BridgePort Bourbon Barrel Old Knucklehead

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

Serve in Snifter

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22 oz bottle purchased at liquidsolutions. I am sort of dissapointed in the quality. I do think this one will be better with some time. I bought several so I will let them age some.

22oz bottle thanks to travisd13. Pours a thick looking dark brown with dark red highlights. Small, crispy, off-white head that fades quick and leaves just a hint of lace. Smells hoppy with a bit of fresh wood. Tastes hoppy and a bit spicy with some wood flavors and no bourbon flavors to speak of. Medium body, crisp carb. However they barrel aged it, they should have done it longer.

(22oz bottle, thanks wickedpete) Medium off-white head atop clear copper body. Aroma is moderately sweet, caramel, raisin, faint Bourbon. Taste is moderately sweet, Bourbon, raisin, some ash/roast, caramel. Medium body, light stickiness.

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 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.

Courtesy of Wickedpete. Hazy amber body with a tiny beige head. The nose is cracker, brown sugar, light bourbon and toffee. The flavor is moderately sweet, lightly bitter with toffee, golden raisins, graham cracker and citrus hops. Full body is chewy with moderate carbonation. Finish is a bit rough and warm.

22 oz bottle from BottleTrek.com. Pours dark mahogany, creamy tan head, some lacing. Aroma is sweet malt and a bit earthy, almost musky. Flavor is similiar in the addition to a fruitiness and some vanilla. I want to taste the bourbon, however, not very detectable. The alcohol burn is harsh in the finish. Mouthfeel is a bit light for barely wine and overall not very complex. I was disappointed in this one and I plan on cellaring a few bottles to see if it will mature (however I am doubtful).

Bottle courtesy of Gillard. Dark amber with a light brown head, very small and disappears almost instantly. Tropical fruits, dark esters, caramel, toffee and some roasty/toasty notes. No sense of the ABV in the aroma, for me. Flavor profile is similar, tons of tropical and dark esters, caramel, roasted malts and some perfume notes. I like the mouthfeel, but I feel that it’s thin at points and maybe that’s a result of the barrel aging, I don’t know. Otherwise, where is the oak or barrel aging hints, anywhere, in this beer? ABV becomes very noticeable midway and throughout the finish, astringency picking up along the way.

Bottle provided by kp for his cellar party: Reddish hued with a small head and good lace. Resiny, grapefruit, dill, spice, grassy hop, toffee, and musty grains on the nose. The taste is equally underwhelming with sweet fruits and dark malts with some hop spice and wood on the finish. There is a strange astringent nature about this beer which I found unwelcoming. The mouth feel is sprite and sharp, aggressive medium-bodied beer.

WHAT BOURBON??? Seems too young and brash. Utterly disappointing for now and not sure aging will help at all.

22oz bottle, 10%ABV. Deep mahogany. Aroma of cherries. Not much vanilla or oak. Perhaps chunks of bourbon barrel were thrown in the tanks. Flavor is nothing you would expect from something that should be so hot. Bland, boring, and too much fizziness. MY 850th USA BEER!