Knuckle Sandwich
Bootlegger's Brewery

Knuckle SandwichKnuckle Sandwich
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From:
Bootlegger's Brewery
 
California, United States
Style:
Imperial IPA
Ranked #256
ABV:
10%
Score:
95
Ranked #1,670
Avg:
4.27 | pDev: 10.54%
Reviews:
270
Ratings:
1,119
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 SkinnyElvis:
Photo of SkinnyElvis
Reviewed by SkinnyElvis from Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Thanks to Sebowski who is a great BA. But, he is really a doochebag since he is a Redskins fan and my long time Fantasy Football commish! Cheers.

Pours with a thin head. Nice lacing on the glass. Darker redish in color. Smells fairly sweet and citrusy. Taste is a classic West Coast hop bomb. I don't detect much of the alcohol which is dangerous with the ABV. Worth seeking if you are a hop head. Recommended.

Cheers!
Apr 29, 2011
More User Ratings:
Photo of Ozzylizard
Reviewed by Ozzylizard from Pennsylvania

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, 2023
 
Rated: 4.16 by Bwag from New York

Jul 27, 2022
 
Rated: 4.37 by Patrick2012 from California

Oct 25, 2021
 
Rated: 4.3 by Curt3 from Ohio

Jul 12, 2021
Photo of BillAfromSoCal
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
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, 2020
 
Rated: 4.29 by Pinz412 from Pennsylvania

Apr 09, 2020
 
Rated: 3.73 by WillieThreebiers from Connecticut

Feb 01, 2020
 
Rated: 4.49 by jmbeerdude91 from Arizona

Jan 20, 2020
Photo of ovaltine
Reviewed 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
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, 2019
Photo of Lingenbrau
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
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, 2019
 
Rated: 4 by grapeshops from California

Oct 10, 2019
Photo of Bruno74200
Reviewed by Bruno74200 from France

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, 2019
 
Rated: 4.14 by Roguer from Connecticut

May 28, 2019
 
Rated: 4.12 by alexsanvic from California

May 01, 2019
 
Rated: 4.1 by Blazer22 from Colorado

Apr 13, 2019
 
Rated: 4.25 by Mattias from Sweden

Feb 09, 2019
 
Rated: 4.53 by Jbean9021 from California

Jul 30, 2018
 
Rated: 4.11 by shivtim from Georgia

Jun 28, 2018
 
Rated: 3.95 by deereless from Colorado

May 29, 2018
Knuckle Sandwich from Bootlegger's Brewery
Beer rating: 95 out of 100 with 1119 ratings