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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This is just one of those beers where I give the beer a sniff, jerk back and look at the liquid glowing in my glass. Then I give it a taste and I just have to say wow. This bottle was obviously extremely fresh. The hops have all the subtleties of aroma and flavor that the beer loses quickly as it gets older. It wasn't just about the bitterness, but everything about the hops. It smells like my kitchen on brew day after I weigh out the hops. The taste is very juicy. Under the initial hop juice onslaught there's a nice bit of biscuits and a little butter, just enough to balance the hops. The hops come back out in the end, but instead of the grapefruit peel and spruce of the beginning, it's down to the bare bitterness, which lingers for a while in the mouth. The body is a nice amber and leather glow. It's cloudy from the yeast I couldn't keep in the bottle (I like yeast in my beer anyway, plus the barely settled yeast is another sign of freshness.) The head is a nice off-white foam that hangs around nicely despite a sluggish start. The mouthfeel is the only thing that doesn't impress me. But maybe I'm just too distracted by the rest of it. Excellent, Excellent IPA.

12oz bottle in a shaker. Pours copper with a thick, lacy, cream-colored head. Aroma of citrusy and slightly piney hops with a lot of grapefruit, plus enough malts to balance it out. Flavor about the same, but could use more caramel and such from the malts. Average texture. A pretty good IPA.

Poured from 12oz bottle. Pours golden color with lots of creamy white head. Aroma is citrus and just a bit of pine. There is a slight bitterness in the finish but not too much. A decent IPA.

Pours an amber color with a good size off white head. The head is dense and leaves some spotty lacing about the glass. Carbonation was light. Aroma has some hops and some cararmel malts and some low levels of diacetyl. Taste is similar to the nose lightly hopped and with a bigger caramel malt backbone and low levels of diacetyl. Drinks with a medium weight on the palette smooth with a soft finish. Clean and no aftertaste. Something is going on here because according to the website and the reviews here, this is a west coast style IPA. But to me this is more of an English IPA. Lightly hopped sweet caramel malts and diacetyl contributing a butterscotch taste all scream English. In any event it’s good no matter what.

Extra from polomagnifico. Thanks! Big nose of honey and molasses with earthy qualities. Pours a cloudy dark amber with fading head and no lacing. Mine had chunks that settled out fine in the glass. Nose just gives and gives. Big malt core and nice resiny sweet finish. Medium heavy body. Delish, especially at this ABV. Could full me if you told me it was a double IPA.

Tap at Grünerløkka Brygghus. Dark, slightly hazy orange with a creamy white head, decent lacing. A solid citric and pineneedle aroma, some mild caramel and brown sugar, along with peach and other tropical fruits. Predominantly fruity, quite sweet smelling. Starts off with a solid bitterness, but the midsection is suprisingly sweet. The bitterness comes back in the finish, along with a fruity, resiny and slightly burnt note. Lively carbonated and medium bodied. This is a good IPA, but it doesn’t really stand out to me.

On tap at Csak A Jó Sör, Budapest. Light amber,minimal white head, a bit hazy. Aroma of flowers, herbs, hops and a bit of pine. Taste is bitter, a bit yeasty, tingles on tounge. :)

A woody crisp nose. A nice effervescent palate. Somehow easy drinking, It is noticeably thick, a bit of citrus. Very hoppy and dry to balance out the very sticky maltiness. Would drink again.

On draft at csak a Jo. Sir, Budapest. Decent white head. Hazy golden blond pour. Lovely grapefruit bitterness. Yummy

Draft. Golden pour with little foam. Hoppy and citrus taste. Super easy drinking. Love it. Grassy and floral ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

Draught. Cloudy bright orange with little head. aroma of oranges, grapefruit, and tropical fruits. Flavor similarly citrus heavy, juicy with a little pithy bitterness. Medium bodied and firmly bitter. Very tasty.