Dark Horse Double Crooked Tree IPA

Bottle with fancy green wax on the capt. Pours a cloudy brown with a minimal head that dies quickly. Aromas are heavy on the pine hops and a little bit of a caramel malt undercurrent. That said, I would expect a fuller nose from a beer this strong and the color is fiarly unique, too. Flavor is like an alcoholic hops bomb wit a bit of a thick and sugary stickiness. I guess that this is the reason that I don’t get too excited about these high ABV IIPA’s... they are just over the top and the hops and alcohol cover up any complexity that might (or might not) be there.

very malty and woody with a moderate smooth alcohol influence. secondary hop presence that is clearly inhibited though apparant and does put in it’s lightly bitter signature. caramel and moderately sweet it is also woody and tawny as well. bit of a more black pepper essence as from a pre-grated container in the grocery store. points for being very mellow sophisticated and smooth and in good balance as it reveals itself as complex but in good order . not exactly my description of a double ipa. low on citrus with hardly any other hop presence.

Bottle. Small, off-white head that disappears quickly. Aroma is moderately hoppy with hints of grapefruit, orange and resin and moderately malty with notes of caramel leading one to think that the hops will carry through well into the flavor, but they don’t. In addition, there is a strong hint of alcohol in the nose which does follow into the flavor. The flavor is heavily sweet and lightly to moderately bitter. It is also peppery with alcohol. The finish is moderately bitter and alcoholic. Full body, syrupy texture and moderate carbonation. As much as I Iike Dark Horse products and as much as I like double IPAs, this is a big disappointment. The alcohol and thick, almost sickly sweet malts are just too overwhelming; they don’t let the hops present much character in the flavor. An off-balance, unenjoyable double IPA.

From a bottle at Wine Sellers in Macomb. Did I have this in Michigan? I can’t remember. Everything a Double IPA should be. Malty and intense. Fantastic.

12 oz bottle. Pours red amber with a small to medium off-white head. Aroma is citrus hops, then a little bit more malty and caramel aromas and a little alcohol. Like the single Crooked Tree, the flavor is less dominated by hops than I expected. Grapefruit and spicy flavors are definitely there along with substantial bitterness, but there’s also a strong caramel flavor in there, along with some noticeable pale malt flavor. Flavor is quite reminiscent of a hoppy barleywine as opposed to a double IPA (and I see I’m not alone in thinking so). Hides its high ABV well, just a little bit can be noticed in the finish. Some lacing. Pretty enjoyable beer.