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Knuckle Sandwich
Bootlegger's Brewery
- From:
- Bootlegger's Brewery
- California, United States
- Style:
- Imperial IPA
Ranked #256 - ABV:
- 10%
- Score:
- 95
Ranked #1,661 - Avg:
- 4.27 | pDev: 10.54%
- Reviews:
- 270
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Apr 29, 2023
- Added:
- Dec 14, 2009
- Wants:
- 419
- Gots:
- 162
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by MbpBugeye:
Reviewed by MbpBugeye from Ohio
4.4/5 rDev +3%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
4.4/5 rDev +3%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Big thanks to Callmecoon for this bad ass extra.
Appearance
Wow, what an amazing color. Its dark for the style, a few shades darker than white zin. Its a blushing bright ruby. A modest haze gives this glass a satin appearance. The darker color doesn't contaminate the head's pure whiteness. It has a dense, sticky pure white cap. Its a wonderful contrast to the darker ruby body.
Smell
Delicious. I could tell this was gonna smell awesome as soon as it hit the glass. Sugary citrus fills the room. Cotton candy and a little bit of cat piss and moth balls come in and out. Some how the cat piss and moth balls don't trigger disgust, nor do those aromas seem out of place. Flashes of banana build a fruit salad with all of the lovely citrus.
Taste
Perhaps a little more malty than I'd like from this beer based on its aroma. Very little bitterness. Its all very candied, sweet and juicy citrus, like an ambiguous juice blend. There is lots of cotton candy (the blue kind) as well. The malts seem a little darker than most of the style, its not caramelly but not crackery either.
Mouthfeel
Resinous as all hell. Sticky hop oils galore. The carbonation is unobtrusive. The finish is very hoppy with a nice moderate dryness.
Overall
Very damn good. Such a pretty beer with an amazing aroma. I'm super happy that callmecoon was able to extra this.
Apr 10, 2011Appearance
Wow, what an amazing color. Its dark for the style, a few shades darker than white zin. Its a blushing bright ruby. A modest haze gives this glass a satin appearance. The darker color doesn't contaminate the head's pure whiteness. It has a dense, sticky pure white cap. Its a wonderful contrast to the darker ruby body.
Smell
Delicious. I could tell this was gonna smell awesome as soon as it hit the glass. Sugary citrus fills the room. Cotton candy and a little bit of cat piss and moth balls come in and out. Some how the cat piss and moth balls don't trigger disgust, nor do those aromas seem out of place. Flashes of banana build a fruit salad with all of the lovely citrus.
Taste
Perhaps a little more malty than I'd like from this beer based on its aroma. Very little bitterness. Its all very candied, sweet and juicy citrus, like an ambiguous juice blend. There is lots of cotton candy (the blue kind) as well. The malts seem a little darker than most of the style, its not caramelly but not crackery either.
Mouthfeel
Resinous as all hell. Sticky hop oils galore. The carbonation is unobtrusive. The finish is very hoppy with a nice moderate dryness.
Overall
Very damn good. Such a pretty beer with an amazing aroma. I'm super happy that callmecoon was able to extra this.
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by Ozzylizard from Pennsylvania
4.12/5 rDev -3.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
4.12/5 rDev -3.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Knuckle Sandwich from Bootlegger’s Brewery. 16 fl oz can from @2beerdogs in NBW BIF 17. Reviewed 29/04/23 (Review 3086). Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Bottom of can stamped “02/17/2023”. Stored at 34 degrees at home. Served at 47.4 degrees F in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature was 55.2 degrees F.
Appearance – 4.25
First pour – Medium Amber (SRM 12), clear.
Body – Deep orange amber (SRM ?), opaque. Under direct light, looks like cider sans precipitate. When rear lite, translucent orange amber.
Head: Large (Maximum 4.7 cm, aggressive center pour), fulvous, high density, average retention, slowly retreating, leaving a 1.6 – 2.0 cm crown with an undulating upper rim and a complete rocky layer. After a couple of minutes exposed to air, the crown lightens from fulvous to between beige and wheat.
Lacing – Fair. Medium wide smooth three-dimensional band of tiny to small bubbles.
Aroma – 4 – Primarily hops – grapefruit rind and a bit of orange, no malt, no yeast. No ethanol (10 % ABV as marked on the label) aroma.
Flavor – 4 – Follows the nose – mild grapefruit with a bit of malt balancing the finish. Neither yeast nor ethanol. Very weak gastric warming. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl.
Palate – 4 – Full; just short of creamy; lively but soft carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 4.5 Very drinkable DIPA – the whole is much greater than the sum of the parts! If this were available locally, I’d have a few four-packs on hand.
Apr 29, 2023Bottom of can stamped “02/17/2023”. Stored at 34 degrees at home. Served at 47.4 degrees F in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature was 55.2 degrees F.
Appearance – 4.25
First pour – Medium Amber (SRM 12), clear.
Body – Deep orange amber (SRM ?), opaque. Under direct light, looks like cider sans precipitate. When rear lite, translucent orange amber.
Head: Large (Maximum 4.7 cm, aggressive center pour), fulvous, high density, average retention, slowly retreating, leaving a 1.6 – 2.0 cm crown with an undulating upper rim and a complete rocky layer. After a couple of minutes exposed to air, the crown lightens from fulvous to between beige and wheat.
