Knee Deep Belgo Hoptologist

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So, unfortunately, we must get straight to the point on this review. Normally we do our little banter and what have yo, but Drunk History starts shortly and there is a storm rolling in.

This choice was not made by the World Cup of US vs Belgium today, it was more of a 'huh, sounds good' choice. This 102 IBU, 9% ABV behemoth might actually be the thing to ease the pain of the soccer game.

This pours a nice amber color with a decent amount of off white head. The aroma on it is bliss. piney, citrus, spice, lemon and caramel all come rushing in, attacking your olfactory senses like an assassin in the night, leaving you wonder, what just happened, but in a good way. The flavor on this is HOPSUS BE PRAISED! The caramel flavor blends with the slight Belgian notes from the yeast up front, then a bus load of hops slams into your tongue doing 90 mph. A pungent blast of pine and bitter and citrus comes crashing into your taste buds, leaving them appeased, yet slightly assaulted. This finishes dry with some lingering hop stickiness to it. Not a big fan of Belgian IPAs, but this is one that all others should be rated against.

4.75/5 caps

-Nathan

Ah, at least the United States put up a good fight today. The game was definitely a nail-biter. Heart-wrenching, but Tim Howard is a beast.

Normally, I don't particularly care for Belgian IPAs. They can be done well, but few are. Count this among those that are good. My partner-in-zymurgy nailed the appearance and aroma. The Belgian yeast lends more of a peppery spice flavor than the banana and clove esters that I often don't prefer. There is a lot of caramel present in this, both in the aroma and the flavor. It's a complex beer, and the flavors work well together. It's a little sweeter than I care for, but it's still well done.

The one thing I'm surprised about is that Nathan didn't compare it to Flying Dog's Raging Bitch, his other favorite Belgian IPA. This is now readily available in Ohio, and coming soon to North Carolina (and possibly other markets; Knee Deep tripled their brewhouse capacity last year).

4.6/5 caps

-Jennie

Music pairing:"The Sound of Silence" by Simon and Garfunkel
Food Pairing: beef enchiladas
Cheese Pairing: Queso Quesadilla