Dark Horse Crooked Tree IPA - Dark Horse Brewing Company

santoslhalper

Pennsylvania

3.08/5  rDev -22.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Appearence: Pours an incredibly hazy orange color with a huge, foamy tan head that lasts and lasts and lasts.

Smell: A mix of floral and citrus hops hit the nose first, with a decent malt backbone balancing them out. It's just a bit too weak smelling.

Taste and Mouthfeel: The taste is basically the same as the smell. Hops, decently balanced by malts, but honestly this seems a bit watered down. It's a bit too light and fluffy for an IPA. The mouthfeel is light, but smooth.

Drinkability and Overall: For me, this is just your run of the mill IPA. It's not bad by any means, but doesn't stand out either. Kinda boring, but otherwise pleasent. Not bad.

Glass: Penn Brewery Pint Glass
Music: "Mishaps Happening" by Quanitc

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2005 22:49:11 | More by santoslhalper

filabrazilia

Colorado

4.38/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I was fortunate enough to sample this elixir at the brewpub in the lovely town of Marshall, Michigan.

This beer pours a tawny orange with a nice beige head. This is a cloudy beer that looks spot on for the style.

The aroma of hops and malt waft from the brew to my nose like some etherealharbinger of great things to come.

This beer is delicious: malty, hoppy, balanced and everything I like from the style. While the hops asserted themselves, the sweet malt complemented the bitter bite nicely.

A pretty substantial beer, but not overwhelmingly so. This is a very drinkable beer that could very easily put you "in the bag" if you are not careful. Not quite a session beer, but one you would want to drink as often as you can.

I loved this beer on tap. The bottle version was not nearly as complex as the fresh tapped version. If you are ever able to make it to Marshall, do yourself a favor and try this beer.

Serving type: on-tap

12-21-2005 04:15:32 | More by filabrazilia

ppoitras

Massachusetts

4.03/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle from deejaydan as part of the WTF ASAP BIF. Thanks for the opportunity.

Poured into an imperial pint glass, formed a 1 1/4" light beige head above the honey amber brew. Pillowy head fades slowly, with heavy foam lacing. Aroma is prickly piney hops with some citrus interest as well. Taste is substantial malt sweetness upfront, but the hops kick right in and take over the joint. Hops burps are early and often, not that's anything wrong with that. Mouthfeel and drinkability are good, and this brew was quite enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2005 21:29:38 | More by ppoitras

weeare138

Pennsylvania

4.35/5  rDev +9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appears a cloudy dark golden amber with a frothy white head.
Tons of lacing left around the glass.
Smell is of tons of florally hops with piney citrus kicking around.
Taste is of the same aromas and kicking much ass for an IPA.
Mouthfeel is medium bodied, smooth, bitter, and sugary sweet.
Drinkability...great stuff. I wish I could get this all the time. Great hop burp from this one.

Serving type: on-tap

12-02-2005 23:04:26 | More by weeare138

jewski

Michigan

4.08/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz. brown bottle into a 16oz. pint glass.

Golden yellow-orange in color with a thick white head. Smells of piney hops with some grapefruit citrus.

Very hoppy with a fair amount of citrus flavor and a bready, malty balance. Hops don't seem quite as fresh as they could be.

Mouthfeel has a bite to it with a good medium body. Quite drinkable.

Not an overly complex IPA, but refreshing and true to style. Something i will be having again.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2005 09:07:31 | More by jewski

Viggo

Ontario (Canada)

3.43/5  rDev -14%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy orange/brown, big off white head forms, some lace. Smell is very piney, caramel, bread and citrus. Taste is very grainy, pine, citrus, caramel and chocolate notes, but mostly grain. Mouthfeel is medium bodied and low carbonation. Not bad, but I'd say more close to a hoppy amber ale than an IPA. Thanks DrJay for the pickup.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2005 21:25:45 | More by Viggo

RedHaze

Nebraska

4.1/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a pale orange color with a one finger head that fades to a thin cap that leaves behind lots of lacing.

Smell; tons of floral hops, grapefruit, mild caramel malts.

