Dark Horse Double Crooked Tree IPA - Dark Horse Brewing Company

Deuane

Pennsylvania

4.3/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Lucky enough to run into a firkin of this at the brewpub on the way to DLD April 2009.

A-Hazy, deep copper with a wisp of a light tan ring that dissipated to a veil and left spotty lace.

S-Deep, rich, caramel malt, a pleasant orange tang and astringent woody notes.

T-A totally different beast gravity fed than when on CO2. Sweet, biting woody (pithy) orange bitterness overlying a big caramel malt base. Finish comes of dry and slightly phenolic.

M-Medium bodied, very smooth and just a touch on the sticky side. Good lingering bitterness with a building dry finish.

D-Very smooth, incredibly nice stuff. Somewhat bourbon like at times with an ever present woody dryness. Glad to have had the chance to score an offering of this on cask!

Serving type: cask

03-08-2010 12:42:21 | More by Deuane

Budinetz

Pennsylvania

4.41/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Poured a 12 oz bottle into a tulip glass.

Appearance - pours an amber/orange color with lots of foamy, light tan colored, head. Great head retention on this brew. Also seeing some nice lacing around the glass as I continue to sip.

Smell - Hints of coriander, sweet cane sugar, along with floral and citrusy hops. Not noticing a strong ether smell from the high abv AT ALL. This beer is 12%...right? As I continue to sip on this brew, I DO begin to pick up the ether smell from the high abv, but only when i swirl the last remaining 4 oz's and really stick my nose in the glass.

Taste - Explosions of citrusy hops, caramel malt and sweet stickiness. The hops really stick to the palete up front. I actually do not taste a bitterness until several minutes after my last sip. Delicious.

Mouthfeel - Very prickly at first on the tongue, but continues to mellow out as I sip. Lots of stickiness going on as the IBU's take over. It's like a party of hops in my mouth!

Overall - Overall a great DIPA! It has the punchy hop flavor up front but does not dissapoint on the back end. This stacks up to some of the best DIPA's I've had in my life! Very well balanced with caramelly malts and sticky hops. SO well balanced in fact, that it hides the 12% abv...well done Dark Horse, You had me at Crooked...

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2013 06:40:59 | More by Budinetz

roger617

Indiana

3.74/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

12 oz bottle poured into snifter

A. 4.0 Very dark tan pours with 1 finger of white foamy head that disappears over a couple minutes. Not overly carbonated.

S. 3.5 A large malt bill forward, lingering hop aroma. Clearly a lot going on here.

T. 3.75 Very similar to the smell. There is a lot of malt flavor, complimented well by a hop presence. Aftertaste of grapefruit and citrus

M. 4.0 Very smooth and silky. Thick enough to know its no ordinary IPA, smooth enough to enjoy with a meal.

O. 3.75 I'm glad I have a few more in the cellar, but I won't be seeking this one out again. I've also had the pleasure to have this on draft, and I have to say this is a very unique double IPA. A rare true Double IPA, with everything doubled except the water. Definitely worth trying in any case.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2013 01:27:32 | More by roger617

jeonseh

Indiana

4.21/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

A - Dark cherry brown with an orange tint and a big foam head. Leaves nice lacing on the glass as it is drank

S - Citrusy orange, lemon, and pineapple intersect with biscuity malt, slight caramel and toffee. Floral presence and slight hints of the alcohol.

T - Lemon and grapefruit bitterness up front. As the beer moves, there is toasted malt, toffee, caramel, bready malt, and a light dark fruit presence. As the beer goes on, the bitter hop presence comes thru as well as a slight warming bite from the alcohol that remains in the finish.

M - Medium body that isn't syrupy. Low carbonation. Beer is slightly chewy from its nice thick body to it

O - Good and interesting beer from Dark Horse which straddles the line between an old ale with its biscuity and dark fruit aspects and a DIPA with its hoppier aspects.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2013 04:22:02 | More by jeonseh

xmorgan

California

4.85/5  rDev +16%
look: 5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

On tap at the Muddy waters in Minneapolis.
A double IPA THAT does not assault the senses, it is well balanced and smoothe. Often DIPAa can be to big too hoppy and leaves one ovberpowered.

