Hoptologist DIPA - Knee Deep Brewing Company

jlenik

New Jersey

3.83/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

22oz poured into Duvel Tulip

a: golden amber in color, looks well carbonated but very little head. a second pour reveals a half fingers worth of head.

s: Off the bat I'm getting some pineapple then a big blast of hops.

t: I'm having an issue figuring out what this tastes like. It's certainly bitter but not in a super hoppy sense (like Abrasive). There's some sort of metallic presence in this beer that changes between its taste and smell.

m: crisp, well carbonated, and dry. Slightly creamy finish. I don't get a hint of alcohol.

o: this was an interesting DIPA. not exactly what I expecting but definitely enjoyable. high IBUs does not mean awesomely hoppy.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2012 23:25:28 | More by jlenik

ocelot2500

Arizona

3.03/5  rDev -22.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours clear garnet color with a tight, white head that leaves little bits of lacing.

Smells of caramel malts with some light hop notes.

Tastes of the caramel malt base with some decent hop notes. Malts lead off with caramel and toffee. This leads to a moderately bitter hop character that has pine and citrus. The hops feel quite underdone in terms of aroma and actual flavor contributions. Alcohol is noticeable with some astringency.

Mouthfeel is medium-light with a small, underwhelming amount of carbonation.

Overall, this is mediocre and could use more aromatic hops.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2012 00:33:09 | More by ocelot2500

SgtPayback

4.93/5  rDev +26.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Say hello to the new Pliny killer. If you like hops, this beer is for you! It has that wonderful aroma of citrus and hops and a kick in the pants 9.0 ABV to boot! This is most certainly a beer that will give the elusive Pliny a run for its money. I love Pliny, but Hoptologist is a whole lot easier to find on the shelves.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2012 20:26:09 | More by SgtPayback

ThickNStout

Georgia

3.88/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bottle from Total Wine (St Pete, FL). 5.99. No bottling date. Served in a snifter. 

Pours clear golden amber with 1.5 fingers off white head. 

Smells of citusy hops and sweet malts. 

Taste hits with a pleasant combonation of bitter piney citrus hops and nice thick sweet malt. It's like a hop biscuit. And I like it. 

Medium heavy feel, rather low carbonation. 

Overall not the best DIPA out there by far but I found it quite enjoyable. I'll most likely get this one again. 

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2012 03:30:42 | More by ThickNStout

BeerLover99

New Jersey

3.68/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: shiny tan/orange, trace floating white head,
good lacing

S: grapefruit, caramel, pine

T: grapefruit, big pine, long big bitter oily finish

M: med body, big oily/sticky mouth

O: Surprised me. Looking forward to
trying more of their beers. Good stuff,
recommend to others.

VERY NICE, GO FOR IT!

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2012 17:00:30 | More by BeerLover99

Mamabrew

5/5  rDev +28.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I went into the store to grab a couple bottles of Racer 5 IPA when I saw this beer. Admittedly captivated by the Hoppy Character on the label and tne 9% alcohol, I also purchased w bottles of this IPA. The moment I opened the bottle, I was hooked!

The aroma was instantly that of, "Christmas!" It was the perfect amt/type of hops...I'm a fan for life!

We had a bottle of the Racer 5 afterwards--which was still tasty, but, I think I've found a new love...

Cheers!!

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2012 00:04:11 | More by Mamabrew

DocJitsu

California

3.03/5  rDev -22.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I had this beer at the SLO Xtreme beerfest. It pours a copper golden color with a white head. The head dissipates soon after the beer is poured. The bouquet is identical to sticking your nose into a bag of magnum hop flowers. Strong, resiny hop flavor from the start and throughout. Finishes with resiny bitterness and alcohol warmth. Not carbonated well enough, but since it was poured from an open bottle, it could've been a little flat.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2012 17:25:40 | More by DocJitsu

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

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

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

Finatic

Florida

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

22 oz bomber poured into a chilled Green Man pint glass.

A: Pours a dark orange hue with a one finger frothy white head. Excellent lacing that recedes ever so slowly.

S:Smells of strong citrus with grapefruit being very prominent.

T: Very bitter and it lingers as well.The malty caramel background helps take some of the sting away from the bitterness.

M: Very dry aftertaste, medium bodied. Has a very bitter aftertaste that lingers.

O: I wish this beer tasted as good as it smelled. Not bad but not a beer I would search out.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2012 17:30:49 | More by Finatic

pmarlowe

California

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

Tulip glass

A: Brownish copper, half finger of bright white head. Pretty good retention, some sheets of lacing which recede immediately.

S: Lots of citrus (orange), sweet, delicious caramel, and a good dose of spice. Smells great.

T: Similar, plus honey, but with moderate-high bitterness which is well above ideal for me.

M: Full bodied and lightish, smooth carbonation.

O: Quite good, drinkability limited only by the bitterness. Without a bottling date it's hard to know how fresh this is, so that could be a factor. If they toned that down, this would be superb.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2012 04:13:09 | More by pmarlowe

BerkeleyBeerMan

California

3.78/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I had this the day after it won the Hayward DIPA fest. I am excited to try it.

Appearance: 12 SRM copper color with a faint haze and traces of bubbles. Thin one finger off white head with nice retention.

Smell: Sweet caramel. Resinous and grassy hops. Lemon zest. Peach. Faint grainy malts. Distant medicinal smells.
Notable alcohol

Taste: Immediately bitter. 102 IBU's. Bitterness is full and lasting. It doesn't cloy. The hops are backed by clean candied caramel and fruit punch.

