McCarthy’s Bane Imperial Red IPA

Trying to avoid big IPAs, but still quench my thirst for good hops, I picked up this 22oz from my local beer purveyor for about $8.  Knee Deep is a local brewery in the Sierra Nevada foothills that’s fairly new to the brewing scene. The ABV comes in at 8%.

McCarthy’s Bane Imperial Red IPA pours a deep amber red with a nice big dollop of fluffy head. Pretty much what I expected from a DIPA, and the aroma followed along the same lines. When I closed my eyes and took in the aroma, it really smelled like two beers—a DIPA and a red ale.  Nicely done, Knee Deep.

Flavor wise, I picked up big piney hops with a bitter citrus twinge, roasted malts, caramel, and “red” ale flavor profiles.  There was a lot going on here.

One aspect of the beer that stood out was the overly sticky mouth feel.  Even after a po’ boy sandwich from an Italian deli, this DIPA was still lurking around in my mouth.  This stuff was resilient.

Would I but it again? Probably not, only because it didn’t excite me as much as other similarly priced beers do, but I would recommend it for those hop heads who are looking for something different.