Hoptologist DIPA
Knee Deep Brewing Company

Paradox1000 from Florida

4.31/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Excellent west coast style DIPA! I prefer a high IBU and this did not let me down at 102. I would purchase this again! 19.2 oz canned on 11/2/20 and still good on 1/30/21.

Jan 30, 2021

frankdatank1337 from California

4.29/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

Pours like any other IPA, yellow orange. Smell is crisp, hoppy, and malty. Carbonation is low. Mouth feel is thin and dry. Taste is def my preference. Lots of hops and malts with a slight boozy finish. Also, if you like dank DIPAs, this is for you. Overall good DIPA, I appreciate that it's not juicy like everything else that's coming out.

Oct 22, 2020

brentk56 from North Carolina

4/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours clear and amber colored with a solid head; a few shards linger

Smell: Piney and somewhat dank, with hints of cracker and caramel underneath

Taste: The cracker malt lays down a base with a touch of caramel sweetness but it doesn't take long for the piney hops to emerge; light fruit tones arise, after the swallow to complement the piney bitterness into the finish

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with moderate carbonation

Overall: This one has been around for a long time and withstood the test of time; not going to knock anybody's socks off but a solid DIPA

Sep 22, 2020

Ahypercube from California

4/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Pours with a transparent glowing golden body and bone white head, leaving moderate amounts of lacing on the glass. Can art is alright, dated 08/14/20. (Make sure you buy fresh!)

Aromas of mango, banana, pineapple, pomelo, passion fruit, canary melon, concord grape, durian and damiana with a hemp dankness that lingers.

A barrage of grapefruit and concord grape bitterness on the tongue with a light caramel cushion that helps smooth it out. Subtle notes of pineapple, banana and white peach barely make a sound against the herbal bitterness of thyme and tarragon on the finish. Damiana and pomelo linger longest.

Not a bad texture. A little heavy, but with an excellent carbonation level, and nicely spicy licorice bite.

A well-done west coast style IIPA. Enough smack for any hophead. Cheers!

Sep 14, 2020

arizcards from North Carolina

4.18/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Picked up a stovepipe can from the Craft Beer Hop Stop cooler on 12-30-19 for $5.99. Canned on 11-26-19; consumed 3-27-20. Cold stored since purchase.

Beer poured copper orange with a very nice white head that has some great hang time and is leaving lacing behind.

Nose is dank, a nice floral, citrus, and pine combination.

Taste follows the nose with the large but lighter malt base combing very nicely with a blast of grapefruit and pine. Finishes with a nice bitterness to let you know it is a DIPA; 9/10 on my scale.

Mouthfeel is light to medium bodied and both smooth yet refreshing.

Overall not sure why i never had this over the years as this is a very nice representation of the WCDIPA style!

Mar 27, 2020

bret27 from California

4.27/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Roughly 2 month old can to glass.
Dark amber. Very thick fluffy head with lacing.
Smells of typical citrus and pine resins. A little malty.
Strong bitterness with citrus and piney flavors. Balanced with a little sweetness. Bitter and dry.
Medium bodied and balanced.
Overall strong on the bitter flavor profile but not boozy. Freshness holds up very well canned in fridge.
The can is a tall boy and abv=9%, so it feels like more bang for your buck.
A solid west coast DIPA.

Dec 20, 2019

Wasatch from Colorado

4.13/5  rDev +4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 oz. Bomber

Poured into a Tree House glass a pretty nice clean/clear dark golden orange color, pretty nice carbonation, with a pretty nice thick/creamy one-finger plus off-white head, which also leaves some pretty nice sticky lacing behind. The nose is hoppy, malty, with a nice citrus complex (orange, tangerine, grapefruit), piney. The taste is hoppy, malty, with a nice citrus complex (orange, tangerine, grapefruit), piney. Medium body, ABV is hidden pretty nicely, with a nice little dry/bitter finish. Overall, a pretty tasty brew. Nice to see them around here.

Sep 29, 2019

Darkmagus82 from Texas

3.84/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Poured from bomber into a pint glass
Appearance – The beer pours a golden amber color with a big billowy head of pure white foam. The head fades slowly over time to leave a light level of foamy lace on the sides of the glass.
Smell – The aroma of the brew is strongest of a citrus smell with notes of orange and grapefruit both being the predominate. Along with the citrus is a bit of tropical fruit of papaya, mango, and pineapple and a little bit of grass and a cracker smell as well.
Taste – The taste begins with a drier tropical fruit taste that contains some of the orange and cracker that was detected in the nose. The grapefruit citrus hop is the strongest upfront, but surprisingly, it gives way a bit toward the end of the taste, and hop flavors of grass, pine, and herb seem to come on more strongly. At the very end the tropical fruit surges a little bit, and with the switch in the hop, one is left with a somewhat sweet, but dank and sorta dry taste to linger on the tongue.
Mouthfeel – The body of the brew is a bit more crisp and thin in terms of thickness and creaminess with a carbonation level that is on the slightly lower side. For the more piney, grassy, and herbal hop, as well as the somewhat drier body (even with the bit of tropical fruit that comes at the end) the feel is rather nice and makes this one an easy drinker.
Overall – A fairly decent DIPA overall. A nice blend between tropical and citrus, but still sorta dry and dank.

