Knee Deep Simtra

IPAs are trendy. I get it. Breweries are doing what they can to make bigger and hoppier beers. It must be paying off because so many of them have the "standard" IPA, the double IPA, and maybe even the triple IPA.  Pliny the Younger, from Russian River, is a triple IPA and is, according to many, the world's best beer. I've never tried it. As long as trying it means waiting in line for many hours at one of the very few bars that gets a keg of it, I'm not sure I ever will. Fortunately, there are others that you can get a little easier, like this one from Knee Deep. I bought it at the local beer store for $10.99, but I've seen it at the grocery store too for about the same price.

It has a big thick beautiful head. The nose is full of pine and grapefruit notes, which I expected, but it's also a little sweet. The taste is liquid hops. A tiny bit of sweetness at the end, but mostly just hops. This is what they mean by triple IPA, I guess. At 131 IBU, what else can you expect? I'm glad the hops are simcoe and citra, since those are ones I generally like. After you get on an IPA kick, you start being able to tell. Amarillo, for instance, is one I'm not crazy about.

After an hour, I left a note for myself: "Fucking strong." I drank 22 oz. of 11% beer by myself in that time, and while it's hoppy as hell, it also goes down pretty easily. Be careful out there.

I like a lot of IPAs, and some double IPAs. This triple business might be taking things a little too far, speaking just for myself. As far as I can remember, this is the first one I've tried, so I'll find another one for comparisons, but I like a beer to have at least some balance.