Lacing – Fair. Medium wide smooth three-dimensional band of tiny to small bubbles.
Aroma – 4 – Primarily hops – grapefruit rind and a bit of orange, no malt, no yeast. No ethanol (10 % ABV as marked on the label) aroma.
Flavor – 4 – Follows the nose – mild grapefruit with a bit of malt balancing the finish. Neither yeast nor ethanol. Very weak gastric warming. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl.
Palate – 4 – Full; just short of creamy; lively but soft carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 4.5 Very drinkable DIPA – the whole is much greater than the sum of the parts! If this were available locally, I’d have a few four-packs on hand.
Reviewed by BillAfromSoCal from California
4.58/5 rDev +7.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25
4.58/5 rDev +7.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25
16 oz can dated 9/02/20 bought off a room temp shelf at trader Joes on about 10/5/20 then refrigerated until poured into a large tulip glass on 10/13. Deep amber color with just a little bit of haze and a little less than 1 finger thick creamy off-white to light tan head. Lots of thick lacing. Fairly aggressive malt and hop fragrance but in line with expectations for a good DIPA. Malt-forward flavor but with really good hop balance. Nice chewy, viscous mouthfeel but zero alcohol burn, despite the 10% ABV. I probably would rank this higher than 4.5 overall but the 10% ABV in a 16 oz can is like drinking 3.2 OZ of your favorite 100 proof whiskey. I would strongly prefer this in a 12 oz offering if I have to do anything constructive afterward.
Oct 14, 2020Reviewed by ovaltine from Indiana
4.29/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
4.29/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Crystal clear copper color with a light tan head, this old school DIPA features citrus and piney hop aromas, and a significant caramalt aroma. Wow.
The citrus and pine are balanced perfectly on the taste, but it’s the slightly sweet caramalt that is the linchpin in this beer, masking the significant ABV (10%), making this dangerously drinkable.
The mouthfeel is a bit oily, but not cloying, an impressive feat in a big DIPA. I’d drink this until it came out my ears - and then take a nap. Love it.
Dec 01, 2019The citrus and pine are balanced perfectly on the taste, but it’s the slightly sweet caramalt that is the linchpin in this beer, masking the significant ABV (10%), making this dangerously drinkable.
The mouthfeel is a bit oily, but not cloying, an impressive feat in a big DIPA. I’d drink this until it came out my ears - and then take a nap. Love it.
Reviewed by Lingenbrau from Oregon
4.25/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.25/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Big thanks to Derek for the can. It's been at least 5 years since I've had the pleasure.
Much more red than I remember. A deep amber hue with wonderful clarity. A thin light khaki head lies above leaving behind minimal spots of lacing.
My daughter initial impression and much to my memory, this thing is bursting with sweet smelling pine sap. And oxymoron of sorts, I guess. Anyhoo, digging in a bit more, a bit if burnt rubber, which is something I've always gotten with certain hop varieties. Especially Chinook. A pinch of dried grapefruit rind creeps in as well.
Flavor bursts with damp evergreen and citrus, much to what the aroma would indicate. Touches of caramel. Got a little spicy thing going on too. Very nice.
A little slick, but still smooth and dry enough of a finish to allow for bigger sips. Dangerous, considering the elevated abv. Obviously bitter, but sweet enough to perceive well balanced.
Not exactly what I remember from the Fullerton classic. A fine brew either way, and it hits you right in the kisser, as any proper knuckle sammich should. Cheers.
Nov 22, 2019Much more red than I remember. A deep amber hue with wonderful clarity. A thin light khaki head lies above leaving behind minimal spots of lacing.
My daughter initial impression and much to my memory, this thing is bursting with sweet smelling pine sap. And oxymoron of sorts, I guess. Anyhoo, digging in a bit more, a bit if burnt rubber, which is something I've always gotten with certain hop varieties. Especially Chinook. A pinch of dried grapefruit rind creeps in as well.
Flavor bursts with damp evergreen and citrus, much to what the aroma would indicate. Touches of caramel. Got a little spicy thing going on too. Very nice.
A little slick, but still smooth and dry enough of a finish to allow for bigger sips. Dangerous, considering the elevated abv. Obviously bitter, but sweet enough to perceive well balanced.
Not exactly what I remember from the Fullerton classic. A fine brew either way, and it hits you right in the kisser, as any proper knuckle sammich should. Cheers.
Reviewed by Bruno74200 from France
4.14/5 rDev -3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
4.14/5 rDev -3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Clear amber with a not really long lasting head.
Muted nose, mostly on the grapefruit, resinous, some toffee notes.
The taste follows plus a certain candiness, which is improved by the sweet mouthfeel
Some bitterness but quite nicely put.
Dangerously drinkable for the abv. Which is a good thing for now. We'll talk about it in 1 or 2 hours
Aug 25, 2019Muted nose, mostly on the grapefruit, resinous, some toffee notes.
The taste follows plus a certain candiness, which is improved by the sweet mouthfeel
Some bitterness but quite nicely put.
Dangerously drinkable for the abv. Which is a good thing for now. We'll talk about it in 1 or 2 hours
Knuckle Sandwich from Bootlegger's Brewery
Beer rating:
95 out of
100 with
1119 ratings
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