Feb 17, 2019

ovaltine from Indiana

4.19/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

This has some whiskers on it (bottled 12/12/17), but it still works, IMHO. The hazy copper body and light tan head scream “DIPA” and the piney hop aromas with a significant caramalt presence does, too.

The malt is a bit more forward on the taste, but the resiny, piney hop flavors more than hold their own. I only wish I’d tried this fresher, because it’s very good right now with 6 months under its belt.

Jun 28, 2018

mvanaskie13 from Pennsylvania

3.51/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Poured into grip shaped goblet: color is gold, head is light tan with fine and small bubbles, head presents at least 1 inch deep and lingers well without rousing, good lacing on the glass sides.

Smell is light citrus, some herbal notes, some pine, light toasty malt.

Taste is a bit muddled (this is a 2017 bottle) with herbal, piney, and light citrus like hops, malt is lightly toasty with some biscuit like notes.

Mouthfeel starts a bit sharp, with a metallic like zing which softens with warmth but keeps a good bit of bitterness.

Overall an acceptable IPA, a bit muddled in hop and malt flavors with a slightly sharp mouthfeel at first that softens with warmth.

Jun 07, 2018

BayAreaJoe from California

4/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottled 12/15/17, consumed 1/14/18.

Poured clear honey with little head.

Aroma is more pine hops and malts with a little citrus in there.

Taste is dank hops, malts, pine, and again a little citrus.

Medium-light body, bitterness is there but really hides the ABV and IBU levels. Pretty easy drinking for as strong as it is, sort of surprising.

Overall a really nice DIPA from Knee Deep that I'm sure I'll run into again.

Jan 14, 2018

Smakawhat from Maryland

4.03/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from the bottle into a Spiegelau IPA glass.

Beaming clear and golden bronze body color. Shinny orange with nice reams of clear carbonation rising from the bottom. Head manages a classic solid three fingers, off white in color. Great staying power and retention, swiss cheese small bubbles, and a minor mountainous creamy top. Great classic looking DIPA.

Hop aroma manages to be a simple balance of malts and hops, with some distinct character but the malt sweetness eventually dominating slightly. Creamy sensing caramel, with a nice complimented mix of subtle hop aromas. Faint citrus, a bit of floral and possibly tropical sensations. Very mellow but nice.

Palate sticks to simplicity. Soft sugary caramel front, almost taffy like flavors on first sip. Then the hop bitterness quickly kicks in. Lots of grapefruit like rind and zest bitterness on the tongue. Finishes a little syrupy thick but not terribly sweet luckily. Good lingering pine like bitterness on the aftertaste, nearly gets minty fresh.

A slightly different take on you average dipa. Does manage some ordinary character with a few interesting flavors to make it a little more enjoyable, but not hitting it out of the ballpark.

Jul 16, 2017

avalon07 from South Carolina

3.78/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

L: Poured from a bottle to a tulip glass. Had a copper color and a clear texture. There was an inch of foamy, very long-lasting head. Pretty good lacing.

S: A decent aroma of hops, malt, pine, and a bit of citrus.

T: Tasted of a bit of pine (not as much as expected), a whole lot of hops (almost too much), a hint of malt, some citrus (orange), and a little bit of grapefruit. While this is a solid flavor, the hops content is almost too much; it's quite bitter in the finish. Nonetheless, it's not bad.

F: A good amount of carbonation with a bitter, dry finish. Medium-bodied.

O: This is a somewhat uneven beer, but it's one worth trying. Drinkable.

Jul 16, 2017

cmurphy7 from Massachusetts

3.73/5  rDev -6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

My first knee deep brew. The taste is solid for a DIPA. A little lighter in look and feel and delivers a piney taste on the finish with a lingering aftertaste.

Jul 16, 2017

tone77 from Pennsylvania

3.58/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a brown 12 oz. bottle. Has a dark golden color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of pine, resin, some caramel. Taste is dank, resin, pine, light malts and alcohol are present, moderate bitterness. Feels full bodied in the mouth and overall is a pretty good beer.

Jun 28, 2017

Lone_Freighter from Vermont

4.19/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

This was poured into a tulip. The appearance was a bronzed to burnt amber color with a nice transparency about it. Carbonation could be seen rising at a nice pace. Quickly dissipating finger’s worth of white foamy head, messy lacing. The aroma feels out some sweet citrus to bitter piney punchy bitter hoppiness. Sweet sticky malts lie underneath. Pleasant hop oils. The flavor keeps everything from the aroma going like a race train running smooth and bittersweet on my tastebuds. Dry combined bittersweet aftertaste running into the finish, which is quite quick, (it’s a blink and you’ll miss that finish). On the palate, this one sat about a light to medium on the body with a hidden sly sessionability about it. Carbonation feels good and displaces just the right amount of punchy bittersweet. Pure and dry. Overall, now this was the DIPA I was waiting for, damn right!

