Knuckle Sandwich - Bootlegger's Brewery

DovaliHops

California

3.29/5  rDev -24%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Awesome extra in a recent trade. Pours a hazy, mahogany color with a small, off-white head that disappears quickly. Scent is packed with tropical fruit, citrus hops, and more tropical aromas. Has a very sweet aroma with a pretty heavy malt backbone. The aroma is very nice on this one. Taste is interesting. It starts off with some lovely tropical fruit flavors...it kinda gets messy here. Flavor is VERY boozy and sweet. And it's very hard to get over this stage... The hops seem to have been very mute in this beer, and the booze and sweetness take over. I'm really hoping this is just an old or bad bottle, because I've heard great things and been wanting to try this for a very long time. Mouthfeel is nicely carbonated and slightly sticky. Drinkability is not very high. Overall, pretty disappointed in this one. Way too sweet and boozy. I can handle sweet and boozy IPAs if the hops are there to back it up, but they just weren't there. Wish they put dates on their bottles so I could see if this was just a really old bottle.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2013 08:41:56 | More by DovaliHops

maximum12

Minnesota

3.93/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Redundant thanks again to Kyle2k10 for a trade that is reaching epidemic proportions, & knocking this long-time want off my list. 22 oz. bottle split with my wife.

First, nice bottle art...then the pour, which is lively, orange, & looks like is has hops, malt, & water. Orange, filtered, middling clear. Nose is promising, pine, grapefruit, with a backing band of light, sweet fruits.

Knuckle Sandwich is...balanced. Stingers of caramel come out of the firehose with bruising force. The pine & grapefruit in the nose comes through, but it's held down by the malts. Waves of sweet follow; a slow, moderate, lingering bitterness rounds the beer off. I'll give its due for being easy drinking, this is a beer of mass destruction.

A very good beer; a little less balance & heavier hand on the hops would have pushed this skyward easily. So close to great in this mouth. But, heck, I'd never turn one down.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2013 02:29:48 | More by maximum12

kemoarps

Washington

4.33/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Pours more red than I had expected, but still within that amber range. call it amber rose (what up Wiz Khalifa!). Minimal almond meat head that dissipates for the most part but leaves a little ring around the rosie edge. A rich, deep hue (a couple of years ago I would have made a Raiders joke out of that).

Nose is a little underwhelming. Earthy with some floral sweetness to it. Not unappetizing, just doesn't give a full preview of the deliciousness lying in wait. Some caramel.

Flavour is where this beer really shines. Hops are certainly front and center, kind of a blend/cycle between floral/grapefruit citrus/piney. A touch of caramel sweet on the back end.

Reallly drinkable. Medium bodied. If this were available in my area (and for a reasonable price), I'd drink it very often. If you like well crafted west coast IPAs, it's certainly worth getting your hands on.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2013 00:33:55 | More by kemoarps

lsummers

California

4.2/5  rDev -3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Pours a brilliant amber orange with a two finger eggshell colored head. Looks sticky, sweet and tasty.

Smells of sweet piney hops, woody grassy grapefruit and pineapple notes abound. Some caramel candy and brown bread. The smell blends so well into the taste that you almost need both to complete it. Pine and peppery grassy bitter grapefruit merges with the caramel creamy malts. There's a sweet stickiness that helps round it all out.

Mouthfeel is definitely round, chewy, and sticky.

Overall, this is a fantastic example of a west coast double ipa. Nothing by itself about this beer is perfect but put together the smells, tastes and mouth feel and all of a sudden it becomes complete.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2013 05:20:14 | More by lsummers

M_C_Hampton

Georgia

4.88/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

A: poured from a 22 oz bottle into a snifter, a deep orange amber with a big off white head that dissipates slowly leaving some lacing, clear

S: tropical fruit, pineapple, mango, papaya, orange, grapefruit

T: heavy bitter hops up front, grapefruit, lime, fades into mango, pineapple, papaya, sweet finish that is heavy on floral hops with some pine resin, great malt profile

M: fairly viscous with higher carbonation, alcohol only slightly noticeable

O: This is a really top notch DIPA, that hasn't been hyped much at all. I had never heard of it until a friend from work sent it to me; thanks E.J.! It is on par with some of the best West Coast DIPAs I've had. It is well worth seeking out.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2013 01:34:58 | More by M_C_Hampton

Alieniloquium

Florida

4.03/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

650 mL bottle poured into an Allagash chalice.

