Hop Shortage - Knee Deep Brewing Company

Fatehunter

Oregon

3.81/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Poured a thin head on a clear straw colored body.
The aroma is a nice grain and honey.
The taste is great. The bitterness builds beginning to end with a touch of sweetness at the end for a nice finish.
The texture is crisp with moderate carbonation.
Pretty good.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2013 03:26:43 | More by Fatehunter

arizcards

Arizona

3.9/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Picked up a bomber from BevMo last weekend for $9.99. Bottled on 1.15.13...mmm...fresh hops!

Beer poured a clear golden orange with not much head.

Nose is wonderful, fresh citrus and pine abound.

Taste is boozy, with a large malt base finishing with a huge blast of grapefruit and piney hops.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied and fairly smooth with some mild carbonatation.

Overall this is a pretty solid beer, definitley a boozy hop bomb. Definitely fun to try, especially when the hops are fresh.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2013 01:18:46 | More by arizcards

lordofstarside

Nevada

3/5  rDev -24.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Another imperial ipa from knee deep. I wasn't impressed with Hoptologist but liked Simtra, so let's see where this one falls. Bomber to a snifter, bottled on 1/4/13

Pours a balanced coppery gold with a finer of foam. Really good color on this, right where a dipa should be. Very little carbonation, maybe a single bubble every three or four seconds. Foam has died down a bit, nice froth in the middle with a nice ring around the edges. Good lacing, with a bit longer of a retention time this would have been perfect

Aroma of hops, some spicy resin, lemon and orange zest, along with a subdued alcoholy malt. Some more floral hop and citrus come out as I agitate the glass

Taste is very boozy. Good amount of hops backed up with some sweet malt, but the alcohol is the first thing to stick out and the last thing to leave, not very concealed at all

Feel is full bodied with little carbonation. Good tongue tingle, sticky, nice finish. This isn't something I'd want to have more than a bottle of

This beer could really be a lot better. The alcohol is high and poorly masked with eclipses all the other flavors of the beer. Drop it down a couple percent and add more hoppy citrus. Frankly, this stuff isn't worth $10 a bottle, I'd advise against it if you paid what I did

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2013 03:18:16 | More by lordofstarside

Pinknuggets

Vermont

3.79/5  rDev -5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle to Rock Art Pint Glass

A:Golden honey colored with a little bit of orange. There is a white head that lingers for a pretty good amount of time. It is clean and totally translucent.

S: The malt is strong here I can smell the hops but they are definitely in the background its not bad just different for an Imperial IPA its almost nutty smell to it

T: not a malt bomb but close I know it is called hop shortage so expected more malt but it is not balanced there is some hop flavor and a little bit of resin taste but the malt is nearing over powering. There is a hop bitterness in the finish, but not overwhelming. It is not bad its just not my style

M: Smooth very oily and thin but extremely drinkable goes down like water which is impressive for the fact that there is 11.3% as the alcohol is completely unnoticed. There is some resin and stickiness to it but not enough to be it classified as a resiny ipa

O: I don't like maltly IPAs intact I usually hate them as I think hops are the only thing that should be powerful in an IPA but this one of the first malty ipas i have that I actually enjoyed and it is very impressive beer considering the amount of taste and high abv. Its worth a try for sure especially if you like malt.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2013 02:52:36 | More by Pinknuggets

rawfish

California

3.86/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Triple IPA 11.3% yikes. Pours a light-ish copper with a thin white cap of foam. Some spotty lacing hangs around the glass but not much. Small head leaves nearly no time to judge retention.

Biscuity malt held under by a generic citrus and pine aroma, quite floral, bits of tropical fruit and a musty herbal breath at the end with noticable alcohol.

Pine and grapefruit with a little bit of mango hop flair over a sweet croissant malt that pushes back well. Citrus in the finish with a mouthwatering grapefruit rind bitterness, not overly done but noticable as the alcohol boots you a bit in the finish.

