Knuckle Dragger
Walking Man Brewing Co.

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From:
Walking Man Brewing Co.
 
Washington, United States
Style:
American Pale Ale
ABV:
6.5%
Score:
89
Avg:
4.01 | pDev: 7.73%
Reviews:
28
Ratings:
32
Status:
Active
Rated:
Aug 08, 2012
Added:
Jan 05, 2004
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  1
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 3.75 by bluckbeyes from Oregon

Aug 08, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by CoryR from Oregon

Jul 30, 2012
Photo of barleywinefiend
Reviewed by barleywinefiend from Washington

3.88/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A: Poured a light amberish orange color with good carbonation and a nice white cap

S: Citrus and grass ont he nose with some light breadiness to it

T: Fruity citrus and lots of caramel, lingering fully-hopped bitterness. Stays pretty well-balanced but leans hard toward the hops in the finish...

M: Medium bodied, well carbonated and loads of taste

O: A good Pale overal.. Walking Man scores again..
Mar 31, 2012
 
Rated: 4.25 by piclee from Washington

Mar 17, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by shelby415 from Oregon

Mar 01, 2012
Photo of dirtylou
Reviewed by dirtylou from Oklahoma

3.65/5  rDev -9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
on-tap, chucks 85th

notes

appearance: served in a mason jar pint, clear medium amber body, sticky white film

smell: bitter hop resin, grapefruit rind

taste: very one dimensional and definitely confusable with the IPA style. bitter hop oils, pine resin, grapefruit, some bright citrus, touch spicy

mouthfeel: high bitterness levels

overall: needs some balance or less abrasive hop profiling
Feb 05, 2012
Photo of Rifugium
Reviewed by Rifugium from North Dakota

3.95/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
First had: on tap at their brewpub

A clear amber liquid with a nice white head that left copious amounts of lacing on the glass. Big aroma of citrusy hops, acidic, almost reminiscent of a DIPA, which I did not expect. More citrusy hops on the tongue, lemon and orange zest, backed by a sweet maltiness that never quite comes to the foreground, but still makes its presence known. Medium-bodied, and quite nice overall. It just seems to be more on the "IPA" side than on the "APA" side, so prepare yourself for a bigger hoppage than your typical Sierra Nevada-ish pale ale.
Jan 11, 2012
Photo of josiahschlender
Reviewed by josiahschlender from Oregon

4.57/5  rDev +14%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
I've had this beer on numerous occasions on tap around Portland, and most recently, at the Walking Man brewpub in Stevenson. It's such a good beer that I couldn't resist it fresh at the pub, though there were others I was tempted by.

Don't be misled by the "pale ale" name. Poured into the imperial pint glass, this beer is a pretty amber color, not quite clear. It came out a small head that left some lace.

Aromas are dominated by the wonderful grapefruity citric hops, with some pine resin. As the beer warmed up, some of the caramel malt aromas snuck through as the aromatic hops mellowed out. Huge aromas for an APA, definitely one of the most aromatic I've had.

It also probably has the most flavor I've had from a "pale." Those delicious fruity citric hops are balanced by a hefty portion of caramel malts. A great combo of great taste and big intensity. For the style I kind of like moderation and balance, but it's impossible not to love a brew of this caliber. Body is medium to almost full, well matched for the big flavors, long finish and big hop kick a the end.

Walking Man calls Knuckle Dragger a "Strong Pale Ale" on their menu. I'm be curious to know their brewing philosophy for this versus a regular IPA, but only to gratify my curiosity. Get your hands on it if you can. Walking Man has made an exceptional beer. There is a reason it seems to be one of the house beers at Concordia Ale House and The Horse Brass, probably the two beer bars in Portland I love and respect the most for their thoughtful selection of beer.
Jun 11, 2011
Photo of Docer
Reviewed by Docer from Washington

3.63/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
On tap at by the bottle in vancouver, wa here..

- Dark copper amber... slightly cloudy, thick and thin blanket of foam. layer was like white whipped cream...

