Knuckle Sandwich
Bootlegger's Brewery

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.

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

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.

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.

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pours a nice amber / orange colour with a thin tan head and some nice lacing. Smells of piney hops blended with some citrus and slight fruits. Taste very good, the sweet malts counter the bitter hops nicely and with what tastes like grapefruit and pineapple creeping through this is a nice summer beer. The 10% abv is well hidden and could pack quite a punch if you weren't aware of it. Prost!