Jun 24, 2017

R_i_P from California

4.1/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I picked up 3 bombers of this DIPA from Hi Times in Newport Beach, CA on 06/12/2017. Bottled on 03/15/2017. 9% ABV. 102 IBUs. "Mad scientist" bottle label. Knee Deep Brewing hails from Auburn, CA.

Hoptologist DIPA pours an amber with moderate carbonation. Knee Deep Brewing's website cites the color as "reddish orange" -- I disagree. 2 fingers of off-white foam. Some lacing. The smell is orange citrus, pine and a hint of malt. The taste starts with a mild orange citrus, followed immediately by pine, all against a moderate malt backbone. This DIPA has no bitter, lingering hop aftertaste, although the finish is dry. The alcohol is there, but isn't particularly noticeable.

Hoptologist DIPA isn't nearly as good as Knee Deep's 2 triple and 1 quadruple IPAs. Compared to world-class DIPAs, Hoptologist is average at best -- it's bland and boring without much depth of hop flavors and bitterness, IMHO. I'll drink it, for sure, but I won't make it a regular part of my weekly rotation of daily DIPAs. I found Hoptologist disappointing in comparison to Knee Deep's 3IPAs and 4IPA.

Jun 17, 2017

martinpfal from Indiana

4.01/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Yum! My first dive into knee deep brewing and I'm impressed.
Pours a touch on the lighter side of amber with about an inch head. Smell is not overpowering. Taste is very good with pine and citrus like you would expect. 9% abv is strong but not a kick in the pants. Overall a good drink and not terribly overpriced. Surely a DIPA to look for.

May 01, 2017

FriedSlug from North Carolina

3.94/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Nice orange brew with a dense off white head that leaves a curtain of lacing. Nice pine, citrus and mango aromas with some sweetness. Nice bitter beer with grapefruit pith and pine flavors with some citrus sweetness. Quite a bitter and delightful beer.

Apr 23, 2017

tekstr1der from New Hampshire

3.85/5  rDev -3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Clear golden pour with a ring of clingy white that laces. Pine foremost on the nose and flavor with grapefruit rind coming in the finish to add a bitterness I'm not overly fond of. Finish is dry with lingering rind aftertaste. Starts okay, finish is too biting.

Feb 17, 2017

clayrock81 from Florida

3.85/5  rDev -3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Poured a clear golden orange body with good head and a lace ring. The aroma is mostly a dry, piney, earthy almost dirty hoppy aroma with little else. Sticky and piney hops with a touch of malt comprise the beer's flavor profile and it finishes dry and bitter. A strong DIPA but a little too biting in the hop department for me.

Jan 31, 2017

Skrumpy from Oregon

4.02/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Slightly hazy, golden amber in color. Thin, bubbly head with minimal lacing. Aroma is light tropical fruit and orange peel. Flavor is resinous and hop forward. Grapefruit and pine. Some bread malt to smooth things out. Not much alcohol heat for a DIPA. Very smooth, but still some hops bite. A very good beer overall.

Jan 16, 2017

jzeilinger from Pennsylvania

4.23/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Many thanks to SawDog505 for this bottle!

A - Medium dark copper colored pour with alot of frothy white head and lacing clinging to the glass. Carbonation is very active with alot of tight effervescent bubbles shooting up from the bottom.

S - Sticky resiny citrus aroma with some weedy, herbal character.

T - Spicy citrus and sticky pine resin from start to finish, some caramel malt, and a definite alcohol presence.

M - Full bodied, thick, and velvety carbonation on the tongue.

O - Knee Deep does bottle date, it's on the label, and not very easy to find alot of times. This beer is very underrated, IMO. Seek out if you can find it fresh.

Dec 19, 2016

SawDog505 from New Hampshire

4.44/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a 16 oz Snulip bottled on 11/09/16. Pours a very attractive bright orange with a massive 3 finger sticky white head that leaves behind webs of lace.

Smell is apricot, guava, pine, cannabis, and grapefruit rind.

Taste follows some tropical fruit upfront gives way to pine, dank marijuana, and grapefruit classic west coast finish.

Mouthfeel is almost large, sticky almost, plenty of life, a little dry, and drinks easy in my opinion for 9% ABV.

Overall this is a very nice hop bomb, that actually has some tropical and bitter flavors to keep it from being totally one dimensional.

Dec 14, 2016

alpinebryant from Connecticut

3.56/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a cloudy hazy straw yellow color with a large white foamy head that left heavy lacing. Date of bottle 4/27/16

S: Aromas of bittering hops , pale malt and some citrus

T: Bitter kick off the first sip that later becomes some sweet malt flavors mixing with candied sugars and grapefruit along with citrus rinds. The flavors are not extremely rounded. The beer itself isnt all that bad but nothing to write home about.

M: Medium body with good levels of carbonation, not stinging or flat either

O: Overall this beer fell a little flat with me. Its a good Double IPA, but not one I would be purchasing in bombers all the time or seeking out multiple times if there were a locally made fresh ipa around. Some of the flavoring hops have probably fallen out by the time it has reached me. I may seek it out fresher, but probably not more than a month or two old on a shelf.

Oct 13, 2016