Appearance - Burnt orange, clear body. Big white head. Laces nicely and sustains a collar with a layer of surface foam.

Smell - Really nice pine hop aroma. Strong hops with an equally strong malt aroma. Some booze in there too.

Taste - Pine and grapefruit hops immediately backed up by a toasty malt. Sweet, but not overly so. Biscuity malt. Some booze here too.

Mouthfeel - Medium heavy, sharp alcohol bite. Reminds me of Hopslam.

Overall - I get that it's good, maybe better than good, but not quite what I've read about this. Plenty of other IPAs, especially where this one is from, that go toe to toe with this.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2013 02:36:02 | More by Alieniloquium

Uncleserg

California

3.59/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

A: Color is orangey copper with generous head.

S: While I prefer more citrus forward IPA's, this one hits you with alcohol followed by a heavy malt back bone. As beer warms up a bit one gets a great bouquet of grapefruit and hoppy pine which is nice.

T: More alcohol...imbalanced for me.

M: Great carbonation and even though the ABV is high it does finish smooth with a sweet aftertaste.

O: I've had this many times and every time I revisit this DIPA I'm left thinking whats the hype. I'll blame it on my pallet but I feel there are far better styles of this beer out there.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2013 05:28:40 | More by Uncleserg

Chaz33187

California

4.38/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Reddish orangey glow
S- very piny and a bit fruity. very powerful exciting smell
T- very original and well balanced choppy malty booze taste. The first taste is a breathe of life. Alcohol isnt well hidden, but its strangely welcoming. Towards the end of the beer, the bitterness did linger a bit.
M- sharp booze bubbles, very fizzy but it doesn't ruin the beer
O- incredibly unique IPA. It has this scotchy choppy balance that really surprises you.

Serving type: on-tap

04-09-2013 01:15:05 | More by Chaz33187

BrantleyJ

California

4.76/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Wow! I was pleasantly surprised by this DIPA. I picked up a few bottles from my local grocer after hearing good things about it. The hop aroma is intoxicating. If I could create an air freshener for my truck that smelled as good as Knuckle Sandwich I would. It tasted a good as it smelled, and surprisingly drinkable for a 10% beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2013 01:43:33 | More by BrantleyJ

rawfish

California

4.08/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Pours a dark rusty hue, clear with a large fluffy off white head. Moderate clumps of lacing and good retention.

Huge floral aroma, spicy, grapefruit and pine resin. Very punchy with slight caramel sweetness and butterscotch syrup.

Solid malt undertones of caramel and and bread integrates well with a spicy and herbal hop flavor. Pine, sweet onion and spicy tobacco, no citrus at all in the hops. Alcohol is very prevalent and lingers along with a steady earthy bitterness.

Medium bodied, hefty alcohol on the palate, really punchy. Dries decently.

Probably one of few IPAs I've had with no citrus flavor in the hop profile , the malt is really interesting building a varied spice note, more like a really hop forward double red ale. Great nose, heavy hitter on the alcohol. Grungy and rugged DIPA.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2013 06:10:39 | More by rawfish

CuriousMonk

Virginia

4.66/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from bomber (2012) into dimple mug glass. This beer pours dark amber orange with a nice off-white pillow-y head. The nose was very nice where I picked up tons of cirtrusy notes – grape fruit, sweet malts. The taste was extremely smooth, massive grapefruit and a two punch malt-hop character. There was a nice hoppy and piney flavor to it as well. The high ABV was dangerously masked. Sweet malt backbone to balance the grapefruit and hop bitterness.This is a beer I would love to have any time!

