Bridgeport Hop Czar

Bridgeport Hop Czar has a pretty elaborate description on the Bridgeport site, but at the end of the day, this is just another IPA… albeit a good one…   A nice light orange with a huge head, this ipa has a nice hoppy nose… not floral or fruity, just hoppy. body is on the mild end of the bitter IPA scale but it is nice… smooth and sweet on the tip, bitter in the back. This is a really solid IPA that they have balanced nicely from tip to toe.

JBB6 Rating: Will Buy Again

BridgePort Fallen Friar Belgium Style Tripel Ale

The newest in the Bridgeport Big Brews line, Fallen Friar Belgium Style Tripel Ale comes at you hard and fast (@ 8.2% ABV) and true to the style, no real deviation… pours a nice amber color, smells nice and mellow but the yeast is there waiting for you… sucker punching away.  This was pretty well received and tied for first for most of the folks at our recent tasting at Miss Jessi’s house.  For me it was last on the list though, folks, and since my opinion is the one that counts, it gets a Will Buy Again… nothing more, nothing less.  Won’t wow you but stays true to the style and gets the job done.  From their press release:

 

About BridgePort’s Fallen Friar Abbey Style Ale The Fallen Friar 22-ounce Big Brew combines German pilsner malt and Pacific Northwest wheat malt with German Hallertau and Czech Saaz hops. However, the secret that lies behind this brew is in the cloves, banana and spice from fermentation with a selected strain of Belgian yeast, and with slight oak overtones from French oak wine barrels. BridgePort’s Fallen Friar Tripel Style Ale will be on tap at BridgePort brewpub + bakery, BridgePort Ale House and at select bar and restaurant locations around Oregon. With 700 cases produced, this limited edition brew will also be sold at retail grocery stores throughout Oregon, Washington, California and Idaho while supplies last.

 

JBB6 Rating: Will Buy Again

Bridgeport Stout

BridgePort has really been off and on for me, so I wasn’t sure what I was going to get myself into with this one.  Bridgeport Stout ended up doing so/so for both “The Belly” and I and that is probably taking it easy.  It surely pours a dark pour, showing narry a light through it, but the first thing you notice is that this beer smells a little bit yeasty for a stout… not really expecting that, I go to the body hoping it will have something interesting but that is where I was really let down… nothing there, no character, nothing at all to write home about… so, we downed chocolate Jack Daniel’s balls and finished this off quick to get on to something with a little more substance.

JBB6 Rating: Middle of the Road

Bridgeport Brewing Haymaker Extra Pale Ale

Bridgeport Brewing Haymaker Extra Pale Ale pours a cloudy yellow with a short lived head. This one was taken in my resurgence of pale ales and I have to say I am very happy with the choice.  A good, light hop flavor hits you on the body with a slightly sour aftertaste.  Very refreshing and I can see how this would be an outstanding summer beer. “Sunshine in a Glass” indeed!

JBB6 Rating: Will Buy Again

Bridgeport Brewing Raven Mad Imperial Porter

One of the most novel beer ad-ons I have seen, these folks actually package the beer with some 3D goggles so you can take a look at the 3D label.  While they suggest you wear them while you drink the beer, I found that it was much better to put them on the children and watch them run into walls… ok… kidding, but still a pretty cool idea. 

Bridgeport Brewing Raven Mad Imperial Porter - Part of their Big Brews collection.

As far as the tasting goes… goodness gracious this is a tasyt beer. Coffee and chocolate abound as this imperial porter graces your lips and you take a wonderful first drink. Not nearly that of the Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock I had the other day, but still very, very good. It has a bit more of a bite to it and it kicks a little on the way down, but it is all good with heavy malt and well balanced hops. Small head, dark beer, nice finish.

JBB6 Rating: For the Win

Bridgeport Ebenezer Ale

Yet another in our series of winter ales… Bridgeport Ebenezer Ale.

This one was about 2/3 of the way into the tasting and by the time we got here, we had some pretty high expectations.  We were definitely disappointed in short order.  Ebenezer has a light yeasty smell and a relatively bland flavor.  One word kept coming to mind and that is mild, mild, mild.  We did, however, agree that this was a super easy beer to drink.  Nothing distinguishable, but nothing nasty in any way… a true Middle of the Road… which takes us to somewhat of an award.

