Dark Horse Double Crooked Tree IPA

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

Serve in Snifter, Tulip

Double Crooked Tree pours a dark amber. Very little head is poured. What you see is what you get in the picture. When I first stuck my nose in the bottle I was amazed by the smell. Super fruity and piney. A really wonderful smell. Sadly though when I poured the beer into the glass things changed a bit, well a lot. It was more of malty sweet aroma mixed in with a small amount of citrus and alcohol. The lovely smell from the bottle was just about gone. The taste is full of sweet caramel malt. The fruit is there too. Citrus and pineapple. But really the sweet malt overpowers anything else in this beer. I’m all for a hop bomb or a more balanced IPA but this really isn’t it. It’s more like a malty barleywine. More hoppy goodness would really balance this out nicely and make it a better Double IPA. The alcohol was also a major factor here. It’s not well hidden. I do understand this is a 12% behemoth. Mouthfeel is heavy and syrupy. Definitely smooth with small amount of carbonation. A bit of hop bitterness lingers on the tongue in the after taste.

Tap at Darkhorse 4 Elves fest Dec 2010. Was actually marked as Double Double Crooked tree. Also have had Double Crooked Tree which is factastic. Deep amber color, Citrus Hop Aroma, Sweet alcohol taste w/bold citrusy overtone, orange.

Bottle from Santa, December ’11. Thanks! Pours a thick, dense amber with a thick, dense off-whte head. Aroma is bready grapefruit (not a fan of malt-forward IPAs) and a touch of orange rind. Flavor is a heavy-but-restrained grapefruit rind and orange rind. Malt is an afterthought in the finish. Lingers on the tongue. Good beer.

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a sniffer. A. Pours a nice dark red with a bit of a golden hue. 2 fingers worth of head with a long retention. S. Smells of mild hops, orange peal, and a little mango. A slight grassy smell, and light oak smell. T. First bold note is a hoppy tingle with mango. It opens up to a tart tingle on the tip of your tongue. There is also a resonating oak flavor, almost like this was barrel age. A hint of a whiskey finish. M. Slightly coarse feel across the tongue. Slight bitter tingle and medium body. Thin, but not watery at all. The taste lingers forever on your tongue. O. This is am impressive beer. Traditionally I am not a big fan of IPA’s. This however, is a great beer. The flavor is smooth, easy to drink, and flavorful. With the trend lately of jamming as much hops as possible into a beer, this is a great change. Bitter notes compliment the smooth fruits and hops. There should be a warning on this bottle. From tasting, there is no way to ever know this was 13.6%!

Hazy amber/cider color; Medium slightly creamy body; Aroma of pine hops, caramel malt, & citrus; Flavor of sweet malt, rich caramel/toffee, pine hops, citrus (notably grapefruit), and some spice; Finish is bitter with slight alcohol; Nicely balanced; Overall, pretty good - dangerously drinkable for its abv.

Tasty but a honestly a bit of a boozy mess. Aroma is caramel sweet malts with alcohol and piney citrusy notes. Taste is hot and boozey with medium sweetness and bitterness. Grassy piney hop presence is nice but wow its just a bit too strong.

Heavy hitter. Served at a good temperature, with a good cream colored head that lasts all the way down and a little lace. Color is a cloudy amber brown. Aroma is fantasticly volatile with hops, canned prunes, raisins, figs, dates, malt, yeast. Flavor’s like nose, hops aren’t as obvious as the regular ipa. Body is spot on; ditto carbonation. Finish is like flavor, boozy, and lonnnng.

Poured from a 12oz bottle. Pours a nice caramel color with a thin beige head. Aroma is some caramel, some hops and just a bit of alcohol. The taste is pretty standard for a DIPA. Slightly sweet with just a bit of bitterness from the hops.