BridgePort Old Knucklehead

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

Poured a reddish brown with a thin off white-head. Sweet fruity aroma of apples and dark fruit. Not much in the way of hops in the aroma but piney hops in the flavor with a bitter finish. Sweet malty and fruity. Medium to full body.

one of those beers i am glad i had 2 of. first time i tried it i lost my notes or could not decipher them the next day. this time i split it with lumpy. thick red pour with a yellow head that goes to a ring quick. green raisin aroma with some sourness that is not pleasant. pear and banana flavor with some bitter woodiness. like drinking threw a pine straw. i think"maroon" when i drink this, don’t ask me why. very sweet and lingering bubblegum finish really grabs me. some biting alcohol and pine flavor that accosts me.

Bottle, batch #11, 2003 vintage. Nose reminds me of apple, green raisin, and unwashed ass. Body-honey brown with a thin foamy head that fades into a ring of bubbles. Taste-sugar, alcohol, raw fig, clove, Juicy Fruit bubblegum. Nice balance of sweet and bitter for a barleywine. Good quick finish with some bitter. Not bad, but needs work to be a great barleywine.

2003 bottle. This is a good one. Pours mahogany with almost no head. Predominately bready and raisiny nose. Flavor is rich and malty, nicely balanced by the hops, not too sweet, not overly rich but rich enough, very smooth, malty, and caramelly. Not overly complex, but it does what it does well. The alcohol is very well hidden. I’m curious to compare this with a more recent vintage to see how it has mellowed with time - I would guess it has improved with age. I’ll be stocking up on this one come wintertime.

2003 bottle. Hey it was X-mas in July so what better way to celebrate than with a Barley Wine? Well this barley wine lived up to everything i could ask from it. Big citrus flavors with a good amount of yeasty character. Some fruits in the nose of the raisin and fig variety. They say there is alcohol in this beer?? Were was it, i dint taste it, but i did feel it a bit later, that is a different story.

Bottle (2003): Ruby or fiery caramel, thin spritzy off-white head, spotty lacing.   Bready, apple skin, and raisins on the nose.   Much the same on the tongue, smooth, not big nor sweet. The 9.1% ABV is well masked.   Moderate body and mouthfeel.   Subtle hop bite emerges on the finish.   Also a bit sweeter.   Mellowed out me thinks but held up well.

Thanks to Kevin for sharing. Pours a rich brown with hints of red. Aroma is an abundance of banana. Flavor is a light, slight cherry with a finish of fruit and chocolate. A slight hops and weak malt permeates, but the dry, fruity flavor dominates.

2003. Dark brownish red, with a lovely full foaming mocha colored head. Light oxidation (Sherry) in the nose, with aged malts, juicy dark fruits (mixed berry), brandy and alcohol. Buttered raisin bread malt flavors, with jammy fruits and light hints of toffee, cherry and licorice. Pretty light in body, but still pretty juicy and flavorful.