BridgePort Bourbon Barrel Old Knucklehead

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

<i>Tasting at Papsoe</i>
Hazy red-dark amber color; small creamy head. Creamy &#40;milky&#41; caramel aroma, nice. Strong caramel flavor, some chocolate malt, strong bitterness, roasted nuts character, some hop resins but less American-type hopping than usual, which makes of it an original one, at least, since it´s not the best. Strong ending bitterness.

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)

Bottle thanks to wikedpedia. Highly viscous dark burgundy red colored body, thick flowing and slow moving. Bit of a transparent nose, honestly not much going on other than some weak scented bourbon and sherry, some sweetish malts, some airy, dusty, dry (maybe ashy) toasted malt. Bourbon character is minimal. Flavor is pale, mild, a little prickly, some alcohol apparency, some sticky fruit and nearly hot alcohol, the bourbon is not very well developed. I’m not sure what to think.

pretty average beer,especially for a ba barley wine.i picked up the usual cotton candy,caramel,and some "ba" type flavors.

Ruby maroon colored beer with a creamy, light tan, well lasting foam. Nose has some nice elements of wood barrel (coconut, vanilla, wood), along with some components from the malt, like sherry and dark fruit. Not a great nose, but at least is has some describable elements. Flavorwise, it’s a simplistic beer, without complexity. Light notes of caramel, dark fruit and toffee. A decent ale, but lacking seriousness.

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.

22oz bottle, courtesy of wickedpete. Thanks, Pete! Pours a bright, dark orange-amber color; khaki head with patchy fine-bubbled lacing. Tea-like malts, earthy malts and red fruits in the aroma. Medium-to-full mouthfeel: loads of dried red fruits, tannic tea-like malts, and brown sugar; the barrel presence is slight; tannic tea, mostly, with some chewy malts. Lengthy finish, showing tea and maltiness and sugar.

Bottle. Pours a medium clear caramel color with no head. Malty anroma with caramel and light wood notes. The taste was the same and NO bvourbon and sweet woody notes in the finish. Not bad, but it feels like false advertising.