Dark Horse Double Crooked Tree IPA

Brewed by Dark Horse Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Marshall, Michigan USA

Serve in Snifter, Tulip

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Surprise bottle from Styles: Dark murky copper with bit of particles and a medium tan head that lasts. Plenty of sediment that sinks to the bottle of the glass. The aroma starts off with some grapefruit and pine hops, then shows some sticky caramel, toffee, and tons more resiny hops. The hops are huge, but there’s a solid sticky sweetness even in the aroma. The flavor is dominated by resiny hops at first - pine, grapefruit, resin, sap, high alpha acid hops. After the initial hops bite, it becomes a bit more sweet, showing off some of the caramel & toffee malts, some earthy flavors, and a bit of sugary syrup. Finish again shows citrus/resin hops and is quite bitter. Medium-full bodied, moderate carbonation, syrupy & sticky at times in the mouth.

bottle from Pailhead. started off with some strong grapefruit, pine and alcohol aromas. look was of a slightly hazy amber with a quickly fading head. followed by flavors of caramel malt, a mildly bitter butterscotch and pine. palate is almost silky on the tongue but with a grapefruit hop & peppery finish. I swear, this had more barlywine characteristics than it did IIPA! enjoyed this one a lot, thanks Kevin.

UPDATED: DEC 26, 2006 2004 bottle from SuIIy, consumed on 7/1/2005. Hazy/unfiltered mix of orange-caramel-amber-toffee in the body. Tons of sediment left in the bottle. Small eggshell colored head is retained at cover. The nose expresses sticky caramal and toffee, highly bitter, resiny high-alpha hops, like colombus or something. It’s all here, pine, resin, sap, intense grapefruit. But other than your basic caramel-toffee malt, I can’t find much malt complexity; just too much hops. Upon first sip, I’m somewhat taken aback by the huge bitterness and it is quite sharp and in your face, but it takes a few more sips for the sappy-resinous liquid to really coat your mouth and clog up your taste receptors. Plenty of caramel malt, really sticky mouthfeel. HUGE resin-burn from the hops and alcohol. Intensely bitter and unbalanced. I do like the big, sticky mouthfeel, but it’s just another overdone, crude hops experiment. What does this prove? That they can make an unbalanced DIPA. Wow, color me unimpressed. Alcohol burn on end is very evident, with a hint of earthiness coming from somewhere. Very low carbonation, almost too low. Full body, but the malt can’t keep this much bitterness in check. Oh well, it wasnt as ridiculous as Devil Dancer, but it’s getting there.

Murken copper with hop bits suspended within. Small delicate off-white smoothly lined cap sits on top. Lacing is spread like butter with thinly placed sheeting. Aroma is raw and oily with a moderate orange marmalade glazing over caramel. Drenching pungent pine sap and lemony aerosol heat really come full circle as it sits Taste is vibrant with tropical hop oils and laced heavily with a floral sweet bitterness and solid burning EtH heat. Solid orange oils, stark lemon peels, quenching grapefruit pith, and subportionate pine oil makes the entire forefront of this whopper. Slippery caramel helps keep an adequate balance mostly through until the finish where the tropical citrus hop tones, oily flavors, smooth bitterness, and brash heat completely take over the rest of the duration. The 13.6% is evident through its heat in both smell and taste here, but it never quite makes a full-on experience or impediment as the flavors meld together quite well with moderate soothing capabilities, and, actually is undertoned for its girth. Feel is super clean and slippery up front. Surges on the back end incorporating a more fuller tone and body. Big rusty finish with heat and hop oils that totally makes this worth while. All that and more as it goes down way too fast. Super ass drinkable and smooth. A dangerously quaffable hop heated treat for sure.

Bottle from Eyedrinkale. Thank you. Poured an amber orange with a tight off white head. Strong aroma of fresh cut grass and pine and grapefruit. The nose made my mouth water. Lots of citrus and hops but not in your face and Damn! there is a definite alcohol warming with this bad boy! Whoo! I got some awesome sweet sour tartness with the after taste. This is too strong to be a session brew, but I am thankful to have rated this.

UPDATED: MAR 21, 2006 Bottle. Pours dark orange w/ creamy white head. Aroma is hoppy, sweet, piney, with some alcohol. Flavor is thick and syrupy, sweet, bitter alcohol aftertaste. Fresh 2006 Batch 3/20/06. Pours a syrupy dark orange color with a small white head. Nose is very hoppy and dry, light citrus notes. Taste is syrupy, malty, sugary with a big bitter dry finish.

UPDATED: MAY 29, 2007 Pours a clear copper orange with a thin, lightly lacing white head. Aroma has a nice caramel malty sweetness with plenty of fresh American hoppiness with some butterscotch. Starts rich and sweet with a good hoppy grapefruit and pine balance. Great malty backbone and hides the alcohol very well in the crisp, bitter, peppery hop finish. Very enjoyable double IPA that hides its alcohol well. Thanks jtw!

UPDATED: MAY 28, 2008 Pours with an amber body topped by a medium thick to thick head with some lacing. It’s slightly sweet and malty yet bitter with strong mint notes. Medium to full bodied, smooth and a touch dry.

Thanks to heemer77 for bring this one to Noogfest! Very solid IIPA. Deep amber color with an off white head that spews forth lots of citrus/pine hop aroma. Lots of body to support the flavors that are bitter on the ends and some caramel malt in the middle. I liked this one.

Bottle, from trade with Palehead. Good nose, sweet. Orange, caramel, floral. Hazy reddish orange color, no head, little ring though. Bittersweet flavors, alot like aromas, but grapefruit shows up instead of orange, little smokey too. Thick body, oily creamy mouthfeel, sticky bitter finish, little burn in there. Nice brew, Darkhorse continues to impress.