Taste; lots of citrus and floral hops up front, foloowed by a solid malt backbone, and has just a little bit of a grainy feel to it in the finish. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, and a litlle slick from the hop oils. I think Dark Horse did a really nice job with this IPA, and now I'm going to have to look for the Double Crooked Tree the next time I'm in MI.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2005 03:37:57 | More by RedHaze

DrJay

Massachusetts

3.28/5  rDev -17.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Slight haze to this amber beer. Thin, off-white head that produced some nice lace. Bold, leafy and grapefruit aroma with a hint of pine. Bitterness was a little on the strong side for the weak malt character. Hops are finished by the end, and the thin malt leaves a hole in the flavour. Good texture with refined carbonation. Overall, it starts out with bold hops, but the flavour dies off too much by the finish for it to be highly recommended. Still good though and worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2005 02:44:58 | More by DrJay

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.55/5  rDev -11%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Good grapefruit aroma, pine. Good appearance, darker yellow with lace. Pronounced leafy bitterness, too much I think. More aimed at the Maerican Hophead type as opposed to balance. Still good effort, serviceable IPA. Complements to Dr. Jay for sharing.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2005 00:17:54 | More by northyorksammy

warriorsoul

Pennsylvania

4.08/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Eyedrinkale for this one...
Pours a cloudy citrus color w/ two full fingers of off-white head.
Tons of lacing forming on the side of the shaker glass...
Like it's color, this one packs quite a citrus hop scent...huge hop profile with very little malt sweetness detected.
Taste is very enjoyable...the sweet malt becomes more balanced as the hops give in just a bit.
Mouthfeel is fantastic...so smooth w/ just body and carbonation to make this one incredibly quaffable.
Just my second offering from Dark Horse...look forward to trying a few more in the near future.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2005 01:12:33 | More by warriorsoul

OldSock

District of Columbia

3.6/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance – 12 oz bottle from Cloverleaf. I can see some yeast sediment on the inside of the neck of the bottle, a bit unappealing. Despite a few weeks in my beer fridge and a gentle pour, a lot of yeast sediment got into my glass. The beer is cloudy golden with a dense 2 finger white head. There are bits of yeast that look like black pepper floating around in suspension. Lacing and retention are both above average.

Smell – Mostly citrusy hops but there is an underlying musty aroma as well. I think I smell some onion as well, but maybe I’m just crazy. Not particularly appealing.

Taste – Mild toasted malt with the aforementioned citrus hops. The yeast flavor is unpleasant, definitely not a welcome addition.

Mouthfeel – Prickly carbonation and a medium body.

Drinkability & Notes – I really disliked this beer, I would blame my pour for the yeast addition, but I stopped early leaving a good half inch of very yeasty beer at the bottom of the bottle. It pains me to say that I dumped my last half glass and moved on. This was a big disappointment after how much I enjoyed my other two dark horse beers.

Update 8/20/06: Thanks to a bottle I recieved in a trade from grynder33 (if I recall correctly) I was able to try this beer again and it was leagues ahead on the bottle I had before. I wasn't able to take notes but I am going to update my ratings.

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2005 03:06:40 | More by OldSock

orbitalr0x

Illinois

4.08/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Picked this one up at Liquor Stop in Highland, IN. Pours from the bottle a deep, cloudy fall colored pumpkin orange with a nice inch of foamy eggshell head that sticks to the glass. Aromas of sweet underlying pale and caramel malts collide with a bracing dose of grapefruity citric, piney hop oils. Fresh and green...quite a nice nose on this one.

First sip brings a nice sweet pale caramelly maltiness that has underlying bready notes (sourdough). This is followed by a wall of big hop bitterness featuring notes of citrus, herbal spice and pine needles. I enjoy the transition from sweet to semi-bracing bitterness on the way down here. Finishes clean with a lingering mellow hop bitterness. Tasty.

Mouthfeel is big and chewy with a hefty malt body to hold up the hoppiness. Good carbonation helps this go down smoothly. I could easily enjoy a few of these...a well made IPA that leans to the bitter side. I hope to see more Dark Horse stuff around here in the future.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2005 02:15:32 | More by orbitalr0x

macpapi

Maryland

3.9/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Crooked Tree is a nice dark amber color with a good half-inch, tannish head. It is a bit murky, but really the way an I.P.A. should look. Smells pretty basic for the style. Hops and floral notes distinguish the aroma. There is also a hint of citrus. While pleasant, nothing really stands out here. Tastes very strong, and somewhat bitter. Hops are very noticeable. Sharp, crisp and flavorful. Citrus hints remain on the back of the tongue. Again, very pleasant. In the mouth, this beer is full, biting and low in carbonation. The hops play on the tongue very memorably. Overall, I would say this is a very drinkable beer for hop-lovers. Not quite up to the level of Two-Hearted, and for the same price I wouldn't recommend purchasing it. However, it is a fine session brew for those who appreciate I.P.A.'s.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2005 04:43:51 | More by macpapi

Caesar1pup

Georgia

4.3/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This ones got hops and I like it! Pours a hazy in an orange color with a decent head, not very pretty but it makes no apologies for you will be rewarded with flavor. Much pine aroma and a hint of citrus. This is a very drinkable beer with a nice finish.

