Knee Deep Brewing Co. has built its brand on big, bold, incredibly hop-forward beers. The tiny brewery located in Auburn, Calif., in the Sierra Nevada foothills has quickly captured the hearts of hop-loving craft beer enthusiasts around the country.
Like many American craft breweries, Knee Deep has been expanding since it started brewing in 2010. I was introduced to its beers a few years ago in Sacramento. Now I make a point to stop by the brewery each time I’m in the area.
In May, Knee Deep expanded distribution to Hawaii, and the first beer I had from Knee Deep, Midnight Hoppyness, an Imperial Black Rye IPA, recently landed here.
I have to admit, I’ve never been a big fan of the Black IPA. It’s a style extremely popular with American breweries but one that I find is rarely done right. Black IPA involves dark roasts and bold citrus hops — and smashing them together. These aren’t flavors that are necessarily complementary.
Midnight Hoppyness is an example of a Black IPA done right because it achieves a wonderful balance between these competing flavors. As its name suggests, this is a beer that pours a deep black color with a tight head of foam that laces the glass. Though it looks like a big, thick, chewy beer, it’s really much lighter.
The brewers accomplish a perfect balance between dark roasts, a dry finish and the right blend of hop bitterness and flavor. A small amount of rye malt used in the brewing process adds a layer of spice and complexity that helps complement the dank, piney and resinous "hoppiness."
Notes of roasted coffee, burnt bread and cocoa are rounded out and complemented by the rye’s subtle spiciness. The hops are bold but not overpowering, providing a great mix of the earthy pine notes with bright grapefruit flavors. The key here is that everything is working together.
At 9.5 percent alcohol by volume, it is a strong beer, but it’s easy to drink because of the low sweetness and dry finish.
I’ve written in the past about the importance of freshness in beers that have big hop flavors and aromas. The bottles of Midnight Hoppyness currently available in Hawaii are extremely fresh — they were just bottled in mid-August.
Look for the date stamp on the front label. You’ll want to enjoy this beer as soon as possible, along with most of Knee Deep’s other hoppy beers, to get the most vibrant hop aromas and flavors.
Other Knee Deep beers available and worth trying are Simtra, Hoptologist, Hoparillo, Hop Shortage, Tanilla, Citra and McCarthy’s Bane Imperial Red. Twenty-two-ounce bottles are for sale at Whole Foods in Kailua and Kahala, the Liquor Collection, SWAM, Bonzer Front Haleiwa and Tamura’s Waialae.
Tim Golden shares his obsession with all things craft beer monthly in the Star-Advertiser food section. See his blog, “Beer in Hawaii,” at beerinhawaii.com.
