midwest, but I say it's never too early to have a summer beer, and Captain Lawrence Brewing Co. seems to agree!

    The beer pours a pale, straw yellow. Just gently pouring the beer into a cup produces a massive, frothy head. Hundreds of tiny bubbles play around inside the glass alongside small bits of wheat sediment in this unfiltered brew.

    Thankfully, Sun Block smells little like its namesake. Instead, your nose is met with bright, citrus hops when you bring the glass up to your lips. There is also the light scent of wheat and some biscuit malts.

    The beer is light bodied and a bit watery, with a large amount of carbonation that tingles on the tongue. The beer has an alcohol content of 4.5% ABV.

This beer won't prevent sun burns...

    Sun Block is lightly citrus flavored, with a nice lemon flavor up front. Unfortunately, an almost cloying bitterness accompanies the citrus hops flavors which takes away from the wheat and malt flavors present in the beer's nose. These sweeter flavors eventually become completely hidden as a sour flavor builds up in your mouth after prolonged drinking.

    The only times I have seen sun block and beer come into play together were both bad mixes. The first, a prank from a crude "teen" movie, involved hiding alcohol in sunscreen bottles to sneak it into a pool, ending with the characters' internal organs having a rating of SPF 30. The other, more common mix of the two (or rather one causing the other not to be present), would be the numerous stories I've heard of people drinking in the summer, falling asleep, and waking up as red as a lobster. In other words, the mix of beer and sun block rarely turns out well.

    This beer is a perfect example of something that could have been a great idea, but went wrong somewhere along the line. I love the citrus hops and wheat combination, especially in a refreshing summertime brew, but the bitterness in this batch overpowers the subtle wheat flavors. It's possible that I got a bad batch, so I will try another of these beers in the future and update the review accordingly. Until then, I can't recommend this beer.

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