BridgePort Old Knucklehead

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

(2003) dark scarlet red mixed with shades of mahogany, a thin light wispy head, malty sugary profile, toffee with hints of chocolate, alcohol, fruity – prunes, raisins, nicely hopped, earthy and nutty; flavor is strong and bitter, well-hopped, touches of alcohol, creamy and well-textured, toffee, prunes, hints of chocolate and nuts, a bit light in the finish, some molasses and spices as well

My bottle says No. 011, 2003 bottling. Pours ruby red with a small tan head. Nose is sugary with light alcohol notes, dark fruit, and malt. NICE! Taste is alcohol, sugary sweet malt, caramel, and more fruit. Velvety smooth mouthfeel and only a splash of bitterness during the finish. It's probably only a few months old but this is a rather perfect condition for a barley wine to be in. Similar to Legend Barleywine, in that it was also already "mature". Great beer!

Garnet body with significant carbonation and a tight silky sand-colored head. Sweet candy-like aroma of caramel, overripe berries, brandy, and musk. Sweet and leathery with a bitter finish. Has some wood polish elements in the flavor as well.

2003 (Bottle)... Crystal clear, deep, dark, crimson ale with a medium-sized, creamy, off-white head. The nose is of chocolate and toffee with some vinous notes. Nice, rich, malty flavor. Generous hop addition. Decently balanced. The high ABV is well-hidden. Full-bodied with a syrupy mouthfeel and lively carbonation. Lengthy, astringent, bitter finish. Very good stuff!

Clear chestnut, little head. Pungent aroma, dominated by sweet malty ambrosia, with caramel, bread, and a light fruitiness of oranges and plums. Flavor is medium sweet, vinous, with whisky, oak and cherry notes. Evinces a dry nutty bitterness. A bit too much effervescence to appreciate the taste fully, but some age could help that.

Enjoyable "big" beer--big flavors of raisin, caramel, alcohol, spices, and warming acids. Deep red/amber color. Sweet but not especially sticky. Something seemed out of balance. There's a sharp edge in the finish. (on tap, BridgePort BrewPub, Portland)

2003. Bright and clear old cherry wood color with only a small cover of heavy cream colored bubbles. Caramel, rum butter, apricots, and light chocolate with undertones of alcohol and resin. Oily start leads to a medium body which seems to become watery in during the taste. Earthy malt and fermented/over ripe fruit flavors. Very strong and lasting bitterness in the finish. I would have to say a prefer a malty finish.

First off, it's ugly as all hell. No head, and a weird kind of see-through purple color. A little bit of cherries in the otherwise boring aroma. Very thin and even a little fizzy. I pick up some nyquil underneath all that fizz. I can drink it, but only because I'm a sucker for barleywines. This is way short of what I'm looking for though. I won't be buying this again, especially because there's so many more to choose from that are so much better (Full Sail, Victory, DogFish Head Immort Ale, etc.). No complexity or anything interesting in a positive way at all.