Tag Archives: Bootlegger’s Brewery

Pumpkin Ale by Bootlegger’s Brewery

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1377274_10101445794632930_1687386444_nRating: 4.5/5

Pumpkin Ale by Bootlegger’s Brewery is a 6.1% ABV Pumpkin ale brewed with Spices & Molasses

Label: 
Bootlegger’s Pumpkin Ale is our Fall Seasonal release. We combine cinnamon, nutmeg, molasses, brown sugar, and real pumpkin to create this special beer. A Beer that reminds us of coming home to family and getting the fresh pumpkin pies out of the over. A perfect beer to sit back and relax with while watching the leaves change color in the fall
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Bootlegger’s brewery in Fullerton California has been an up and coming favorite of mine. Right next door to The Bruery, they have been releasing some very nice and incredible beers. As with all pumpkin beers, I had to get theirs to give it a run and review for this is the time of the fall and time for some good pumpkin beers. There have been many pumpkin beers reigning champions in their own unique ways for me. Let us see how this one ranks

Aromas are of pumpkin, apples, plums peach, cinnamon, nutmeg, piloncillo (Mexican sugar cone), pumpkin pie, maple, ginger bread, sweet potatoes, brown sugar and yams

Flavors are of pumpkin, sweet potato pie, maple, apples, nutmeg, cinnamon, pilloncillo, pumpkin flesh, molasses, caramel, rye bread, vanilla, anise, mint, clove spice, apples and apricot

Aftertaste is like sweet potatoes, cinnamon, pumpkin flesh, pumpkin seeds and nutmeg. Easy to moderate drinkability. Not too overwhelming and moderately refreshing. Good stuff

Overall, it is a very good beer. It may not be Pumpking or Smashed Pumpkins but it is definitely above average. No artificial pumpkin spice but true good ingredients. Definitely worth a try if you can find it. If you are able to find other good ones, so be it as well but if this is all you find you definitely cannot go wrong here.

Knuckle Sandwich by Bootleggers

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1515_10101218238961320_968552110_n969054_10101218225313670_1442045989_n 993771_10101218224001300_1008180281_n 935922_10101218225982330_1294493020_n972142_10101218224969360_1763847830_nRating: 5/5

Knuckle Sandwich by Bootleggers is a 10%ABV World Class Double/Imperial India Pale Ale

Label: 
This is a beer that truly lives up to its name! Brewed with copious amounts of North American hops, this Double IPA has a colossal hop profile and an aggressive aroma. Helping round out the floral and citrus notes is a huge malt backbone that provides a great mouth feel to this heavyweight hitter.
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First had this at King’ Row Gastropub in Pasadena California. Back then I wasn’t aware how great and very sought after this beer was. It is brewed locally here in Fullerton California but even the demand for this beer is insane. By the time I wanted a bottle to review, it was sold out pretty much everywhere. I went to the local liquor store in the street where I grew up since I knew back then they had some nice beers but had not been back there since 2011. To my surprise, there it was, the Elusive Knuckle Sandwich. Even so, there was not many left and I am sure they would be gone soon enough. Didn’t hesitate to get this one to be able to do a good review and bring this one forth in another one of my Art and Beer pairings.

Aromas are very tropical and grassy. Grassy, piney, citrus, floral and grapefruit hops, pineapple, mango, papaya, kumquats, lychees, peaches, guavas, dragon fruit, melon, a scent of plum, orange, lemon, biscuit bread, caramel, pepper notes and mint.

The Flavors are of Caramel, sweet bread, vanilla, rich grassy, herbal, piney and chewy hops, followed by very nice tropics of oranges, pineapple, mango, plum notes, cherry notes, papaya, kumquats, lychees, peaches, dragon fruit, apricots, guavas, very mild banana notes and honey dew melon. The aftertaste lingers with a lot of tropics and herbal hops. The alcohol is somewhat hidden does not detract from the beer’s flavor. In fact, it adds like a honey flavor as well. It is quite balanced for sure.

