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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bottle from Pailhead. TY this one started out with much anticipation and promise after looking at it and smelling the aroma. with a hazy amber pour and a white head that lasted all the way to the finish,followed by an aroma of sweet citrus and mouth puckering grapefruit, it was a bit downhill after that. the palate was thinner than most and the flavor just a tad sour for an IPA. I’d still be happy to drink several of these on a hot summer day

Clearish light yellow body with a small white head. Coniferous, citrusy and sprucey nose proposes this lime peel hint that is not unpleasant. Actually a surprising apparent maltiness in mouth. More alcohol than you’d expect too just as it is fairly sweet for all those fuelic herbal hops. Ultimately too sweet, moderately carbonated, light-medium body.

Cloudy orange with very active carbonation building a large creamy white head. Aroma imeadiately puts up a plesant citrus hop aroma. Gives the impression that this beer will have some hop strength. Also noticable is a light floral aroma and malts. Great hop presence fills the mouth leaving a sharp, but not harsh. There is also a decent sweetness. Hops turn a bit harsh through the glass. Goes from a more plesant sweet floral citrus to a stronger and more sticky grapefruit based hop. This is a nice IPA from a brewery I’m discovering makes great beer.

A seriously bitter IPA with a heavy hop bias--not a beer for the faint of heart.

12 oz bottle. Dark orange gold color. Small white foamy head. Aroma is citrus and floral hops. A medium bodied IPA. Malts are fruity and sweet. Hops are grapefruity and floral. Medium to highly bitter India Pale Ale. This could b a Pacific Northwest IPA. Hops are way over the top but not as bitter as one would expect. Nice balance. Good finish. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is bitter.

UPDATED: JUL 17, 2006 Bottle purchased in December 2005 and consumed July 2006.
A little bit of age has made this stunningly admirable. Lovely, semi-hazed and dull caramel-orange in color with a resplendently clinging khaki tinted head. Aroma suggests all that’s beautiful and right in this world - sugar sprinkled ruby red grapefruit, papaya rind, crisp mango butter, pulpy oranges smeared on pine branches and a freshly cut, wet spring grass abatement. Huge flavor force. Spicy caramel, pine and bittersweet grapefruit surplus. Peach and cream cheese danishes give a fruity-bready combo that’s simply delectable. Rounded, thorough malt backbone. Wholesome clementine and apricot lightness amidst the chewy caramel ribbon, with an ever-so-slight hint of butter pecan. Perfect carbonation and a semi-oily duality meet blissfully mid-mouth for indescribable sensations. Moderate bitterness adheres and abates citrus flavored corn flakes and piney-orange Fanta-esque flavors. A+.

On tap at the brewery, July 2005.
Unfiltered, pale orange with a modest white head. Aroma rules: grapefruit, nectar, botanical gardens and lemon grass. Nice smooth hop bouquet. Sweet honey accents fuel a fresh cut grass persona to make this a staple of the style. Bitter, absent of other flavors, finish.

amber color with a white head. big hops on the aroma in the flavor of dial soap. sweet and thick hops in the body with a funky touch of vomit aftertaste. noogfest victim.

Bottle acquired in trade with Pailhead (thanks!). Poured a darker copper/orange color with a very small sized off white head. Aromas of pine, citrus and caramel (all on the softer side). Tastes of pretty much the same as the aromas. Medium bitter. Thinner body.

Fresh 12 oz bottle. Cloudy orange pour with a small head. Aroma is fresh piney hops and light, sweet caramel. Taste is nice and bitter. Crisp body and mouthfeel. Pine needles abound as I drank this with some spicy ribs, it was simply beautiful.

12 fl. oz brown bottle. Poured hazy orange, lots of particles (unfiltered). Small but rocky and creamy head. Bold citrusy (grapefriut) hop aroma. Very long finish, tons of hops, grapefuity bitterness.