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2013 19:28:42 | More by CuriousMonk

facundoCNB

New Jersey

4.43/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

a beautiful clean amber pour with 2 fingers of detergent-like white head, great retention, nice amount of lacing. smells of piney hops, caramel, spicy herbal notes - basically, a very nice smelling hop bomb :)
one sip and i'm sold! i get a taste of what seems like warrior (spicy garlic/herbs), simcoe (tangy/cat pee-like haha), cascade (pine, grapefruit, floral).. the malt profile is there behind all of the hops, and is a nice sweet malty caramel-like flavor.

a medium body, modestly carbonated beer, has a nice heavy chest warmth to it, but is so tasty you overlook the heaviness and plunge right in. in no way is this a "well-balanced" dipa, but i like to look at it two ways, well balanced with hops and malt, and then well balanced hop profile, which this one would fall into in my vision (or taste, rather). the mix of different hops throw your palate in a frenzy, but it evens out in the end and you are left with a delicious mix of grapefruit, piney, spicy flavors in your mouth. it's hard to figure out which hops work well with each other, and sometimes just throwing in your heavy hitters in high quantity works perfectly.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2013 08:07:19 | More by facundoCNB

Uncle_Jimmy

California

4.58/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance- pours a sparkling orangish red with one finger of grainy white foam on top. it sticks to the glass and has some lacing. This one is pretty

Aroma- grapefruit, watermelon cantaloupe, flowers and strawberries even a bit of grandma's good soaps!

Taste- The Floral Hoppy nose leads to a sweet citrus forward punch in the tongue. It drops off almost immediately to a butter scotch candy finish with a slightly earthy after taste. I think this is very well balanced for a DIPA. Maybe a lot of late addition hops...

Mouthfeel- The booze is completely hidden. It was a little sticky/syrupy but all those hops have to be bittering something. Carbonation is well done

Overall- I think it is exemplary of the style. a big hop punch in the face, its beautiful in the glass. It is a beer I would sit in LA traffic for. It is a beer I would get a growler of and share with friends. But because it is such a pallet shredder i don't know if I would order multiples. Wow * days into the new year and I have a stellar beer in my glass Life is good !

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2013 03:39:38 | More by Uncle_Jimmy

EgadBananas

Louisiana

4.38/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks Jeremy!

Pours a medium clear orange, with an off white finger of head. Nice lace, decent retention

Nice hop punch! Citrus, some pine and touches of resin, orange peel, light bread maltiness.

It's a solid hop bomb on the taste, juicy citrus and some tropical fruits, pineapple, flowery hops, light pale malt sweetness. Pleasantly surprised by the lack of daunting maltiness.

Great body, medium, not too heavy, making it great drinking, good solid carbonation.

Fantastic DIPA. Great balance and drinkability and a hop monster to boot!

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2013 00:12:10 | More by EgadBananas

mactrail

California

3.5/5  rDev -19.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

Pours a handsome dark coppery amber color. Nice head in the small Societe nonic. Plenty of lacing and a nice sudsy mouthfeel. Big flowery and resiny aroma.

The initial taste is really hot. Quite fruity followed by a searing bitterness. "Come as the fire, and burn," if there are any Methodist hop enthusiasts. The sharpness is almost painful, but this stuff is so full of fruit. Mango, pineapple, and apple juice concentrate.

This just adds yet another fiendish hop potion to the pharmacy. For those in need of a fix, here's your Daddy. From the 22 bottle bought at Liticker's in Ocean Beach.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2012 03:47:35 | More by mactrail

match1112

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

big thanks to pelican5 for this want!

a: looks like liquid brown sugar. nice two finger tall sand colored head stays till the end.

s: lots of big tropical and citrus fruits. some sugar residue and caramel malts.

t: a big citrus punch to the tastebuds. caramel notes and sugar.

m: sticky sweet, slight bitterness, good carbonation. finishes quick.

o: my biggest knock on this is the burnt sugar rediduals on the taste and mouthfeel. other than that this is fantastic!

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2012 02:21:38 | More by match1112

pmarlowe

California

4.13/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Tulilp glass.

A: Pours a caramel colored golden, with a finger and a half of grayish cream head. Very good retention and some lacing.

S: Hoppy pine and floral notes with a subtle caramel malt undertone.

