A couple of weeks ago I had a beer on tap from a brewery that was new to me.  The brewery is Knee Deep Brewing Company and the beer is called Hoparillo.

Displayed for educational purposes. Logo is the sole property of Knee Deep Brewing Company.
Displayed for educational purposes. Logo is the sole property of Knee Deep Brewing Company.

A little web research and I discovered that Knee Deep Brewing was founded in June 2010 by Jeremy Warren, who is also the Brewmaster.  According to Knee Deep’s website, “For the first few months of operation, Jeremy was “contract brewing” his beers at Mt. Tallac Brewing in beautiful Lake Tahoe and selling kegs exclusively into the Northern Nevada (Reno) market.  In the fall of 2010, Jeremy and Jerry Moore (our CEO & Janitor) met, sampled a few of Jeremy’s creations and ultimately agreed to work together to get more than “Knee Deep” in a premium craft beer brewery.”  In 2011, Knee Deep reached an agreement to lease the former Beermann’s Brewery in Lincoln, CA.  In May 2011, Knee Deep’s first batch of beer was brewed in their Lincoln brewery.

Hoparillo is not one of Knee Deep’s year round beer products, but is a special release, single-hop, triple IPA that was brewed using Amarillo hops.  The beer is 11.1% ABV and 100+ IBUs.  Hoparillo pours a clear copper-gold color with off-white foam that leaves a nice lace.  The beer has a strong pine resin bouquet that masked any other aromas for me.  Hoparillo is full-bodied with mild carbonation.  Hop oils coated my tongue.  One swallow resulted in a tasty malt and biscuit flavor followed by strong pine resin, grapefruit, and grapefruit pith.  Hoparillo finishes dry with a peppery spice and nice lingering bitterness.  The alcohol is exceptionally well-integrated.  I found Hoparillo to be a delicious hop treat. 

Hoparillo may be difficult to find.  However, one of Knee Deep’s year round brews is called Simtra Triple IPA.  Simtra is brewed with Simcoe and Citra hops and weighs in at a hefty 11.25% ABV.  This beer has already gained considerable attention as one of the top double- or triple- IPAs available.  I haven’t tried Simtra yet but its is definitely on my list of beers to try soon.

I’ll be looking for Knee Deep beers.  This is a brewery worth trying.