BridgePort Old Knucklehead

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

4oz Taster - Spring Beer & Wine Festival - Portland, OR
Aroma – Deep malted barley aroma. Light with the spices.
Appearance – Reddish Brown in color, Nice light head and clear.
Flavor – Deep malty flavor the spices where light and flavorful this was a easy drinking Barley wine.
Palate – Nice easy Mouthfeel, good texture with a dry finish.
Overall – I felt this was a tad weak. Most love this beer but this was not my fav for the barley wines this year. .

22oz bottle of No. 12. Pours copper with a thin tan head and nice lacing. Smell of malt, fir and hops. Nice caramel spicy taste with some bitterness. Decent beer.

no 012 bottling, purchased at 99 bottles at federal way, washington. pours a semi-hazy copper with a thin beige head, a little lacing. smell of malt, caramel, spice, roasted nuts. taste is tangy, thick, caramel, lots of spice, malt, nuts, some bitterness in the end.

Courtesy of Gillard. First Bridgeport rating for me, wow, I’ve been drinking their beers for years. Pours deep copper with tan head. The aroma is caramel, 90L crystal malts, some roasty malts, very faint dark fruity esters and growing alcohol heat. The taste feels a bit creamy and ushers in roasty 90L like crystal malts mixed with caramel and some pine hop bitterness that leans toward grassy. The alcohol begins to grow and starts to become distracting. I get zero barrel agedness in this beer even though the label clearly states it.

Vintage 1992, bottling #4, 6.4oz nip at 6.7%ABV..... The cap cracks with barely a whisp, and an exaggerated pour revealing zero carbonation. Burnt amber in color, with some fine particulates in suspension, and not a trace of head. Aromatics are laced with malt, leather, toffee, dried figs, and caramel. The malt is surprisingly juicy, with barely a trace of oxidation. The mouthfeel is slick and sticky. A slight amount of fine carbonation shows itself. The pallet is malt-heavy, with some faded citrus below plenty of raisins, wet leather, reduced caramel, and toffee. Bittering as well as all other hopping is gone, and no apparent signs of oxidation on the pallet. Finishes with some warming alcohol, lingering sweet malt, and plenty more chipped toffee...... Pretty faded in general, but for a 6.7% brew, it’s held up incredibly well for sixteen years......................... Vintage 1993,bottling #5, 6.4oz nip at 6.7%....... Pours the same color as the 1992, but with some faint carbonation. Almost a whisp developed on the surface. Aromatics are more intense, as well as the pallet. Plenty of tobacco, leather, juicy malt, and chewy caramel. A hint of drizzled chocolate is apparent in this vintage. Still no hops, and very little oxidation, if any..............Vintage 1996, bottling #8, 12oz at 9.9%abv.... Pours identical in color to the previous vintages, but a beige head of a quarter-inch developes. Quite a different beer. Dark fruits in the nose, with raisins, toffee, and toasty malt. A fuller, lightly carbonated mouthfeel, and far less syrupy. The pallet is still quite malt-forward, but it’s much cleaner, and with a bigger alcoholic bite. There is a fair amount of bitterness present, as well as added vineous and sherry-like qualities. Improved from the previous vintages overall, but the depth of flavor and complexities of the elders is missed.......... Vintage 1997, bottling #9, 12oz at 9.1%..... Pours dark amber once again, but with a lot of sediment, even with a shortened pour. A beige head of an inch-plus finally developes with this vintage, resulting in some streaks and dots of lacework also. Aromatics are laced with dusty malt, rum-soaked raisins, sherry, and a hint of smoke. Some faint wet-cardboard shows some age. Mouthfeel is crisper than the elders, and less sticky. Almost creamy, with a very soft carbonation. The pallet has plenty of malt, but it’s less juicy than the elders, and is underscored with wet paper. Alcohol is more subtle than the 1996, and bitterness is medium, at best. This one comes in just behind the 1996, even with the increase in carbonation........... Vintage 1999, bottling #10, 12oz at 9.1%....... Color unchanged from the previous. A full one inch-plus of thickish beige with similar lacework to the 1997. The malt is a bit juicier in the nose, but the hint of smoke is more apparent as burnt rubber or smoldering peat. The mouthfeel is fuller and creamier, but still lowly carbonated. The pallet has a significantly fresher malt profile, with still a good mix of caramel, toffee, and residuals. Some underlying citrus shows itself in this vintage. Alcohol is also more apparent, with some lingering warmth, and bitterness is a smidge increased........ Vintage 2003, bottling #11, 12oz at 9.1%......... Pours a bit lighter in color than all the other vintages. Dark amber with crimson hues. A tight, beige head with a decent amount of lacework. Aromatics are superior. Plenty of ripe fruit, juicy malt, vanilla, caramel, and some butterscotch. Vineous and complex. The mouthfeel is crispish, with plenty of chewy malt and a light to medium amount of carbonation. The pallet has a restrained amount of malt compared to the elders. Dark fruit, sugared spruce bark, and a bourbon-like fusel note. Bitterness is medium, and balancing. Finishes with lingering warmth and tacky malt. At five years old, this vintage is superior. Generally speaking, the fresher the vintage, the better, with the exception being the 1997, which was bested by the 1996. The 1996 was also the only vintage at 9.9%abv.

Bottle. Poured deep mahogany colour with a foamy off white head. Much lacing. Aroma of resin, caramel, and oak. Full resinous, malty flavour. Disguised alcohol strength with a malty strong finish. Sip this.

Tap at he brewpub at their 20th Anniversary Party. Pours deep red. Sweet aroma. Nice caramel malts. Very strong. INDEED!

On tap at BrewPub Portland OR, Pours out a mahogany red topped with a very small head. A very nice sweet aroma. A nice sweet tast of caramel and malt.