Hoptologist DIPA - Knee Deep Brewing Company

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.91/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Orange and west coast flavour. Great hop aroma. The 102 IBU is an assault, yet good malting with caramel that makes this very smooth and drinkable.Piney and resiny.Understated carbonation works. Very nice and worth trying for DIPA fans.
Mike's bottle from SF.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2013 03:44:00 | More by northyorksammy

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.05/5  rDev -21.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Thanks to Brad for bringing this bottle to our most-recent tasting. Served in a SAVOR wine glass.

Pours a moderate orange-copper color with a good white head and a bit of lacing on the way down. The nose carries a bit of citrus and a bit of bready malt in the background. Not quite integrated and the hops aren't molding and popping like I'd like. The flavor follows the same track. Decent body with some bitterness through the finish. Decent enough, but the label was likely my favorite part.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2012 01:19:07 | More by Thorpe429

UCLABrewN84

California

3.6/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle shared at drewone’s tasting.

Pours a clear copper orange color with an off-white head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Small streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, honey, and citrus zest aromas. Taste is of malt and herbal and citrus zest hop flavors. There is a medium amount of bitterness with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer with a better smell than taste in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2012 01:02:56 | More by UCLABrewN84

drabmuh

Maryland

3.45/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bottle shared by Brad at a recent tasting, Thanks! Unfortunately this was another mediocre double IPA.

Beer is amber, darker than expected, white head, some lacing, moderate to low carbonation, looks OK.

Aroma is bready and sweet with lots of malt and some piny resiny hops.

Beer is meh...a little too thick, not bitter enough, hop flavors lose to the malt flavors. Not horrible just not worth crossing the street to get a free pour of.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2012 20:01:26 | More by drabmuh

MasterSki

Illinois

3.7/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle thanks to Matt (donttazemebro). Served in a Bell's tulip. Bottle says 012 D-1 1606, whatever that means.

A - Near-perfect appearance - two fingers of creamy white foam that slow settle to a creamy, thick cap, leaving behind glass-coating lace. Transparent golden body with stray bubbles rising throughout.

S - Super piney, with mild dank and bitter grapefruit rind aromas as well. Undercurrent of tropical fruits and brown sugar malt, with the latter intensifying as the beer warms up. Perhaps a touch of alcohol as well.

T - The flavor is heavier on tangerine and orange-esque citrus, with balanced sweetness, zest, and bitterness. Again, some mild tropical fruits, grassy notes, and a bready malt character. Moderate bitterness in the finish.

M - Smooth, medium-full body, with a chewy texture to it. Fairly low carbonation, and minimal alcohol presence. I started to get a buzz on my second glass, so the alcohol is there, but not very perceptible. Finish is surprisingly clean, with some mild resinous hop oils that linger.

D - Wow, the reviews for this one seem to be all over the map. While it's not a top tier DIPA for me it was pretty easy to drink and didn't seem plagued by any of the issues cited by other reviews (diacetyl, thin body, etc.). I'm surprised it beat Pliny at the Bistro DIPA fest, but it's a fairly enjoyable, above-average beer. I had no problem finishing the bomber, but I'm glad this was an extra.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2012 02:04:08 | More by MasterSki

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.36/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

This poured out as a slightly hazy orange color. The head on top was white and fluffy looking. The retention and lacing of the beer is decent. The smell of the beer has a floral citrus aroma with a bit of malt sweetness in the back end. The mouthfeel was easy going, not overly carbonated. Overall it a a nice DIPA. Glad I got to try it.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2013 05:21:47 | More by Knapp85

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer looks nice. (As does the label. Lol. Funny.) The beer is good. It has some interesting woody malty tones to it. But the hop tones are very vibrant and firm and working well. There is an earthy and salty tone that really works nicely. Floral tones really kick in on the end. It's nice. It won't win style points, but I certainly think it gets the job done (well). I can suggest this one.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2012 05:25:20 | More by RblWthACoz

Zorro

California

4.1/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Clear amber colored ale with a tall off-white head. This could be called IPA Orange.

Strong scent of C Type hops and malt. Strong tropical fruit aroma. Pineapple, pine, grapefruit orange, and melon scents. Honeysuckle malt scent.

Starts out sweet and malty with a strong bitter aftertaste. Tropical fruit flavors, pineapple and mango with some melon. That is about it for taste some tea and wood flavors.

Mouthfeel is good.

