BridgePort Bourbon Barrel Old Knucklehead

Brewed by BridgePort Brewing (Gambrinus Company)
Style: Barley Wine
Portland, Oregon USA

Bomber. Poured a rather clear, rich medium amber with a swirly cap of off-white head. The aroma picked up aged caramel spiked by some alcohol.. bourbon and vanilla rode up the sides of the nose and this was quite strong when it all came together.. oak and a bouquet of redder fruits showed as it breathed a bit. The flavor opened with tangy oak and whiskey on the tip of the tongue, with sweeter aged caramel not far behind.. berries and redder fruits hit more on the latter half.. finished dry and spicy with a warm impression. Heavier-bodied with low carbonation on the palate.. lots of residual sugars and oaky character at the end.. solid stuff, but not great.

Lasting soapy head on medium cloudy golden body. Expecting it darker, really. Bourbon aroma. Above average mouthfeel. A bit drying and boozy. But essentially, this is ale conidtioned in wood, it works, though it is one dimensional.

Bottle. [Tasting session @ Papsoe, 31-10-2008] Average fine bubbled off-white head that mostly diminished. Spare display of lacework. Hazy dark amber color. Aroma of heavy malt profile, alcohol, fruit, Bourbon. Over the palate came nutty, caramel, alcohol, fruit, wood. Quite full bodied with an average carbonation and alcoholic texture. Moderated to heavy sweet with good counter bitterness. Solid malty and warming alcoholic texture.

Pours an amber body with a moderate head. Aroma and flavor is of pale, caramel malt with a good presence of dark fruit fig, raisins and plum. Bourbon is light and tasteful, its the finish that hurts this one its a bit burnt and doesn’t seem to come together well.

Bottle. If you hold this up to the light, it’s cherry red. I find the aroma sweet, but rich, almost candy-like. This drinks with a tart tanginess, like a sour apple almost, with a solid alcohol kick to the gullet in the finish. I don’t detect any hint that this was aged in bourbon barrels. (#3440, 4/29/2008)

Very big malt aroma, roasted malts, nutty and big earth tones. Bourbon gives a earthy and woody quality, more like a scotch then the buttery bourbon that most get. Body is a bit lighter, a bit of alochol present. Pours dark mohagany with a small bubbled beige head.

Courtesy of fishingnet, you know what I like. Pours copper with tan head. The aroma is a bit bourbony to go along with pine, malt sweetness and fresh wood. The taste has yummy rich sweet malt notes mixing with wood, a couple of dashes of vanilla and a moderate thick layer of caramel. Pretty damn good stuff.

On tap @ Horsebrass. This had somewhat of a wang to it. Foamy head, and some hazy couldiness murks into its brunt amber coloring. Bourbon is the word, somewhat okay and sour, but lots of vanilla and honey. Did not really blow the wind of my skirt but I am glad I got to try it.