Mouthfeel: Firm balance. Medium bodied crisp and dry.

Overall: Sits somewhere between an east coast and west coast DIPA. It was worth trying. I am interested in sampling this breweries other this beer. They have a cool looking Rye beer I may try soon.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2012 03:29:27 | More by BerkeleyBeerMan

kennylopez

New Jersey

3.93/5  rDev +1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22oz bottle into a pint.

Appearance: a rather clear golden color with a fingers worth of white head that settles into a nice film leaving beautiful lacing.

Smells: not such a big aroma but there is a slight citrus hop note that comes through.

Tastes: a wonderfully balanced DIPA with a great toasted bread like malt that blends with a wonderful hop character.

Mouthfeel: at 9% this is a super smooth and enjoyable brew with a light carbonation that leaves a sweet bitter taste.

Overall: I picked up a bottle of this for $5 and I am super excited that I did and I plan on getting some more and hop that it always stays available.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2012 19:16:43 | More by kennylopez

brotherloco

California

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

22oz bomber. No date. Served in a tulip.

Pours a clear orange-gold with a little over a finger of beige foam. A blend of dense and big loose bubbles slowly settle to frothy ring. Nice chunky lacing sticks to glass.

Smell is a blend of citrusy orange and sweet caramel. Both malt and hops seem pretty balanced. Getting some dry bready notes in the malt as well. Hops exhibit a smidge of floral notes and cat pee. A little burn of alcohol.

Taste starts with an assertive and bitter hoppy quality. Sweetness comes on just as fast and maintains the same level through the whole flavor. Things degrade a bit through the middle and finish. Harsh alcohol notes come in along with the already sharp bitterness and kind of ruin the finish. Overall not terrible, but I wish things would evolve a little more and the finish was better.

Just about medium in body with moderate, slightly sharp carbonation. Fairly drinkable besides the harsh finish.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2012 05:35:55 | More by brotherloco

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

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

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

jorgeg528

California

3.18/5  rDev -18.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

a- clear auburn with minimal head. little to no lacing to speak of.

s- bright citrus notes. Extremely floral. Something atypical of this style that I quite can't put my nose on.

t- a bit too sweet from my taste. With a name like this I would expect my palate to be completely overwhelmed by the hops, but the other notes overwhelm and poorly complement them.

m- light-medium body. For a 9% beer this one hides it very well. Good amount of carbonation

o- Knee Deep has some work to do if they want to keep up with other California DIPA's. Mouthfeel is this beer's strong suit but that isn't nearly enough to make it a good DIPA.

Serving type: bottle

02-29-2012 02:46:36 | More by jorgeg528

Bobheed

Texas

3.23/5  rDev -17%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: Dark copper sort of color with a one finger soapy white head

S: Smelled really sweet, lots of citrus hop notes with caramel in it also. A really weird combination of smells

T: Fairly good grapefruit type hops right away, then it got really sweet. Had sort of a gumball type of flavor

M: Medium body, medium carbonation, very smooth

Overall this one was pretty good. I'd recommend if you wanted a Cali IPA that is pretty different than the typical west coast pine bomb.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2012 04:21:44 | More by Bobheed

WrathsU

Florida

3.13/5  rDev -19.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - Golden body with moderately thin white head and moderate lacing. Brilliantly clear body.

S - Cloyingly sweet smell right away. Lots of caramel and toffee which is undesirable in my tastes for a DIPA. Not a lot of hop character coming out in the smell although I do get some floral and slight citrus. Not nearly enough to make me thing this is a hop bomb or deserves the name hoptologist.

T - The taste is much different than the smell. A large amount of complex flavor up front with a nice harsh bitterness to help cut through it. Definitely get some caramel and toffee flavors intertwined with some tropical and citrus hop flavors. The tropical notes are amazing, think melon. There is a weird almost coffee type flavor in the back there somewhere as well. Definitely too sweet for my tastes but an incredibly different and interesting DIPA.

M - Medium to light heavy in body, nice carbonation level and no alcohol burn which is nice for a 9% beer.

O - Although I don't think it's true to the DIPA style it's a great beer to try sometime. It's got a ton of stuff going on in it and is quite exciting.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2012 01:33:17 | More by WrathsU

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

Rizalini

Nevada

3.75/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bomber into my Deschutes tulip...

A - Pours a crystal clear golden orange color with a 1 finger off white head that fades rather quickly.

S - Has a nice hoppy aroma. More like a fruity hop aroma of apricot rather than piney.

T/M - The taste does actually follow the smell rather well. Hoppy with a nice bitter finish. Slight alcohol taste, but not much for 9%. Light-medium mouthfeel. Good carbonation.

O - I have had a few other offerings from Knee Deep, and this one is definately the best to date. Great price, good taste great buy. If I know this one hasn't sat on the shelf for too long, I would buy it again.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2012 07:01:57 | More by Rizalini

Swentzel

California

3.58/5  rDev -8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22oz bottle into over-sized snifter..

Pours an autumn orange with lively head. Smells of bitter hops and light alcohol.

Taste of citrus and pineapple.. I don't taste the alcohol I was smelling... Very bittering on the aftertaste. Sweeter fruits come through as it warms.. Mouth-feel is medium and pretty smooth..

Overall a good brew for ipa fans..

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2012 04:31:34 | More by Swentzel