Appearance: reddish orange with limited lacing it is almost two orange to be mistaken for a red ale

Smell: very light but a light fruit comes through

Taste: hoppy yes but the malt comes through this balance keeps the high alcohol. Intent at bay. No strong alcohol taste hits. It could be a dangerous beer to to immoderate as it would be easy to drink too many of this delicious beer

Mouthfeel lingering please t hop bitterness but pleasant like your mouth longs for yet another quaf of this well done DIPA

I would drink again and recomend

Serving type: on-tap

05-26-2013 22:16:25 | More by xmorgan

Neorebel

New Jersey

4.38/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Pours a tawny camel color topped off with about an inch of cream colored, fizzy froth. It's hazy, yet translucent, with some carbonation and decent lacing. The smell is surprisingly sweet, with nice bursts of fresh strawberry, kiwi, lemon, and brown sugar. A splash of juicy grapefruit washed over my palate initially after sipping, along with a caramel sweetness from the bready malt and some more lemon that I picked up in the aroma, only sharper. There's a coarse bitterness and slight seltzer-like feel in the dry finish. The general mouth feel is syrupy though, and the ABV is moderately noticeable. Overall, I really enjoyed this DIPA and would highly recommend it to those who like a sweeter, maltier aspect balancing out the extreme hops.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2013 17:58:24 | More by Neorebel

Fargrow

Michigan

3.48/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

A: Cloudy, medium brown. Head is about 2 fingers with a white-cream color.

S: I actually smell a little cocoa and maltiness. Also some citrus and pine.

T: Really malty for a DIPA. Caramel but no distinguishable fruit for me. Definitely some alcohol in this one. That's really the only aftertaste. It overtakes the hop bite that should be there. In the after aftertaste, I'm left with a sweet grapefruit taste.

M: Medium bodied and smooth. Kinda fluffy.

O: I can see why it's not normal to double the malt with the hops in DIPAs. It would be really good with about 8% alcohol. I'm disappointed with this one, but I bought a 4 pack so we'll see how it ages.

Cheers

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2013 21:11:20 | More by Fargrow

IronLover

Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev -6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Murky, weathered copper orange in color with a viscous appearance. Poured with a short white foam that reduced to a thick cap that left thin, sticky lacings on the glass. Earthy ripe grapefruit and orange citrus hop aromas with boozy alcohol notes overtop caramel malt. On the thinner side of medium bodied with subdued yet rich carbonation through the middle to the end. Biting pine hops up front and into the middle with a pleasant transition to grapefruit and orange flavors followed by an unmistakable alcoholic heat. Finished crisp and dry with a lingering, intense boozy, pine hop bitter aftertaste. Most certainly a sipper whose finer characteristics intensify as this warms up.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2013 03:03:59 | More by IronLover

clayrock81

Virginia

4/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a golden orange with brownish red tints on top of one-finger head that died slow and left lace. Citric, even grape hop aromas come out and there is some floral notes as well but not overly hoppy nor do malts come out too much in nose. I must say that for a DIPA w/ the ABV hit this thing carries it definitely hides the alcohol. Medium-bodied and smooth, the citric and floral hops come out nicely and there is a bready chewiness and sweet malt (and even touch of sweet fruit flavor) that are balanced and make it a large tasting beer. Finishes dry and crisp but with no alkie burn and this is a dangerous sipper.

Serving type: on-tap

05-21-2013 13:05:35 | More by clayrock81

alex_hart

Oklahoma

4.43/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

appearance: A beautiful translucent reddish, brown with a one finger head that dissipates to a thin film. Pretty good lacing as well.

Smell: Sweeter than I expected (in a good way) with some blood orange and a bit of sourness. Hop and malt presence detectable.

Taste: Fantastic. Follows the nose with the malt coming to the front but is well balanced by the hops. Really well done IPA and amazingly balanced for 12%.

Mouthfeel: Absolutely unbelievable how smooth this is. Medium bodied but somehow has a slight fluffiness to it. Good carbonation, but may be able to use a little more.

Overall: I wasn't sure what to expect from a 12% IPA, but this blew my expectations out of the water. Must get.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2013 00:29:13 | More by alex_hart

mntlover

Tennessee

4.04/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a rich thick burnt orange/brown, nice and murky with a nice thumb sized light tan head that falls slowly to a cap. Some good lace left behind. Very nice looking brew sure doesn't look like a normal I2PA, but very nice.

Aroma is wow big chewy malts rich caramel, molasses, plums, sprinkled with brown sugars. Hops mingled with the malt mango light citrus more tangerine like with some light alcohol notes.

Taste is rich malty goodness with a nice hop bitterness citrus, some pine even tobacco notes. Hops are not over done but are enough to keep this malt bomb from being cloying. More of a big old ale then an I2PA but an enjoyable beer. Alcohol is well hidden just hints that make it enjoyable.

Mouthfeel is a bigger medium seems like it should be bigger on this baby. Feel is maybe medium not overly peppy just smooth.

Overall I am enjoying this one maybe not true to style but a damn tasty big brew.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2013 22:00:35 | More by mntlover

Cylinsier

Pennsylvania

4.3/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

tap

Pours a deep amber red, yellowish film for a head.

Smells of piney citrus hops and caramel malts.

Flavor is of caramel rich malts, sweet apple, honey, and piney hops.

Medium body with a stinging carbonation on the roof of the mouth.

A really good strong brew, tasty with excellent malt-hop balance. Definitely worth trying and one of the better imperial IPAs I've had.

