🍺 Wisconsin Beer Geek

Knee Deep | Hoparillo

📅 2014-11-03  

Tasted and published in 2014. Recipes and availability change.
Knee Deep Brewing Company | Hoparillo Triple IPA. Ale brewed with Amarillo, Citra, and Mosaic hops. (11.1%) 122 IBU. Placer County, CA. 

Knee Deep makes some great year-round IPAs and probably one of the only breweries that really focuses on year-round triple IPAs. I am a fan of huge triple IPAs, but I have yet to try their quadruple IPA. 

Pour: A nice bright orange color, a slight haziness, but mostly clear. The head is around a finger's worth, but dissipating to a nice rounded white lacing. Alcohol legs are strong with this beer and already I am getting a nose off this, so let's dive in. 


Aroma: A nice amount of grapefruit, citrus, and dankness. Citra hop is dominant in the front, then leading into caramel, cracker malt, and a pop of pine and mango. At 11.1% the alcohol is present in this beer as it should be. It smells great though. 

Taste: Huge amount of bitterness and alcohol. This reminds me of a "weaker" 120 min IPA from Dogfish. Not as many alcohol fumes as the 120 min, but still present. Lots of caramel notes, pine, citrus, grapefruit peel, bread crust from the malt, and a medium full body that coats the mouth with a nice warming hop bitterness. It would be great on a cold winter day. Very smooth, not overly bitter, but a smack in the face with a bready, boozy note. Nicely done. 

Verdict: 90/100. One of my favorite Triple IPAs to date. It's very well balanced at a high alcohol and Founders Devil Dancer was too hoppy, I think, and too boozy, and also had a lower ABV and IBU level, but I'm not grading by that. This beer is just more balanced than the other triple IPAs I've had. Cheers!

Key takeaways

Frequently asked questions

What is Hoparillo?
A triple IPA from Knee Deep Brewing Company in Placer County, California: 11.1% ABV, 122 IBU, brewed with Amarillo, Citra, and Mosaic hops.
How did Hoparillo pour?
A nice bright orange, mostly clear with slight haze, around a finger's worth of head fading to rounded white lacing, with strong alcohol legs.
What did it smell and taste like?
Grapefruit, citrus, and dankness up front, then caramel, cracker malt, and pops of pine and mango. The taste brings huge bitterness and alcohol, caramel, pine, grapefruit peel, and bread crust, with a medium-full body and a bready, boozy finish.
How did it compare to other triple IPAs?
The reviewer called it one of his favorite triple IPAs to date — more balanced than the others he'd had, and more balanced than Founders Devil Dancer, which he found too hoppy and too boozy with a lower ABV and IBU level.
What was the verdict on Hoparillo?
90/100. Very smooth and well balanced for a high-alcohol triple IPA.
What does Knee Deep Brewing focus on?
Great year-round IPAs, and the reviewer considered it one of the few breweries that really focuses on year-round triple IPAs.
Which beer did Hoparillo remind the reviewer of?
It reminded him of a weaker 120 Minute IPA from Dogfish, though with fewer alcohol fumes.
What did the reviewer think of Founders Devil Dancer?
It was too hoppy and too boozy for him, with a lower ABV and IBU level.

Editorial note: grammar and clarity of the original 2014 quick-take were lightly corrected in 2026. Facts, opinions, and ratings are the author's own.