T: Liquid caramel up front with pine hops, crystal malt, moderate sweetness, and mild bitterness and caramel malt on the finish.

M: Medium-full body and medium carbonation. Pretty smooth.

O: A solid choice for a very malt-forward and caramelly DIPA. The nose is more hoppy and balanced than the taste.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2012 06:57:28 | More by pmarlowe

gshak

Texas

4.9/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

If there ever was a perfect beer to represent the double IPA style, for me this it is!
A - straight pour out of the bottle into my Kostritzer stemmed glass. Formed a 2 finger's width of head subsiding into a thin ring leaving some lacing on the glass. The beer itself is bordering on yellow-orange tending towards light amber in color.
S - Whoa - guava is supremely dominant. This must be a super-fresh bottle! I pick up some papaya, honeydew, grapefruit, peaches. Mind blown!
T - Taste follows smell. Initial blast of sugary sweetness completely belies 87 IBU worth of hoppy bitterness. This is like drinking straight-up fruit juice. Sort of like a guava, papaya, grapefruit punch. The sweetness gradually diminishes as the beer flows through the mouth, indicating the counteraction of the hops and dries out towards the end. At no point do you feel any unwelcome bitterness or alcohol heat. The only indication of the 10% ABV is after a couple of sips, when you feel the warmth in your chest.
M - Perfect mouthfeel. The maltiness lends some body, but the carbonation and hops play together perfectly to make the mouthfeel lighter and quaffable. This is the sort of a beer that makes you take big gulps and let it play around in your mouth before swallowing it bit-by-bit.
O - Much as I like to rate this a perfect 5 (and the beer itself is worthy of this), I must deduct a point somewhere for not putting a bottled-on date anywhere on this brew. Brewers - not everyone might be as lucky as me to land a fresh bottle, please note and help us appreciate you better!
This beer is an ode to hops. Supremely well-balanced, supremely aromatic, supremely enjoyable. Even if I may never get to try this beer again, this beer has left an indelible impression on me, and will be the new benchmark for all DIPAs to follow.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2012 19:26:56 | More by gshak

Joshpu

California

4.63/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a bomber into a tulip glass.

A: Darker orange, looks similar to a peach color.

S: Smells like heaven... smells like peach and grapefruit, hoppy

T: Tastes nearly like heaven, at the front getting grapefruit and peach and hops, followed by a malty taste.

M: Mouthfeel is great, the malts and grapefruit linger, along with the peach, i could taste this all day long...

Overall: Amazing beer, the alcohol is pretty much completely masked. The only beers that I like as much as this, in my opinion, are stone's ruination and arrogant bastard.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2012 08:06:59 | More by Joshpu

cosmicevan

New York

4.1/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Notes taken from 9/29 from the craziest bottle share that i have ever been a part of. Thanks so much to the NYC and Hoboken crew for letting me participate in this incredible day of drinking long time wants and insanity.

Thanks kindly to Mike? for sharing.

a - clear amber thing bubbly head with spotty lacing.
s - smells awesome. IPA crossed with an amber.
t - heavy butterscotch. Amber IPA.
m - a bit boozy
o - overall Amber IPA hoppy butterscotch

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2012 20:02:15 | More by cosmicevan

Jeffo

Netherlands

4.43/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

The world famous Bootknuckle Legger Sandwich shipped over the pond by Vanlingleipa. Love me some hoppy goodness. Cheers dude!

From a bomber into a snifter.

APPEARANCE: Pours a two finger, medium looking, fluffy, cream white head with very good retention. Perfectly clear burnt orange in color with slightly higher levels of carbonation for the style. A splotchy wisp and ring remains leaving some decent lacing down the glass. Good looking beer for sure.

SMELL: Bold and hoppy nose on this one. Lots of honeydew melon, pineapple, mango, and some piney goodness. Light caramel notes, but this one is mostly fruity and piney.

TASTE: Aggressively hoppy with pine notes up front, as well as an array of fruity mango, melon and pineapple into the hoppy bitter swallow. Bold and lingering finish is plenty hoppy with lots of pine, some light melon sweetness as balance, and a good dose of spicy alcohol as well. A little boozier than expected, but it works well with the piney, grassy hop bitterness. Really flavorful and enjoyable, the the fruit notes in the nose were a little outdone by the piney hops here.