Serving type: on-tap

05-12-2013 15:06:12 | More by Cylinsier

KYGunner

Kentucky

4.31/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

What a striking IPA, with a much darker hue than its brother. Rich mahogany color with bright carbonation and an almost cloudy appearance. The head was stiff and creamy with an off white color.

The scent is all malt but not too overpowering. Subtle tea leaves and earth tones dot the backdrop.

The taste is quite malty with virtually no hop flavor. A bit of caramel, a bit of cracker and some readiness the taste is dry and appealing. Depending on your preference this is the best malt strong IPA I have had. More Pale Ale than IPA in taste this is tasty satisfying and full bodied. Plus, at 12 percent ABV and no alcohol burn or feel this is a class act.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2013 00:23:28 | More by KYGunner

DovaliHops

California

4/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a cloudy, amber, mahogany color with a small, egg-shell color. Scent is overall hoppy, but definitely has a strong malt backbone to it. Mostly citrus and pine with some caramel malt and booze. Taste is just as it smells. Somewhat on the verge of a barleywine with the heavy hops and malt balance, somewhat in the way Stone Old Guardian is. That is not an insult to this beer in any way, as I love OG. It definitely has some similar characteristics, especially in the aftertaste. Mouthfeel is full-bodied and slightly sticky. Drinkability is fairly high for such high ABV. Overall, this is a solid DIPA that lingers on the barleywine side with its booziness and heavy malt profile.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2013 07:56:11 | More by DovaliHops

rlee1390

Indiana

4.1/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

A-Cloudy amber, two finger white head, tries to leave behind of lacing.

S-Good deal of hops, grass, caramel and slight citrus.

T-Strong hop presence, not all that balanced. Good deal of bitterness. Alcohol heat. Maltier than I was expecting. Some citrus.

M-Medium to heavy, slight carbonation, not many hop resins and once again the alcohol heat.

O-A yummy beer, but the malt was too strong for DIPA and there was some alcohol heat.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2013 19:16:20 | More by rlee1390

kangarooAdam59

Wyoming

4.13/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Thanx Shamrock071521:

Into a snifter:

A: deep dark amber/red colored body with a one finger white foamy head, lacing is clingy

S: piney/resinous, floral yet a moderate amount of orange/citrusy thing goin' on, light malts

T: sticky bittersweet through all previously mentioned flavors, citrus aftertaste, sticky sweet finish

M: medium, pretty smooth, sessionable - maybe, for a high ABV surprisingly enough, carbonation is adequate

O: I say this is pretty good for a DIPA as the alcohol isn't felt as much as I thought I would be, I'd have this one again

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2013 00:53:50 | More by kangarooAdam59

boilermakerbrew

Indiana

4.6/5  rDev +10%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

A- Pours a deep gold to amber color with a moderate level of haziness. Small, 1 finger head that retains very well as a thinner lace on the top. Lacing is pretty good. Looks almost dark enough in the glass to be mistaken as a barleywine.

S- Big, bitter, piney, and resiny hops. Slight floral quality underneath to the hops. Just a little bit of sweetness from the malts are present underneath, but barely any at all.

T- Starts with a very balanced attack of both hops and malt base. Hops are strong, but not overpowering, with more pine flavor notes. Hops persist from the beginning on, balanced by some semi-sweet malt base. Some caramel malt with a little bit of brown sugar taste is there, but faint and dominated by the hops. Ends with the hop bite that linger on the tongue for a little bit.

M- Thicker, smooth, and surprisingly low burn for the 12% ABV. This is a very drinkable DIPA that doesn't necessarily crush you with hops, but the alcohol will catch up to you despite lacking a burn.

Overall, this is the definition of a higher ABV DIPA. This is what I thought I would get with DFH 120, but Double Crooked Tree blows it our of the water. Nothing in particular about this beer stands out except the overall beer itself. I should have bought a 4 pack.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2013 00:33:19 | More by boilermakerbrew

macher0

Kentucky

3.85/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a pint glass.

A: Pours thick with very little head, that gently retreats to a small film. Dark copper color. Opaque. Cloudy. Residue suspended in the entire column. Minimal to no lacing.

S: Not a strong smell. Yeast on front with some medium hops at the finish. Hints of alcohol.

T: Slightly bitter, way less than expected. Strong hops, but not overwhelming. Earthy. Slight alcohol finish.

M: Powerful. Thick. Moderate carbonation. Very well balanced for 12% abv.

O: A very good beer for hop heads and non-hop heads alike. The high alcohol content is nicely masked by the ingredients. A very nice IPA, not the best or the worst. Will likely try again. In respect to the price, not worth it to me.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2013 22:18:38 | More by macher0

BlurryVisi0n

New York

4.08/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Served in a snifter glass.

