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.