PALATE: Medium body and medium levels of creamy carbonation. Smooth and oily on the palate, goes down fine with a slight bite at the swallow and finishes a touch mouth coating. Some biting bitterness and a touch of alcohol linger on the palate. Really nice feel.

OVERALL: One of my favorites in the style, and probably the best pine-forward DIPA I've had to date. While I usually prefer more citrus forward IPA's, this one delivered a great bouquet of aromas and flavors that it almost made me forget my normal preferences. A real treat, and one I'd love to drink on a regular basis. Thanks again for the beers Vanlingleipa! I hope you enjoy your package as well.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2012 19:11:50 | More by Jeffo

Zhiguli

California

4.68/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

In the long list of big hops on the West Coast this one got it really right for me. It's bested only by very very few others for me.. ( maybe 2 or 3)

It has the required huge aroma, great hop profile, a good bitterness. But what makes me fall in love with it is the balance of hop to malt. The spectrum runs the gamut from dry to really malty and as with all things subjective we all have our sweet spot and this one is right there. Just enough malt to provide a great backbone, just enough juicy sweetness without going overboard.

Mouthfeel and carbonation is also right in the range I love.

What a fantastic DIPA, glad to have finally tried it, and look forward to more and more. A growler would do me really well.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2012 17:43:15 | More by Zhiguli

tut2528

Illinois

4.38/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

thanks to beachstrength49 for this one!

A: poured into a FFF Teku, it pours a deep ruby red, with about 1/2 fingers worth of head. lacing is present, but more spotty than anything.

S: awesome explosion of hops and sharp orange peel and grapefruit. the fruitiness of this brew is simply amazing. the orange reminds me of a creamsicle. pine also comes through and it sits perfectly with the rest of the brew. One of the best smelling brews I've had.

T: the malt really comes out here is the main player of the brew. The hops are still very much present, but the fruits take a back seat which I wasn't really expecting since they were so prominent in the nose. I also pick up on a slight touch of alcohol heat with some cream in the finish.

M: strong medium bodied brew, that has a fair amount of carbonation. I enjoy the sweet maltiness that is left on the palate that is complemented by a slight pine bitterness.

O: a very solid brew all the way around, and very enjoyable. Very impressed with my first offering by Bootleggers, and I wish I had access to this on a regular basis. And once again thanks Chris for sending this out to me. It was awesome.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2012 02:11:34 | More by tut2528

Psyko

California

4.28/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Knuckle Sandwich
650ml Bottle purchased at Bootleggers Brewery 11/23/12
Served in a tulip Glass

A: This beer pours a nice dark amber with a 1-2 finger head with some lacing. Some alcohol legs are visible. A small head lingers.

S: Sweet citrus and pine dominate the aroma. there is no alcohol in the smell.

T: Malty pineapple flavors dominate the initial flavor profile. Some mango with a quickly dissipating bitterness finish the back end. This beer is on the sweeter side of the DIPA spectrum. This specific batch is a little more sweet and a little less hoppy than previous batches in my opinion. Even with the small variations this is a great beer.

M: This beer has a thick mouthfeel. The effervescence does help cut down the syrupy mouthfeel, but the finish is still slightly sticky.

O: This another great West Coast DIPA. Find it now. Recommended.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2012 03:42:50 | More by Psyko

LaChupacabra

California

4.85/5  rDev +12%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Dark amber color with a good two fingers of off-white head. Head dissipated quickly leaving a small amount of spotty lacing. The nose on this one is big on tropical fruit and citrus. Pineapple, grapefruit, mango, sweet malts and a bit of boozy alcohol scent stand out. The taste is an intense blend of the aforementioned. A lot of succulent fruit, alcohol and a sweet, malty backbone coming through. Creamy, medium mouthfeel. Very drinkable.

One of my favorite D/IPAs. I wish this stuff was around more often.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2012 23:13:26 | More by LaChupacabra