Overall far better than expected. Boost the malt slightly to let the fruit taste a little stronger and this would be world class.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2012 03:35:08 | More by Zorro

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

2.88/5  rDev -26%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Pours a solid copper color with orange, nice 1" head to it, looks the part. Aroma was more sweet and bitter than hoppy, but the hoppyesque flavors imparted leaned towards citrus of a grapefruit, orange and tangerine nature.

Taste of sweet bitterness and butter. Makes you wonder if aged hops were thrown in a bag of microwave popcorn and sprinkled with sugar. The paper flavor of the bag also seems to have come along for the ride. It just keeps on going on and on in the mouthfeel the entire time. A few notes commensurate with a decent flavor profile for a chardonnay, but I just don't jive with butter and paper/cardboard flavors in any beer, even if they are like in this beer, small and nuanced, they don't lend positive feelings to the beer as a whole.

On the positive side, at 9% alcohol, I didn't really pick that up, so this beer is pretty good at hiding the alcohol.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2011 17:17:24 | More by Beerandraiderfan

kojevergas

California

2.58/5  rDev -33.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

1 pint 6 fl oz brown glass bottle with standard pressure cap served into a EKU 28 snifter in low altitude Los Angeles, California. Reviewed live. Acquired at Wally's Wine in Westwood, California. Expectations are high; I don't usually like this style but the label (of all things) makes me think it'll be pretty good.

A: Pours a half finger head of fair cream and thickness, and bad retention - though in fairness the ABV is pretty high. Colour is a clear butterscotch-gold. Appealing.

Sm: Hoppy, with caramel, a hint of vinegar, floral notes, Some fruit esters. Some raspberry. Light toasted malt. A mild strength aroma.

T: Nicely hoppy, with the bitterness qualmed by the other notes. Unfortunately, the other notes coalesce in a way that isn't much better than the plain hop bitterness would be. It's an interesting yet unnecessary solution. The fruit ester hops are poorly handled, bleeding about the profile haphazardly. It's horribly imbalanced as a result, and never feels quite right. Built badly overall for the style. I don't particularly like the flavour.

Mf: Smooth and wet. Thick enough, but never quite right. Some awkward patches of coarseness are present at times, and on the finish - a poor characteristic. Suits the flavours only by coincidence.

Dr: Drinkable. Hides the ABV well. But the flavour is imbalanced and I don't particularly care for it. It tries to innovate a solution to the problem of balancing the potent hop bitterness, but the solution may be worse than the problem. I like that they're experimenting, but ultimately this is a mediocre double IPA I won't be getting again. I'm wary of the brewery as a result.

C-

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2012 19:36:13 | More by kojevergas

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

3.53/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle shared by Darrell. Thanks man.

The beer appears a murky orange color with a small, white head. Decent aroma with hops in the front and sturdy malt bill behind. A bit sharp on the palate. Hops first, followed by a healthy malt presence. Not balanced particularly well. Medium bodied with solid carbonation. Lingering pine and hops with subtle notes of alcoholic warmth. Overall, an ok beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2011 00:29:50 | More by Huhzubendah

largadeer

California

4.26/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

On tap at Ale Arsenal. Brilliantly clear amber with a finger of sticky froth that leaves sheets of lacing. Huge dank hops on the nose, very weed-like and resinous. Somewhat herbal and grassy, with lesser notes of orange pith. Similarly hoppy on the palate, intensely bitter and surprisingly dry for a 9%er. Marijuana and pine flavors up front, with more of an orange peel and fresh herb bitterness toward the finish. Malt is barely present. This is great stuff on the whole, very drinkable despite the sharp bitterness and high alcohol.

Serving type: on-tap

02-15-2013 01:24:05 | More by largadeer

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Knee Deep Brewing Co.
Hoptologist

LOOK: pours a clear orange color with a off white head and rings of lacework.

SMELL: Intense grapefruit notes and a bit of sappy caramel. Earthy hop signature.

TASTE: Strong resinous bitterness, citrus rind and boozy alcohol. Finishes bitter with a sticky hop flavor. Fairly dank and herbal, with hemp oil and pine notes. Caramel note from the malt.

FEEL: Full bodied, strong flavored, and well carbonated. Has a drying hop bite that adds to the enjoyment of this beer.

