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First thing’s first, I must toss out copious thanks to Mark for the amazing trade that got me this beer and many other goodies as well – you’re a king among men, sir. Poured from a 22oz. bottle with very cool label art into a surly imperial pint glass.

A: Pours out a vibrant and mostly haze-fee dark-orange/amber color with a modest but respectable 1.5 finger frothy/bubbly tannish colored head that dissipates into a thin cap quickly but leaves lots of sheety dripping lace patterns as it goes. It’s a very good looking reddish IPA all things considered.

S: The smell is bright and decidedly hoppy, with noticeable freshness that I’m happy to see present. Lots of crisp pine, candied orange pith, and floral-potpourri hops intermingle with such a delicate interweaving that’s backed by light toffee, sugary pale, and some caramel malts. Really digging the aroma of this one, albeit it not an overly intense/pungent one.

T: The taste is very similarly well crafted like the smell, but just a bit less complex in the hop department. Mostly candied orange pith with some herbal/floral notes take center stage up front with moderate accompanying bitterness. A wash of light caramel/toffee and general grainy malt sweetness comes in mid-palate before things dry up with a piney bitter bite on the finish that’s maybe just the slightest bit “dirty”.

M: The mouthfeel is on the lighter side of medium bodied with a crisp and soda-like bubbly backing of carbonation that’s almost too biting at times. The consistency is mostly oily and dry/bitter, but not palate-destroyingly so with only the slightest bit of stickiness to it to help with the coating. The tingly carbonation kind of stips the feel of it’s coating too quickly, but doesn’t distract too much. A bit of alcohol heat is noticeable on the finish, but this doesn’t take away from it much either.

OI/D: This beer has a subtle but prominant hoppy charm to it that keeps me coming back for more while also being quite dry and refreshing without giving me cotton mouth or melting my tastebuds. This would be a fine summer IPA to reach for in the hot months of the year, I think I could drink about a hundred of these…

I’m always happy to try a new IPA, especially when it’s one I never heard of. Diamond Knot is a fine brew that any craft beer enthusiast would enjoy, hop-head or not. For sure recommended.


EDIT: Joe copied me, just so everyone knows. He's a plagiarizer.

Served In: Pint Glass

This was generously shared by d0b, thanks for the sample Davey! Diamond Knot IPA shows off a deep golden body with hints at sunset orange. The color changes with each movement. A thick cap of perfectly white lacing sits atop the body and slowly falls to a skim coat the solid sheet lacing down the glass. The lacing left behind is some of the nicest I’ve seen in awhile and the body is perfectly clear. This is a damn fine looking IPA.

The nose is full of candied citrus. Candied orange and grapefruit skins are the first things that jump to mind while a light toffee malt backbone sits in back. Some earthy, piney hoppiness comes along with each deep pull but the candied citrus dominates the nose of this brew, when I say dominates I mean that in the lightest of ways. This is a fairly well balanced IPA from the smell of things.

The flavor profile seems to follow what the nose previously laid down. A toffee malt base lays down the foundation upfront before a wave of candied citrus rolls through mid palate. Again, orange and grapefruit being most dominant with the grapefruit aspect leaving behind some bitterness on the swallow. There’s a little piney, earthy hoppiness here and there but it’s hard to put a finger on and fairly faint overall. As a matter of fact almost all aspects of this IPA are on the lighter side of the spectrum and it well balanced.

The body is my only real knock on the beer. It’s a little on the light side for my tastes, not thin especially, just slightly lighter than expected. A soft bitterness coats the back of the tongue and throat each swallow while the carbonation is soft and light. The finish is nice and dry allowing the bitterness that’s present to shine through.

Diamond Knot’s IPA makes for one hell of a sessionable brew. One that should be sold in 6ers as a matter of fact, because a bomber simply doesn’t cut it. It’s a tough glass to put down while each drink makes me immediately crave more.

This isn’t your typical left coast IPA; it’s much more balanced and doesn’t necessarily smack me over the head with bitterness. Usually not my kind of IPA but in this case I’ll make an exception, it’s sort of an IPA Light, sounds bad I know but it’s a good brew. Thanks again, Dave!

Served In: Pint Glass