- Grain, bread, biscuit, caramel.. bitter fresh hop.. grassy.. quite grainy...

- This is a malty pale! Nice grassy fresh bitter hops, light pine, slightly floral in flavor... caramel, biscuit, oats and grain.,..

- Overall pretty thick for a pale... more like a heavy amber.. medium bodied, slight (and perfect) carbonation...

- Overall not a bad beer... and reminds me and a buddy of McMenamins Hammerhead.. but is slightly better and cleaner tasting. Not a favorite from the brewery though..
Jan 15, 2011
Photo of BBThunderbolt
Reviewed by BBThunderbolt from Kiribati

3.65/5  rDev -9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Served in Imperial pint glass. Poured a clear medium amber with a thin ring of soapy off-white head that had OK retention and lacing.

The aroma had rich malts and a solid hop scent. The flavor definitely had a strong hop profile, with the malt providing a solid background.

The body was certainly more full and well-rounded than most of the style. Drinkability was very good, having a couple, or more, was very easy and enjoyable.

Overall, even this beer is more like an IPA Lite than a true Pale Ale, it's very enjoyable and worth seeking out. A certain must try if you happen to see it.
Nov 30, 2010
Photo of djbreezy
Reviewed by djbreezy from Washington

4.35/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Had on-tap at Belmont Inn in Portland, OR. Poured into a pint glass.

appearance - pours a nice transparent amber with a 2 finger foam head, not much lacing

smell - citrus and floral hops on the nose

taste - very hop forward, you could fool someone into thinking this is an IPA, slightly bitter finish

mouthfeel - medium bodied with good carbonation

drinkability - tasty hops, fresh and resinous
May 10, 2010
Photo of BeardedBoffin
Reviewed by BeardedBoffin from New Mexico

3.92/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
The beer arrived an orange, amber color with wispy head. The aroma is full of big time grapefruit with hints of flower. Somewhat heavy on the palate with hop residue.The flavor is raw hops with a combination of citrus, flower, and pine.

The beer doesn't have much balance, but is quite drinkable nonetheless.
Mar 19, 2010
Photo of slaintemhor
Reviewed by slaintemhor from Oregon

4.47/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Had this on tap last summer at Walking Man Brewery in Stevenson, Washington. The colour was dark orange with a thin ecru head. The aroma was both grapefruit-like and pine-like, all at once. On the palate,there were piney hops to start with a very resinous character, then citric acid, malic acid, ponderosa pitch, crushed fir needles, a somewhat cloying feel and a long bitter finish.
Dec 29, 2009
Photo of cbarrett4
Reviewed by cbarrett4 from Oregon

3.97/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured on tap at Henry's 12th Street Tavern in Portland:

Poured with a thin head rapidly fading to a non-existent lace. Shows a beautiful copper/red hue though. Smells of citrus and apple, some fresh, green hops and a hint of spice. On the palate there is bountiful fresh, piney hops with a hint of fresh nuts. Medium bodied with lots of hops noticeable on the finish. Fresh, smooth and very drinkable. Overall a very nice, good quality IPA.
Dec 19, 2009
Photo of jdense
Reviewed by jdense from Oregon

3.97/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
On tap at the Horse Brass 11/13.

1 finger creamy white head, amber body, nice carbonation, exquisite lacing.Bready malts and piney hops in the nose. Simcoe and Columbus hops provide nice balance between the nose and citrusy taste. The finish is dry, a spicey hop bomb. Given the big IBUs, this leans heavily towards IPA territory. In any case, nice balance, very drinkable. Looking forward to exploring more from this cutting edge brewery in bucolic Stevenson, Washington.
Nov 15, 2009
Photo of Magpie14
Reviewed by Magpie14 from Michigan

3.65/5  rDev -9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A: the body is a hazy, rather bland light brown with soft orange, a borderline caramel color. Head was nonexistent and left as quickly as it formed. just a thin strip of foamy lace exists with a small spot of foam here and there

