Old Knucklehead Barleywine - BridgePort Brewing Co. / Brewpub

brentk56

North Carolina

4.43/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottling No. 013, 9.2% abv

Appearance: Pours a clear tawny color and only builds up much of a head with a hard pour; plenty of squiggles of lace stream down the side of the chalice

Smell: Caramel and oaky/vanilla Bourbon, with rich, fruity undertones (fig and apricot) as well as hints of pine, strawberry and nuts

Taste: The Bourbon and piney flavors jut forward , buttressed by the caramel, dried fruit and strawberry flavors; in the middle and after the swallow, the booze factor builds, as does the fruit, nuts and hops; Bourbon, vanilla and oak tones linger in the finish

Mouthfeel: Full bodied with low to moderate carbonation

Overall: Clearly a barleywine to drink fresh, this beer offers a variety of flavors that come together with finesse; it has been about four years since the last time this was brewed but this one was well worth the wait

Thanks, mdaschaf, for the opportunity to try this infrequently brewed delight

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2012 22:07:59 | More by brentk56

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +7.1%

05-15-2013 18:39:31 | More by Slatetank

GrindFatherBob

New York

4/5  rDev +0.8%

05-07-2013 17:48:22 | More by GrindFatherBob

Laklimell

Washington

4.25/5  rDev +7.1%

05-06-2013 21:39:38 | More by Laklimell

Rizalini

Nevada

4.13/5  rDev +4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a bomber into my Deschutes tulip...

A - Pours a clear, bubbly amberish/burgundy color with 1 finger of light tan colored head. Very nice lacing left behind while I sip on this.

S - Smells of some slight dark fruits, rum raisins, and some slight earthy hops. Nothing extraordinary.

T/M - Some more of the dark fruits, and some toasted oak notes make this one very tasty! Some vanilla notes are present as well. Nice blend of flavors with a little alcohol warmth. Medium slick mouthfeel, perfect carbonation.

O - This a damn fine barleywine. Has a lot of the same charasteristics of Sucaba. Nice warming feel as it goes down, good malt character. If I could get this regularly, I would more than likely get this again.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2013 02:12:23 | More by Rizalini

spycow

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -5.5%

04-26-2013 23:59:47 | More by spycow

Hoppy_McMalt

Washington

4.25/5  rDev +7.1%

04-16-2013 03:37:01 | More by Hoppy_McMalt

arizcards

Arizona

3.99/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Picked up a bomber in early February from Total WIne for $5.99. From No. 013 bottling.

Beer poured reddish-brown with a nice white head that has some pretty good hang time.

Nose is toffee and caramel with some dark fruits.

Taste is well balanced, dark fruits and caramel dominating up front with a nice citrus hop punch finishing things nicely.

Mouthfeel is medium to heavy and pretty smooth.

Overall a tasty barleywine that is not to far off from being an excellent brew.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2013 01:28:01 | More by arizcards

godlessape

Georgia

4.54/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Used my trusty snifter for this one. The body has a intensely dark ruby red shade with an off white almost beige head.
The aroma's are earthy, like forest mulch after a morning rain. I'm picking up oak of course along with tobacco, an overloaded wicker fruit basket, grains, and alcohol. A feast for the schnoz.
The hops that hide in the aroma profile come out in the flavor rather nicely. I taste a lot of sweet malt and molasses, along with some dark unidentifiable exotic fruits. You'll notice a hint of vanilla and toffee in the mix as well.
The mouthfeel is full bodied with a crisp hoppy finish.
Overall this is a great barlywine, that has all the elements you want in this style to stand up and take notice.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2013 02:08:35 | More by godlessape

ubenumber2

Arkansas

4.28/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Poured from 22 oz bottle into appropiate glassware , deep redish brown color with one finger off white head and small amounts of lacing

The smell is amazing , vanilla , earthy and lots of fruity , bannana and some cherry just pop out of the glass , really complex

The mouthfeel is amazing , a nice full bodied beer in all the right places

The taste is on par for barleywine types , lots of oak coming through with the alcohol coming in halfway through the drink and hanging around till the end , a bitter sweet bite at the end

Over all a great example of the barleywine style with its own special touches , the fruity smells really set this apart from other barleywines I have had , I will for sure pick up another bottle or two , would like to age one of these

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2013 02:33:29 | More by ubenumber2

twelveinches

Washington

3.5/5  rDev -11.8%

03-19-2013 05:51:49 | More by twelveinches

KiMiRaiK

Washington

4/5  rDev +0.8%

03-18-2013 00:13:58 | More by KiMiRaiK

MadeInOregon

California

4.75/5  rDev +19.6%

03-16-2013 07:16:23 | More by MadeInOregon

BigMikie

Wisconsin

3/5  rDev -24.4%

03-15-2013 01:24:22 | More by BigMikie

rpabst

Georgia

4.25/5  rDev +7.1%

03-13-2013 03:11:36 | More by rpabst

Ted

Texas

3.75/5  rDev -5.5%

03-12-2013 23:46:17 | More by Ted

weerezboy

Washington

4.75/5  rDev +19.6%

03-06-2013 16:59:46 | More by weerezboy

figgalicous

Washington

3.75/5  rDev -5.5%

03-05-2013 18:54:17 | More by figgalicous

M1k3y

Tennessee

4.5/5  rDev +13.4%

03-01-2013 03:28:10 | More by M1k3y

irishgreensoda

Washington

3.75/5  rDev -5.5%

02-14-2013 16:12:46 | More by irishgreensoda

powdersoldier

Washington

4.25/5  rDev +7.1%

02-09-2013 18:37:44 | More by powdersoldier

hreb

Washington

3.58/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22oz bomber of barleywine served in a chalice. Beer is a bright, beautiful amber color, syrupy in consistency, with nearly zero head. Not much in the way of aroma, a little bit malty and rich . Flavor is a big oak plank to the forehead. IBUs are pretty up there in here too, but they balance nicely with the heavy sugar and raw alcohol load in this barleywine. I don't get much in the way of fruity or grape/raisin flavors here, just huge beer with a lot of oak. Does it need cellaring to mellow out? Maybe. The "fresh" version is totally drinkable but it's no A+ / world-class barleywine.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2013 03:07:16 | More by hreb

pumaguy021

Illinois

4/5  rDev +0.8%

01-26-2013 19:23:54 | More by pumaguy021

SocalKicks

California

3.75/5  rDev -5.5%

01-23-2013 04:59:34 | More by SocalKicks

HKUSPC40

Washington

4/5  rDev +0.8%

01-15-2013 04:23:58 | More by HKUSPC40