Appearance: Borderline looks perfect, hazy amber body making this brew completely opaque. No it's not dark it's just right. Slightly off-white head with sticky lacing rose about 2/3" of an inch...not bad at all.

Smell: Has light alcohol with heavy hops and a nice mix of citrus. Keep in mind it is light and reason why i feel it shouldn't be rated higher.

Taste: I was expecting a lot more only because of the hype created around this brew. It's bitter offset with heavy alcohol and citrus. Grapefruit notes and hops create a pretty good bitterness to it.,

Mouth: Medium and freaking sticky, with heavy bourbon type of after-taste.

Overall: Not a bad beer, granted at least around where I live here in New york it was hyped up a bit probably due to it's availability. I have had better DIPAs that were much easier to find that might make you forget quick about

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2013 05:48:19 | More by BlurryVisi0n

tewaris

Minnesota

3/5  rDev -28.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

10 oz pour at Stub's

Peachy and very hazy. Smells muddled and borderline yucky from "too many things going on" and none of them nice. Taste is better... lot of sweet malt balanced by bitterness but this is kinda neither here, nor there: too sweet for a DIPA and not nearly as complex as a barleywine. Mouthfeel is fine but there's an alcohol burn to this... having had much better DIPAs and beers in general, this is very pedestrian to me.

Serving type: on-tap

04-23-2013 05:04:47 | More by tewaris

AdamF625

Massachusetts

4.23/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

A- hazy amber with a thin white head that dissipates quickly.

S- not much to write about here, suttle citrus hops, pine.

T- caramel malts and bitter citrus hops. Blended very well.

M- medium body and moderate carbonation.

O- Wow this beer is drinkable. All 12% is masked well. It is not what you would expect from a DIPA. Very smooth and tasty.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2013 01:35:51 | More by AdamF625

mjpolzin

Wisconsin

4.26/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

The obvious comparison is this beer and Founders Devil Dancer since they are both 12% abv IPAs.I know Devil Dancer calls itself a "Triple IPA" while Double Crooked Tree is only a "double" but whats really the difference? Anyway, I liked this beer better than the Founder's offering.

If I hadn't know this beer was 12% abv, I would have guessed it was 9% give or take. The alcohol is pretty well hidden and it is pretty smooth for a double IPA. I would imagine that Dark Horse hopped this beer pretty well but with the sweetness that comes through, it is obviously not lacking in malt character either.

The main thing I liked was that although there was a strong presence of piney, citrusy and floral hops, the aforementioned malts balanced out the hoppy characteristics making this a very drinkable DIPA. The color was a little darker than I expected so that was the only thing that caught me off guard.

It seems like this could have some promise with aging as well so I am hoping to pick up another bottle to see what happens when the hops fade away.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2013 03:40:15 | More by mjpolzin

Goukbeergals

Kentucky

4.59/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.75

Cloudy golden reddish color. Not much head but what came lingers. As soon as I opened the bottle sweet malt and citrus hop aromas Judy chopped me in the nostril. Medium body and carbonation. Tastes magnitastic. Pine hops dominate surprisingly considering they were overshadowed in the nose. Citrus hops more than just present as well. This is a big ipa. Finish is sweet and silky smooth. Just a hint of the 12% abv is noticeable. Overall a top flight double ipa. Top 10 easily IMO.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2013 07:09:38 | More by Goukbeergals

videofrog

Texas

4.5/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a Duvel tulip. No bottle date.

Thanks to dvmin98 for this one!

A: Dark red/amberish that's definitely darker than most DIPA's I've had. Light tan head that settles into a thin rim on top. Very little lacing.

S: Piney, resiny hops. Some citrus and alcohol.

T: Layers of hops up front: pine, citrus, and resin. Caramel and a bit of fruitiness as well in the middle. Alcohol provides some bitterness as well. A lasting, juicy bitterness on the finish.

M: Thick and a bit syrupy. A slow sipper for sure.

O: Acquired a 4-pk of this in a trade and really glad I did. I'm really looking forward to see how this one ages as it drinks more like a hoppy barleywine.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2013 03:11:40 | More by videofrog

Justin_Neff

Ohio

3.74/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Poured from bottle into Duvel glass.

A: Pours a dark, dark orange body, almost a dirt-colored brown. Big fluffy head that laces well and has good retention.

S: Piney, hoppy (albeit somewhat faint), a bit floral, citrusy - smells of strong lemon peel.

T: Boozy. Big and malty, as expected from the 12% ABV. This one seems to have the hoppiness as an underlying addition to the malt, versus the traditional taste of DIPA. Sweet citrus - lemon and orange.

M: Full, full body. Creamy. Sticky. Medium Carbonation.

O: I didnt hate this by any means, but I was certainly thrown by the high rating. It drank much more like a barleywine than a DIPA.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2013 00:06:57 | More by Justin_Neff