S: the first whiff came with citrus, much like sweet peaches. I think some fruits of the tropical kind can be detected. Some spicy whiffs as well. Ever so soft toasted malts, rather hard to pull out. Seemed pretty cold in the glass

T: toasted malts step-up a bit stronger on the palate with a shot of caramel. Hops put forth spicy herbal notes with just a few of the fruity flavors showing up (grapefruit and lemons) otherwise mostly pine. Otherwise this is a spiced hop, toasted malt, caramel crusted brew. The shift from nose to palate seemed rather dramatic to me, somewhat of a staggering difference, and met with mixed results I might add

M: the body is mild and carbonation is in right order, for the most part. Finishes a bit dry and spicy with light dose of hop oils on the tongue

D: I am gonna have this again, I can not come to a clear consensus about my feelings toward this beer
Jun 20, 2009
Photo of Spikester
Reviewed by Spikester from Oregon

4.3/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
My second growler from Walking Man Brewery I decided to step up from the Pale Strider APA to the Knuckle Dragger APA. The K.D. boasts about three times the IBU's of the PS version. I decided to taste a bit before getting the growler fill and I was surprised at how drinkable this brew was in spite of the very large amount of hops used. The taste stayed with me for the final two hours of my drive home. After settling in at home I poured a full pint to sample. It had warmed to a good drinking temperature of about 45 to 55 deg. F. A handsome amber beer with a huge off-white head, copious lacings. The aroma was resinous floral hops.

Taste is very strong bitter hops but more interesting than the usual grapefruit rind that is typical of Northwest craft beers. The bitterness does pound the tastebuds initially but is much smoother about halfway through the pint. The malts are there but well in the background. Full bodied for the style and very drinkable for a couple of pints.
Oct 12, 2008
Photo of SickBrew
Reviewed by SickBrew from Washington

4.22/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Had this one at brewery is Stevenson, WA.

This beer pours a nice orange/amber with a good bright white head that leaves a bit of lacing. Aroma is through-the-roof hoppy. It definitely smells like garden fresh hops with a bit of grapefruit in the background. Taste is great and is somewhat like the nose. A nice initial maltiness is finished with hoppy bitterness, each complementing the other. Mouthfeel is smooth, almost sexy with a medium body and light carbonation. All the beers I've had from Walking Man Brewing have been excellent and they're now on my favorite list!!

Prost!
Oct 05, 2008
Photo of Georgiabeer
Reviewed by Georgiabeer from Georgia

4.23/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
I've loved everything I've tried from this brewery over the last couple of years. Imo, one of the best breweries in the PNW. I had this one on draught at Concordia Ale House. Poured amber with a big head and great lacing. Aromas of sweet malt, some herbal hops, and a slight graininess. The taste dry malt up front followed by a huge hit of bitter earthy hops. Nice interplay between the malt and hops, and the fact that the swweetness is relatively low is a plus. Mouthfeel is crisp, earthy, and somewhat tannic. Delicious.
Nov 30, 2007
Photo of John_M
Reviewed by John_M from Washington

4.33/5  rDev +8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Pretty much everything Walking Man makes is excellent. The knuckle dragger is no exception. A lot places in Portland carry this fine beer, and I believe it's still (more or less) the house IPA at Concordia House. It's on tap there pretty much all the time and is where I had it the other night.

The beer pours a beautiful light peachy gold color, with very good head retention and lacing. The beer is all citrus in the nose and you can tell there are some serious hops in this bad boy. On the palate the beer is just delicious. Lots of citrus, lemon and orange, from what has to be a huge hop bill. Despite all that, the beer is not the least bit heavy and comes across as fairly dry. This beer is not hugely sweet or malty and is quite drinkable.

Walking Man makes both a double IPA and a regular IPA, with this beer described as a strong pale ale. It is much hoppier then most IPA's you'll find on the market, and is considerably hoppier then a number of DIPA's I've run into here on the East Coast. Just an excellent beer from the folks at Walking Man.
Sep 17, 2007
Knuckle Dragger from Walking Man Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 89 out of 100 with 32 ratings