OVERALL: This is a good Double IpA because the malt body balances well and the hops taste good. Any lover of hops can appreciate this beer when fresh.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2012 01:39:04 | More by Stinkypuss

kylehay2004

Florida

3.75/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: single finger head which dissipates quickly. Lots of lacing. Clear, amber with slight golden hue body.

S: very hoppy, nice pine and citrus with a slight burnt aroma as well.

T: nice hops up front which transitions to a piney and sharp flavor with a mild pine aftertaste. buttery and bittery.

M:medium body and moderate to high carbonation

Overall: This one isnt terrible. The aroma is excellent but the flavor is very simple even if it is good.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2012 04:07:00 | More by kylehay2004

nickfl

Florida

4.1/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours with one finger of white foam on a head on a deep copper colored body. The head settles rapidly but leaves a very attractive film of lace clinging to the walls of the glass.

S - A nice, strong hop aroma with notes of grapefruit and pine. Some toffee and toasted bread in the background.

T - Sweet malt and pine hops up front. Some more toasted malt in the middle with a sweaty, onion like hop note. Finishes with sweet, thick malt and moderate bitterness.

M - Medium-thick body, moderate carbonation, and a sweet finish.

D - The aroma is really nice and while the flavor doesn't live up to that promise, it is still pretty nice. I would probably prefer it to be just a touch lighter in malt character than it is, but still a nice surprise from a random brewery I have never heard from before.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2012 04:19:25 | More by nickfl

bluejacket74

Ohio

4.08/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

22 ounce bottle. Served in a snifter, the beer pours an orange/amber color with about an inch off-white head. The head sticks around a while, and there's also a lot of lacing. Aroma is nice and hoppy, it mostly smells like pine and citrusy (grapefruit, tropical fruit) hops, along with some caramel malt. Taste is similar to the aroma, the hop flavor is nice and bitter. There's also a bit of herbal hops noticeable. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it's a bit slick with moderate carbonation. I think it's a good overall brew. Definitely worth a try at $6.99 a bomber.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2012 22:23:44 | More by bluejacket74

ngeunit1

California

4.43/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours a fairly clear golden-orange color with a finger of frothy white head. The head fades down at a normal pace leaving behind some nice lacing.

S - Aroma is a full of grapefruit, tropical, and pine hops with some sweet caramel and biscuit malts.

T - Starts off with a mix of grapefruit, orange, tropical, and citrus hops with some bitterness and sweet caramel malts. Through the middle, some pine and floral hops come through with more bitterness and some biscuit malts. The finish is a mix of pine and grapefruit hops with some sweet caramel and bready malts and some resiny bitterness.

M - Medium-plus bodied with moderate carbonation. Feels smooth with a bitter and dry finish.

D - Very drinkable. Good strong hop profile with some nice bitterness throughout. Good overall malt and hop balance.

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2012 06:28:10 | More by ngeunit1

DavoleBomb

Ohio

3.63/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a snifter. Big thanks to Bilbosnuts for this.

4.0 A: Super clear pale orange color. Two fingers of Frothy off-white head. Retention is average at best, but a ton of lacing is left.

4.0 S: Flowery and super citrusy hops. Mango, papaya, and orange stick out the most. Very little neutral maltiness and not much else. Simple, but quite pleasant.

3.5 T: Like the nose, this is all hops, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Moderate or a bit more bitterness. Hop flavor, in descending order, includes orange, grapefruit, pine, mango. It's tasty.

3.5 M: Medium body. Good moderate carbonation. Fine, but lacking the creaminess that I like in a good DIPA.

3.5 D: Tasty beer, but unfortunately this occupies the same style as many stellar beers, which makes this one a bit less impressive.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2012 00:56:07 | More by DavoleBomb

srandycarter

California

3.5/5  rDev -10%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Murky orange, small thin head, some cling bubbly lace.

S - Sweet malt, citrus and maybe a tinge of pine. Mostly citrus.

T - Pretty average. Malt and hops at battle. Pleasant but nothing out of the ordinary for DIPAs. Alcohol well hidden.

M - Medium to light body, somewhat creamy, good carb and fair balance.

D - Pretty easy to drink. Good to try.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2012 23:15:19 | More by srandycarter

flexabull

California

3.65/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a bright and clear gold color with a small white head.

Aromas are very citrus forward, orange rind, tangerines, grapefruit, and some apricots. Smells good.

Taste is bitter up front, some sharp grapefruits, and bitter orange. There is a slight creamy malt flavor, slightly caramel sweet, with hints of hard candies. Finish is earthy, resin like, with some citrus zest.

