Dark Horse Crooked Tree IPA

Brewed by Dark Horse Brewing Company
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Marshall, Michigan USA

Serve in Shaker, Tulip

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Draft. Nice, solid IPA that offers a little more body and not so many hops as most IPAs. I like the balance of malt and hops.

More old school, citrusy IPA than piney hop bomb. Nose is mostly grapefruit. Medium copper with very fine particulate suspension. The flavor is a very mellow bitterness with more sweet malt than the above description let’s on. No more than 55BUs I’d say. ’Crisp and dry’ - that sounds spot on. A reserved beer that’s very approachable amongst a style that’s careening out of control.

Bottle. Pours amber with thin head and tons of floating sediment (despite slow careful pour leaving a fair amount in the bottle). Aroma is grapefruit. Flavor is grapefruit and some caramel with a long bitter finish. Solid IPA but I really wish it had less sediment.

Hazy golden orange pour with white head and nice lacing. Nose shows leafy, almost herbal hops, mild resin, orange zest. Slightly yeasty and some bready malts. Nicely balanced, as is the rather light taste. Mix of bitter and sweet. Low-key, solid.

Tempting hoppy aroma and golden orange pour leads to a mild yet dry and balanced hoppy taste. Smooth drinking IPA! ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

Bottle. Mild IPA nose with some citrus notes. Pours a cloudy orange (looks similar to a hef) with a thin but creamy head. Not overly hoppy, very balanced. Nice linger to the palate. Pretty easy drinking IPA overall.

This isn’t quite as heavy as some IPAs. Still has a very nice, crisp flavor of hop bitterness and some citusy side notes.Pours a darker yellow, almost brown, with smallish head. Finish is nice and clean and not so bitter.

In short: A yeasty and nourishing well balanced IPA with leafy hops signature. Enjoyable even if a little too yeasty
How: Bottle 12oz. Consumed fresh two weeks after purchase. Bottle sent to me by oakbluff, thanks a lot Scott
The look: Cloudy golden amber body topped by a large beige head with good retention
In long: Nose of medium intensity showing typical American style citrusy hops but also a leafy character reminiscent of some uber-hoppy English pale ales. Body is nourishing but maybe a little yeasty for the style. Taste has fluffy caramel, bready malts, juicy leafy hops with a citrusy edge. Medium sweetness level, medium bitterness intensity. Not a hop-bomb, more of a nourishing well balanced IPA. Just a tad too yeasty for me which made the beer not so refreshing. I enjoyed it nonetheless. A simple beer that makes good use of the four basic beer ingredients, and I much as I love malt, yeast and hops, I think water is the coolest of them all because it is an essential ingredient of beer *AND* wet t-shirt contests *

Bottle pours a hazy orange with a tiny off white head. Scent is hops, wood and citrus. Taste is wood, citrus and bread. Nice

UPDATED: MAR 31, 2012 12 ounce bottle into pint glass, no bottle dating. Pours hazy golden orange color with a 1-2 finger off white head with good retention that reduces to a nice thin cap that lingers. Some nice spotty lacing on the glass. Aromas of caramel, grapefruit, biscuit, orange, pine, toasted grain, and herbal spiciness. Some nice and well balanced aromas with good strength. Taste of big pine, caramel, biscuit, grapefruit, orange, herbal, and toasted malt. Good amount of bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of citrus, pine, biscuit, and toasted malt on the finish for a good bit. Nice balance of malt and bitterness make this quite easy to drink. Medium carbonation and body.; with a fairly creamy mouthfeel. Alcohol is well hidden with only a very slight warming after the finish. Very smooth and easy to drink. Overall this is a damn nice IPA. Nice hoppiness and balance; and very smooth to drink.