<trumpet> The award for top winter ale for beer bongers goes to… Bridgeport Ebenezer Ale!  <cheers>

JBB6 Rating: Middle of the Road

BridgePort Stumptown Tart

Kept the wife up a bit to sit with me while I tasted tonight’s brew.  Can’t say either of us enjoyed the experience, though, which is unfortunate. 

On the docket was a really cool looking bottle from “Oregon’s Oldest Craft Brewery” BridgePort Stumptown Tart.  Being that it is “Oregon’s Oldest Craft Brewery”, and being that the label kicks ass, I thought this would be another one I could rank up there with the Monk’s Flemish Ale… I was so, so mistaken.

BridgePort has had mixed reviews on this blog.  The last “Big Brew” from them was pretty good… their BridgePort Old Knucklehead.  I wish I could say the same here, really I do.

The problem with the Stumptown Tart is that it is too tart with no counterbalance.  I have caught myself doing the Dumb and Dumber piss drinking tick twice since I started the bottle.  I actually prefered the beer at about 45 degrees vs. when I let it warm up to 53 degrees or so.  Still, the nice color and pour and label just couldn’t overcome the lackluster performance of this too-tart-for-its-own-good beer.

JBB6 Rating: Just Not Right

BridgePort Old Knucklehead

A weight was lifted today.  I made it through something that has been heavy on my mind and so, I wanted to cap it off with something a little more sophisticated than normal.  Ok… really… wine isn’t necessarily more sophisticated than beer (IMO), but it just sounds fancier, doesn’t it?

So, BridgePort Old Knucklehead graced my glass tonight.  Bridgeport Brewery hasn’t really done that great on this blog.  Their brown and their pale ale were just ok…  I might have to change my opinion, though, after tasting tonight’s beer.

This Old Knucklehead comes from a long tradition of Old Knuckleheads and I am proud to say that tonights (012) is the newest of the bunch… even newer than what they have on their website (011).  This version is slightly higher in alcohol content (10% ABV) and doesn’t have some guy on the front. 

As far as taste goes, Old Knucklehead is strong, very strong.  You can notice the it has “legs” when you swirl it around the glass.  I tasted it at 53.7 °F tonight and it had very strong malt and hops with what I swear is somewhat of a rice wine flavor to it.  Next time I should taste it with some sake…  Good head, great dark amber color.  A beer that you don’t guzzle… this one is meant to drink slow and for maximum enjoyment.  Overall a great beer.

JBB6 Rating: Will Buy Again

 

BridgePort Blue Heron Pale Ale

It has been a long week.  We have been working 12 hour days in an effort to address some business that needs to be taken care of and there just hasn’t been a lot of down time.  I basically work, come home and spend some limited time with the family, drink a beer and blog about it, then go to bed.  

So, I don’t feel bad in saying tonight was a good break from Diet Dr. Pepper with some tasty brews to go along with dinner.  The first of the night just happened to be BridgePort Blue Heron Pale Ale.  No glass to pour into, so you get the staight-out-of-the-bottle review. 

Overall, this Pale Ale gets a similar review to the one I provided of their BridgePort Beer Town Brown.  While it had flavor, the flavor just wasn’t anything spectacular.  It was super average with no distinguishing flavor and with random and undecidable undertones and aftertaste that just leave you feeling a bit like you have dry mouth. 

The best thing BridgePort has going for it so far is their labels are pretty kick-ass.

JBB6 Rating: Middle of the Road

BridgePort Beer Town Brown

Things shouldn’t still be spinning, but unforntunately, that is kind of where we are at.  This post didn’t happen last night do to an impromptu get-together with some neighbors and way too much alcohol.

 What I do remember is that this BridgePort’s Beer Town Brown was the beer to kick it all off and, quite honestly, not the best choice I could have gone with.  While I do generally like the brown ale category, this one dissappointed me.  Primarily because there was no distinguishing flavor.  It almost tasted like a watered down version of a regular brown ale, which just isn’t cool.

Now, my neighbor Dave said it wasn’t that bad, but hey… to each his or her own, right?

 Beer: