Kingpin
BridgePort Brewing Co. / Brewpub

KingpinKingpin
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From:
BridgePort Brewing Co. / Brewpub
 
Oregon, United States
Style:
Imperial Red Ale
ABV:
7.5%
Score:
81
Avg:
3.55 | pDev: 14.65%
Reviews:
186
Ratings:
570
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Mar 22, 2019
Added:
Dec 28, 2010
Wants:
  15
Gots:
  77
Kingpin is a full-flavored Double Red Ale that doesn’t take any lip. It showcases the spicy tone of the Liberty hop, grown in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. We start with Malted Rye and Caramel Malts to create its dark red color and distinctive dry character, then triple hop at three stages during brewing…all for an offer you can’t refuse.

OG: 17
IBU: 65
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Groucho75:
Photo of Groucho75
Reviewed by Groucho75 from Georgia

3.27/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
12 oz bottle poured into a chalice. (I know, it was the only clean glass I had lying around) No markings to date it.

Average appearance with a color like a strong brewed tea. Single finger of chalky foam that evaporated pretty quickly. Some lacing, but not as much as the Port City Shark Attack I tried last night. Not a bubble in sight after settling.

Malt and hops on the nose. I'm hoping that aromas will develop the more it warms up.

Plenty of malt as far as taste goes. Not detecting much hopsy citrus for a beer marked "triple hopped" on the label. Hmmm. According to their website, these are Liberty hops.

While pleasant enough, there is that tangy finish that isn't sitting well with me. Granted, the 7.5% ABV hides well, so maybe after two more I could ignore the sharpness.

Not bad, and certainly good to see more red ales out there, and at $8 for a sixer, this would be interesting to bring to a beer swap without feeling like you're being cheap. I've tried a couple of the Bridgeport brews and think Hop Czar is a much better offering.

Would I buy it again? Not necessarily. Would I drink it again? Yeah, I think so. Draw your own conclusions based on that.
Mar 03, 2011
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.94 by tommyboy985 from Massachusetts

Mar 22, 2019
 
Rated: 4.25 by crob3888 from California

Mar 16, 2019
 
Rated: 3.52 by cbcrunch from Wyoming

Aug 31, 2018
 
Rated: 3.5 by COBEERHUNTER from Colorado

Aug 03, 2018
Photo of D1noB
Reviewed by D1noB from Oklahoma

3.37/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
A bitter almost dry hopped red, mall in the back but the bitterness takes over.

Taste rating in words: Running with a head of steam straight and fast.
May 07, 2018
 
Rated: 3.5 by 1971bernat from Virginia

Dec 29, 2017
Photo of bohuggabee
Reviewed by bohuggabee from Colorado

1.81/5  rDev -49%
look: 4 | smell: 1 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 1
i literally joined this site to tell people to avoid this beer...i have bought it before and completely forgot about it, and ended up being tricked into buying it again...just to taste it and remember exactly why i don't remember this beer. they trick you into believing its a strong ale, but the truth is its a pale ale whether they admit it or not. the flavor is pale ale. its a strong beer at 7.5%. the first flavor i got was a soap taste that tasted like a cleaning product. in short, pretty much every beer i've had from portland is awful. its supposed to be near a dark beer and a little lighter, so you expect that blend of flavors. instead you have a beer that tastes like a soapy pale ale that gets you really drunk, and headached 15 minutes into the first one.

it gets better further on, like most beers change. the flavor changes with this too. but that pale ale is still there in the background and there is nothing i hate more than buying a beer that i am optimistic about, only to be screwed over.

you will end up drinking it without enjoying it, and the experience is better left as a party beer you pound your frustrations away into a female...
Dec 22, 2017
 
Rated: 4.51 by SamQ from Washington

Nov 19, 2017
Photo of bondjedi
Reviewed by bondjedi from Washington

1.27/5  rDev -64.2%
look: 3 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5
Poured from a bottle into a glass, watching old music videos on YouTube.

Perhaps the most disgusting, vile smell to be had from any beer. It smells like dry cat food, and it didn't taste any better. This was the third type of beer that I had from a Bridgeport sampler twelver, and the second with an off-putting smell. I find it hard to believe that any brewery that sells this could remain a going concern, so maybe I just got a stale batch.
Sep 23, 2017
Photo of Spikester
Reviewed by Spikester from Oregon

4.02/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Clear ruby with almost three fingers of bone color head that lasts around ten minutes leaving a curtain of fine bubble lace.
Smell is caramel malt and slightly resinous.
Taste is sweet malts with a good balancing hop bitterness. Some floral resinous hop flavors.
Mouthfeel is medium with good streaming bubbles of carbonation. The finish initially mostly sweet but the bitter and dry starts creeping in as the sweetness fades. Overall a tasty beer in a style I usually avoid due to the sugar content.
Jun 23, 2017
Photo of Lone_Freighter
Reviewed by Lone_Freighter from Vermont

3.5/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Poured various times in a mug, a pint glass and currently having in tulip; it pours an amber/slightly reddish colored body with a slim half finger of a white foamy head that dies and leaves barely any lacing, body is dark red; aroma is dry roasted malts and not really hoppy whatsoever; taste is pretty malty as well; somewhat easy on the palate but not that much to be honest; overall, well, its an imperial red ale so with a high ABV that’s trying to display an "American Red/Amber Ale" sort of quality about it.
Jun 22, 2017
Photo of hreb
Reviewed by hreb from Washington

3.51/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
12oz bottle served in pint glass. This is one seriously handsome brew: deep red garnet in color, with great clarity, and an ample khaki head. Medium to large barley malt aroma. Flavor is robust and assertive, though fairly one dimensional for my tastes. It's malty, it's bitter, and it will make its presence known across your palate even after you finish the bottle. This is well executed, but Double Red ale just isn't a style that excites me.
Jun 14, 2017
 
Rated: 3.59 by casapy from Idaho

Mar 30, 2017
 
Rated: 3.59 by BeerAndFilm from Oregon

Feb 22, 2017
Photo of gandres
Reviewed by gandres from Philippines

3.71/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
12 ounce bottle poured to wine glass
dark amber orange hue, very hazy, small tan foam that slowly goes away
not a lot of aroma for an imperial IPA
bitter, some sweetness
creamy, good carbonation, long follow through, bitter then tart aftertaste
very good beer, ok to repeat but not look for
drank:February 2, 2017 9:03 PM
Feb 03, 2017
 
Rated: 3.51 by Jach from Oklahoma

Dec 15, 2016
 
Rated: 3.68 by Andrewharemza from Australia

Nov 16, 2016
 
Rated: 3.67 by MJ64 from Mississippi

Oct 28, 2016
 
Rated: 3.5 by NickMunford from Wyoming

Oct 27, 2016
Kingpin from BridgePort Brewing Co. / Brewpub
Beer rating: 81 out of 100 with 570 ratings