An easy to drink beer, muted carbonation that keeps the hops in the forefront. Nothing unpleasant with the body but over 11% alcohol is getting quite ambitious.

More impressed with how the high alcohol is kept in check than the hops in this beer, overall it is a nice big IPA and delivers with tons of generic hops, juicy bitterness and an ass kicking amount of alcohol.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2013 03:23:05 | More by rawfish

UCLABrewN84

California

3.81/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Bottle pour for New Brew Thursday's 3rd Anniversary event held at Beachwood BBQ & Brewing in Long Beach, CA.

Pours a clear yellow-orange with a foamy khaki head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, citrus fruit, citrus zest, and tropical fruits. Taste is much the same with a citrus zest flavor on the finish. There is a medium amount of hop bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer that is tasty and easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2013 01:20:32 | More by UCLABrewN84

Brad007

Vermont

3.76/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a light copper with a frothy head into my glass. A glance at the label reveals that this is a "triple-hopped IPA". Hmmmm.

Buttery citrus biscuits. Mango and grapefruit. A good whiff of alcohol burn. Very encouraging.

Triple hop goodness! God, that was so cliche. Buttery bread, pine needle/mango bitterness and alcohol heat.

Bitterness envelopes the mouth, leaving very little room for else. Alcohol warmth is at its' peak here.

Definitely nails the bitter part. I'd prefer a bit more balance but this will do for hop fanatics.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2013 23:30:23 | More by Brad007

VTFriar

3.55/5  rDev -11%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

Hard to be objective, as I'm a big fan of 3x Simtra....This bomber cost me over $10 though.

ABV is extremely well hidden by hops. A little disappointed with the aroma - I expected more. It says it's a triple-hopped IPA. Still a little more hoppiness in the aroma would help.

Bitterness really lingers...For at least a minute. Strong, but not overwhelming.

Color is amber, clear/filtered. A medium to dark amber - more towards Medium.

Nice body. Very full and hangs in there - especially holds up well to the hoppiness and alcohol. Not watery at all. Nice.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2013 05:06:12 | More by VTFriar

Perfero

California

4.08/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

I received my first bottle of this as a gift on Christmas and quickly had to find more once I finished it off.

Very bitter and hoppy (as one might expect from a "triple") but still exceptionally well balanced. Plenty of citrus and floral notes from the hops but with a nice malt profile that cuts some of the bitter edge off the top.

Knee Deep is quickly becoming one of my favorite breweries with all of their hoppy goodness making its way down to SoCal.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2013 23:04:30 | More by Perfero

Holland

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle generously sent from Mister_Joshy, thanks!

A: pours a clear golden color with minimal head since it was cold. Looks thick at first, but lightens up as it warms.

S: huge citrus smell from these beautiful hops, but it comes with a few off smells like onion and alcohol. Still delicious.

T: citrus and light fruit like apricot come through at first with sweet malts followed by a bitterness that is almost as intense as eating the skin of a grapefruit. Crazy stuff here.

M: no doubt on the thicker side even for a double IPA, but it's well carbonated.

O: drinkable for quite a while; I could have done the whole bomber. Delicious and over the top, as I have come to expect from Knee Deep.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2012 01:23:25 | More by Holland

CA_Infidel2o9

4.1/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a bomber to a Tulip

A- amber, 1" fluffy white head

S- very intense, sweet malts, piny, fruity, oniony, dank cat piss, slight alcohol

T- follows the nose perfectly, though more subdued

M- medium to heavy body, nice carbonation, slight alcohol heat

O- pretty damn tasty. Super dank with sweet malts and some booze. The aroma is very intense, while the flavor is more subdued and dangerously drinkable. A super dank brew with a solid malt backbone is exactly what i look for in this style, and this has all of that.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2012 17:44:55 | More by CA_Infidel2o9

metter98

New York

3.93/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: The beer is clear yellowish amber in color and has no visible carbonation. It poured with a quarter finger high off white head that died down a bit but consistently coerced the entire surface.
S: There are moderate aromas of pine resin hops in the nose along with some notes of grapefruit.
T: The taste is similar to the smell but is a little more evenly balanced between the flavors of pine and grapefruit.
M: It feels medium- to full-bodied and a little thick on the palate with a little crispness and a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: The beer definitely tastes strong, but the alcohol is relatively well masked from the taste. There is also a good balance between the malts and the hops.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2012 01:45:04 | More by metter98

AgentMunky

California

3.28/5  rDev -17.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Poured from a 22 ounce bottle into a St. Bernardus goblet.