Mouthfeel is full bodied, and nicely carbonated.

Overall a pretty nice DIPA. A bit unbalanced towards the bitter side, but still good, and worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2012 03:55:09 | More by flexabull

Arbitrator

California

3.1/5  rDev -20.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Chilled bottle into a glass. No bottle date.

A: Pours a clear amber with a well-retaining off-white head and substantial lace down the sides of the glass. This is a handsome beer.

S: This has a small burst of citrus, but it is rind-like and grassy. It is not super expressive. Some malt comes through as bread and a moderate sweetness.

T: The sweetness of the nose is apparent in the initial taste, but the beer follows up with washes of substantial bitterness and grass. Citrus (lemon, a touch of grapefruit) and associated rinds are evident.

M: Well-hidden alcohol for 9%. Medium-bodied.

O: I was able to finish it, but I strongly doubt I'll buy another unless I hear of a recipe change. I think it was $7 or so for a bomber; it just doesn't measure up against other beers that are a better value and taste better. I'd be happier with any of the Lagunitas double IPAs, Pliny, Hoptimum, etc.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2012 06:35:35 | More by Arbitrator

merc7186

New York

3.83/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Thanks to Cayenne for this extra.

A: Amber/Golden Straw Hue, Passes Some Light, White Head Ring, Some Lacing

S: Malty, Piney

T: Grainy Malts, Piney, Mild Resin

M: Decent Carbonation, Medium Bodied, Mildly Bitter, Mildly Drying

Overall, a more grainy DIPA but still not bad, some mild piney without the total palate burn.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2013 05:22:46 | More by merc7186

Brenden

Ohio

4/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Note: some reviews seem to indicate that certain batches of this beer suffer from flaws in the brewing process (bacterial infection, phenols, diacetyl, etc.) For the bottle I review, no particular of these flaws is present.

The color is a clear, deep gold-orange, maybe just a bit beyond amber. It grows an off-white head that reaches between one and two fingers in height, and retention is more in the lasting of the foam that remains rather than how long the it stays that tall. Some really good patchy lacing sticks to the glass well.
The aroma is strong, and I get lots of wood, pith, flower herb, and pine. It seems to have good enough balance from malts, having such high IBU without being chokingly bitter.
On first sip, the bitterness lingers into the faintest hint of vinegar. That effect fades, though the wood, pith, herb, flower and pine never do. There is some sweetness to it as well, malts adding some caramel and toffee and something brighter and, balancing well. The woody pith comes back to finish it out.
The body is big enough to support the base without being too heavy. It reaches moderate levels of both crispness and smoothness with a likewise moderate and consistent carbonation.

I don't think it's the Pliny Killer, so to speak, but this is a good DIPA.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2012 09:24:00 | More by Brenden

AleWatcher

Illinois

2.83/5  rDev -27.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bomber into tulip pint.
This was an extra tossed in by sideswipe. Thanks a lot John. This 60 pound monster of a box is another in a series of boxes in which each has outdone the last-- you're the best.

Clear, bright, lightly orange-tinted golden color. Light off white head of 3/4 finger head... Really great retention. Average lacing.

Smells faintly sweet, but predominantly dry bready malts lead the way.
Very bitter-- I think this beer overdid the bittering hops and skimped during the other parts of the boil. There is a little citrusy note, with a floral hop note alongside.

Feel is a a touch thin, but decent carbonation.

Overall-- this is not bad, but it isn't really good either. It is average.... The best thing it has on its side is that it hides the 9% ABV pretty effectively. Otherwise, it is unimpressive, though not unpleasant either.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2012 03:12:18 | More by AleWatcher

beer2day

North Carolina

3.33/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Clear honey gold with amber tints. 1-finger medium cream head, but no retention and absolutely no lacing. Possibly the weakest lacing I have seen in an IPA or DIPA.

Nose is very strong with citrus when first uncapped. Gives way to more floral notes after the beer is poured. Hints of sour apple and a slightly detergent feel. Not bad at first, but not growing on me.

Taste is strongly floral up front with a decent hop bite in the finish. Light caramel malt and a twinge of that sour apple from the nose. Decent amount of hot spice in the finish, too.

Feel is thick with lots of syrup in the consistency.

Overall, probably worth a shot if you find it at a good price. Otherwise ...

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2012 03:00:43 | More by beer2day