This beer is essentially what hop head dreams are made it. This beer does not disappoint and it is as awesome as the last time I remember it even though I had it fresher back in March. It a fist full of awesome IPA goodness. Dare I call this one, Heady Topper the 2nd? Yes, I just did. The balance is phenomenal and if you are mainly into more tropical IPAs, then this one is to try. I myself love Tropical IPAs as well as Super hop bitter ones as well. This would be in my top list of awesome Double IPAs along with Ruination, Pliny the Elder, Double Jack, Hop Stoopid, Hangar 24’s Double IPA and others I have reviewed so far. A great example in great west coast double IPAs

 

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Old World Hefeweizen by Bootlegger’s Brewery

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533921_10101127266615630_958797946_nRating: 4.4/5

Old World Hefeweizen by Bootlegger’s Brewery of Fullerton California is a 5% ABV German Hefeweizen

Label: 
Our German-style Hefeweizen is an unfiltered wheat beer that is handcrafted using only pure imported Hallertau Mittelfrueh noble German hops to give it an original old world taste. With its white creamy long lasting head, golden color, subtle aroma of bananas, and light hop taste, our Hefeweizen has a crisp refreshing taste. The smooth balanced finish makes this a perfect beer for everyday enjoyment!
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So the last time I tried this was a while back. I picked up a bottle out of curiosity since I really haven’t tried a lot of the Bootlegger’s stuff but do love hefeweizens. I was pleasantly surprised. The aromas are of bananas, apples, citrus, orange peel, coriander, almost like a peach, a bit of floral notes, cloves, wheat bread and mango notes. The flavors are of banana bread, caramel, cloves, apples, pears, bubble gum, orange, lemon, coriander spice, some flower notes like a nice saison as well as some peppery notes. There are also some peach and some what plum flavors still pull through some how which is really good. Unless this bottle has been properly taken care of because I think it still holds the old label, then giving it sometime in the yeast allowed to develop some extra fruity notes. Taste a lot better from the last time I remember it. Definitely a recommended good hefeweizen.

Mint Chocolate Porter Winter Ale by Bootlegger’s Brewery

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45380_10101094074163570_1328384573_nRating: 4.25/5

Mint Chocolate Porter Winter Ale by Bootlegger’s Brewery is a 6.1% ABV Porter brewed with Mint

Label: 
Perhaps a mint chocolate porter sounds like an odd combination, but we like to think of it as a match made in heaven. The refreshing mint is balanced with subtle hints of dark chocolate notes, making it a complex yet exceptionally drinking winter ale. This one is perfect for sitting next to the fireplace and sharing a few pints with friends.
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I have tried some really good mint porters and stouts in the past. This one is made locally here in California. It is always good to drink locally. The beers is somewhat smokey in fragrance. There is some nice sweet chocolate mint aromas along with some sweet caramel and vanilla. I am sensing little coffee in the nose though. The Flavors are of sweet and dark chocolate, coffee, caramel, vanilla, mint, black tea, herbs, somewhat of Oreo cookies and crème flavor, anise licorice and molasses. It is not as head on sweet as some of the other mint beers I have had. The after taste stays minty and chocolate sweet. Even though it smelled smokey, it was actually hard to find the smokiness in the flavor. They did a very good job there. Definitely try it out and it is also drinkable too. In fact, a lot of the bitterness like the black tea and herbs fade away as it warms up and this starts to taste more like a Klondike bar or a mint chocolate chip icecream 😛

Plum Riot by Bootlegger’s Brewery

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223427_10101057095339430_506205679_nRating: 4.8/5

Plum Riot by Bootlegger’s Brewery is a 7.8%ABV Belgian Dubbel brewed with plums and rock candy. Dubbel is an Belgian beer style that uses a double fermentation process.

Label:
For too long the plum has played second fiddle to more prestigious fruits. Biding their time in angry passage, the raging plum flavors have been plotting an uprising for centuries. The time and place for such a revolt is now. With the release of the cork, the first wave of plum flavors will attack your nose leaving nothing but the mark of their sweet and tart aromas. As this effervescent beer enters your mouth, the second wave strikes as the plum notes pummel and pillage your taste buds, surrounding them with an assault of flavor that demands respect. The age of the plum has finally arrived!
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Aromas are of sugar cane roots, plum, pears, apples, cinnamon, apple pie, peach cobbler, wine grapes, piloncillo sugar cone and dulce de leche caramel. The flavors are of plums, pears, slight pineapple, dulce de leche bread, vanilla creme, apple pie, peach cobbler, piloncillo sugar cone, unrefined sugar, raisins, dark berries, cherries, and figs. In a sense it is mainly a sugary plum beer. It is quite nice and Belgian like mainly focusing on fruit sweetness. While it doesn’t bleed more bready flavors and focuses more on dark fruits and sugar as well as some pie crust. Even so, it is still a nice beer if you are into sweet tasting beers. Which I sure as hell am so this is very delicious for me.