A: A finger of off-white head. Clearish, dark amber.

S: Garlicky-sweet hops. Onions and sweet, red fruit (apples?).

T: Tasty, but underwhelming. The ABV doesn't show at all. Moderately rich, with little impact on the tongue, and a very light flavour. Bittersweet hops and a drying endtaste. It's not that the taste is bad -- far from it -- but there's so little of it.

M: Smooth and flat, if thickish.

O: Unfortunately boring. I would not have another or recommend it.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2012 17:15:55 | More by AgentMunky

ESPNman

California

3.98/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served from a bottle into a tulip glass.

A - A deep, murky orange. It almost looked like a green-tinted orange on the pour, but has settled down as more of a hazy old-penny-copper kind of color. Half an inch of thick, off-white head that dies pretty quickly, leaving some lacing.

S - Definite floral hops up front, with a surprising amount of sweet caramel malts right behind them. Not nearly as boozy as I was expecting from a beer of this magnitude.

T - One again, surprisingly balanced for what I was expecting to be an out-and-out hop bomb. It's hoppy and extremely bitter, but I find it more drinkable than Green Flash's Palate Wrecker. It's not as over-the-top malted as the 120 Min. IPA, either. It features some serious fruity and citric hops up front, but they're well balanced by a slightly oversweet caramel sugar backing.

M - Thick and syrupy, but not overwhelming. I expected it to be something that would stick and leaving a cloyingly sweet finish, but it doesn't. Slightly overcarbonated. This does not have the mouthfeel of a 3x IPA, this is more of a perfect double mouthfeel. Not too heavy, not too thick.

O - I really like this beer. It has its flaws, but overall it's a very well executed 3x IPA. It avoids being too sweet, or too hop-bomby. It doesn't do anything special, though. It's technically a very good beer, and I'll gladly give it another whirl.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2012 06:36:36 | More by ESPNman

bluejacket74

Ohio

4/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 ounce bottle. It just showed up at the store I buy most of my beer at, so I assume it's fresh enough. Served in a snifter, the beer pours a clear orange/amber color with about an inch off-white head. Head retention and lacing are both good. Aroma is mostly citrusy hops (tropical fruit, grapefruit, oranges), along with some pine hops and caramel malt. The taste is bitter and hoppy, with the pine/resiny hop flavor being the strongest. The citrusy (tropical fruit, grapefruit) hops get stronger as the beer warms, and there is caramel malt noticeable too, but I really pick up the bitter pine hops in this brew. The bitter finish lingers around for a long time. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it's slick and a bit sticky with moderate carbonation. I like this brew a lot, definitely worth a try! $8.99 a bomber.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2012 22:23:34 | More by bluejacket74

Dope

Massachusetts

3.93/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A: Pours a nice clear medium amber. Good sized fluffy light beige head from an aggressive pour. Fades slowly, leaving nice thick fluffy wisps of lacing everywhere.

S: Can smell this one across the room. Very bright hoppiness. Lots of sweet citrus and tropical fruit (tangerine, mango, pineapple). Some garlic and onion too, especially when swirled. Surprisingly sweet too.

T: Wow. Hop bomb. Lots of tropical fruit and garlic/onion combining together. Somewhat sweet up front and in the middle with decent caramel malt, but it fades. Finishes very, very bitter with lots of garlic/onion, pine, resin and a hint of citrus. Piney and resinous in the lingering aftertaste with a huge mouthdrying effect from all the hops. Aftertaste is extremely long and bitter. Teeth-chatteringly bitter.

M: Heavy but the extreme hoppiness kinda makes you forget how big it is ABV-wise. Super drying.

O: Monster hop bomb. Like drinking pure hop oils. Eye-twitchingly hoppy and bitter. Very bright and sharp flavors but the malt just can't keep up (despite 11.3% ABV!), making this very unbalanced. Drinkability suffers badly as a result. It's tasty and strong with nice complexity and balance of hops but man it can be tough to drink. Once it warms up you really have to choke it down.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2012 03:41:47 | More by Dope

kawilliams81

Illinois

3.78/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22 oz bottle into a Half Acre tulip.

A- pours a nice caramel with a 2 finger off-white head. Big clumps and trails of lacing remain on the glass.

S- caramel, oranges, lemons, pine, grass

T- sweet caramel, biscuit, slight citrus, bitter bitter pine and resiny hops.

M- medium body and carbonation. Slick and syrupy with slight abv bite near the end.

O- nice dipa. More bitter pine and resin, dank hops than citrus.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2012 02:52:53 | More by kawilliams81

OBeerMeGreatOne

California

4.06/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Pours out gold with a sweet massing of carbonation that forms a nice inch of head. Moderate lacing. Pretty nice considering the high ABV.

The smell is a little muddled. Caramel, pine, citrus, floral hops and a hint of minerals.

The taste is huge! Pine and fresh mown grass start this brew off. Caramel barly smooths it out before some citrus and booze crank it back up. A little too syrupy in the mouth.

Not bad, but not even close to their Simtra Triple IPA.

New notes 4/14/13. I'm trying a three month old bottle that has mellowed quite a bit. Much more balance this time around. Still enjoy Simtra a bit more, but this has grown on me a bit. Give it a few months from the bottle date if you weren't a fan at first.
I upped the smell, taste and mouth by .25 each from my original review.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2012 04:13:50 | More by OBeerMeGreatOne

azdback

Arizona

4.33/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a Stone Imperial glass. A copper or dark orange color. Crystal clear with medium sized carbonation bubbles leading to a small one finger head that is dirty white in color and creamy in appearance. Lace is minimal.

Smell is sweet. Caramel, taffy, some mild dark citrus. Mild pink grapefruit, blood orange, lots of grain or malt. Some alcohol but mild.

Taste is great!! Sweet malts that are caramel sweet mixed with the citrus hops. Do they caramel cover grapefruit like they do apples. This tastes like that would, with quite a bit of alcohol added.

Mouth is medium with some bright carbonation. Body is medium to heavy. Finish is long and wet with some alcohol legs.

Overall I really didn't expect much from this. I was given this as a sample from the distributer and read the reviews on this and knew it wasn't going to be much but oh was I wrong. This drinks a lot like a Barleywine but one that is really hopped. Remember 13th Anniversary from Stone? This tastes like that did fresh. Great nose, great taste and great mouth, what else could I ask for. A huge surprise and a must try for any DIPA or Barleywine fan. Thanks Gwen for the sample.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2012 05:01:58 | More by azdback

wethorseblanket

California

3.6/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a slightly hazy golden amber with a half-inch off white head which fades to the rim leaving spotty and streaky lace.

N: Plenty of grapefruit and citrus along with pine plus sweetish malt, some orange and juicy tangerine also.

T: Big malt profile present up front followed by oily, sticky and resiny pine sap.. ABV is notable. Pretty amped up all around.

M: Semi-full body and moderate carbonation. Bitting, bitter finish.

O: No hop shortage here, that's for sure. Big ABV and big malt make this a kicker.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2012 04:53:39 | More by wethorseblanket

DovaliHops

California

4/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a light amber color, almost clear...medium white head that disappears quickly. Scent is very hoppy with a good amount of malt...not too much though. Some tropical hops with a good amount of citrus as well. Slight cat piss aroma. Seems weird after I just said it had a cat piss aroma, but this is an inviting DIPA/TIPA. Taste is initially sweet with great hop flavors. This beer is very hoppy without being overly bitter. This could be because of the nice malt profile...however, not overly malty. Very well balanced. I'm guessing that this bottle is a fresh batch after reading some of the negative reviews. Booze is there, but nowhere around 12%. Mouthfeel is full bodied, crisp with a bit of a syrupy finish. Drinkability is fairly high. Overall, I've had my fair share of "triple IPAs". I was at last years Bistro fest during San Francisco beer week. I honestly feel like this beer could compete up there with the greats I tasted there : Pliny the Younger, Drake's Black Label, Triple Rock Rodgers Last Stand, etc..

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2012 08:48:24 | More by DovaliHops

Arbitrator

California

2.8/5  rDev -29.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Chilled bottle into a glass.

A: Pours a murky copper-amber body with a pinky finger of off-white head. It leaves lace as it collapses into a thin film on the beer, but during sips, there is only a little bit of soapy, curtainy foam on the glass. I see other reviews mention its clarity, so I'm really surprised to find the opposite experience. Chill haze?

S: Traditional citrus hop aromas (grapefruit, orange), pine, and a noticeable sugariness that gives a candied impression to the whole affair.

T: Citrus-dominated, especially when cold: grapefruit, orange, and tangerine are most evident. Pine comes later. The hop flavors are buoyed on a strong backbone of caramel malt; its sweetness pulls into the finish with a mild burn, giving a candied citrus aftertaste. As it warms, however, it becomes one-dimensionally bitter.

M: Medium-plus bodied. A warming effect gives nod to the high ABV of the beer, and a slight sugary burn in the finish reveals its heft. Tolerable when cold, but when warm, it becomes unbearably bitter.

O: I generally don't buy Knee Deep -- no bottle dates means that you never know if you're getting the six-month old batch or the fresh one. This is relatively fresh, having been released just once, and I don't find it that remarkable. It is outdone by Stone Ruination 10th, Stone Enjoy By, Knee Deep's own Simtra, Drake's Black Label Hopocalypse, and others. It's good that TIPAs are getting more commercial, but the flip side is that we're starting to see some mediocre entries. Its shortcomings are especially apparent when warm; I wound up drainpouring it.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2012 00:15:09 | More by Arbitrator

PhxHorn

Arizona

2.98/5  rDev -25.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This one pours a transparent light copper color, but does not generate much head at all. Nor does it leave lacing on the glass. Smell is a light aroma of hops, but not that intense. The flavor is on the tangy orangy side for an IPA, with some hints of grass and herbs in there. The finish is intensely bitter. Carbonation is on the light side, imo. This would be considered a decent IPA, but for an imperial it's definitely on the thin and wimpy side.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2012 21:34:06 | More by PhxHorn

popery

California

3.9/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours about a deep shade of amber, about the color of mahogany. Transparent, no haze that I can see. Head is white and relatively small. Relatively good lacing and retention. Aroma has a lot of primarily pine-ish hops with some grapefruit and raspberry jam. There's also quite a bit of malt character. Lots of honey and light caramel. The taste is rather sweet but a lot better than most >10% abv DIPAs. It isn't cloying or boozy. The hop bitterness is a bit bland, but there's still a good bit of pine resin flavor. Mouthfeel is a touch harsh but, again, not very sticky or boozy for the size. This is a good big DIPA and dangerously easy to drink. The hops are a bit simple, but the malt is very well handled. I'm just not the biggest fan of >10% abv, sweet DIPAs.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2012 06:26:42 | More by popery

srandycarter

California

4.28/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A - Brilliant quite clear copper, near white foamy head, lots of lace.

S - Perfumy, with both citrus and pine going on. Fat malt wafts around the hops.

T - I love IPAs like this. Very malty, but the hops keep up, and the booze helps to even the keel on the malt too. Yum

M - Medium to Medium/heavy, plenty of carbonation, pretty good balance considering the hugeness.

D - Quite scarily drinkable. I could make bad mistakes drinking this one :)

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2012 04:30:27 | More by srandycarter