Overall I would definitely have this again and my only regret is that it’s not available here. Again, much thanks to JRM for allowing me the opportunity to enjoy this.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2005 19:29:05 | More by Caesar1pup

kmpitz2

Tennessee

4.13/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a dirty hazy orange color with a finger of head that falls to a quarter inch over top. I'd like a little more copper and clarity. The nose is nice and balanced with a citrusy orangey hop, probably cascade, with a more subtle caramel malt backbone. Very nice. The flavor is slightly more earthy in the hop, though still sweet. A nice caramel flavor ties it all together. The feel is moderate to thick with a light carbonation. Incredibly drinkable beer. The nose and flavor are very nice. I would make this a session if I could get it more often.

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2005 01:09:25 | More by kmpitz2

clvand0

Kentucky

4.33/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours and amber color with a medium head that falls fast and leaves a little lacing on the glass. The aroma is full of citrus hops - I'm thinking cascades. Little bit of caramel malt, but the aroma is mostly hops. The flavor has a certain spice from the hops as well as a lot of citrus, but the caramel malt backbone is there and it really smoothes things out. Very tasty. Medium mouthfeel and drinkability is good.

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2005 01:07:53 | More by clvand0

RedwoodGeorge

California

4.18/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Just what I like - a balls-out no apologies IPA from people who obviously care about what they're doing.

This pours out a thick, cloudy brown-orange with a medium off-white head. We're not talking "hazy" here, we're talking f-in' opaque. This looks like nothing else other than brown, unfiltered apple cider with a beer head. Since there's a pretty wide range in the style standard for IPA's appearance I'm rating this highly because they're not afraid to be different.

Smell is very promising - plenty of resinous grapefruit notes with a bit of pine and floral thrown in for good measure. No doubt you're sticking your nose into an IPA here.

One sip and you know this is an all-out IPA - plenty of big hops taste in this baby. For a Michigan brew there's an awful lot of the Pacific Northwest in here - at least one if not more of the four C's make it a good "West Coast" style IPA. Just the right amount of hopping without being bitter and a nice mix of grapefruit, pine and spice. I'd have rated the taste even higher but it's somewhat lacking in a malt backbone; there's just not enough sweetness or grain to balance out the hops.

Mouthfeel is very impressive. Considering this looks like "pulp added" apple cider, you'd almost expect a heavy, mealy feel on the palate. In reality it's a wonderful medium bodied brew with a very good amount of fine carbonation. There are plenty of little bubbles to clear out the palate with no heavy aftertaste, excessive dryness or oily residue on the tongue.

All in all this is a very drinkable beer. It's got all the hoppy goodness to keep any IPA hop-head begging for more and a well-crafted body that you'll remember for quite a while...

[This was part of the "Midwest Beer Barge" trade with TikkiGodxxx - many thanks for giving me the opportunity to taste some fine Michigan Ales!]

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2005 06:19:48 | More by RedwoodGeorge

GreenWBush

Oregon

4.05/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Delicious orange glow with streaming carbonation bubbles. Traces of lace. Nose screams tangerine and papaya – unmistakable calling card of Cascade hops. Starts with a citrus-grove bitterness that gets slightly grainy and pith-filled in its middle. The hops work themselves down to the final finish of the beer, pulling the whole package away from the slightly overdone bitterness that seems like it would win out. Seems like a fully formed version of Mad Anthony’s IPA – with a few rough edges. Still, a good and very drinkable IPA.

Serving type: on-tap

07-01-2005 18:44:08 | More by GreenWBush

lackenhauser

Maryland

4/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy amber,golden color. Big hop aroma-grassy and very citrusy. Almost serious lemons!!! Big hop flavor-while bitter overall its very smooth tasting with a slight bitterness in the finish. Nice malty body-very well rounded and balanced for the most part. A very drinkable beer-Id like to try more from this brewery. Thanks to eyedrinkale for the "upgraded" trade sample.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2005 00:27:19 | More by lackenhauser

HappyHourHero

Indiana

3.88/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Mild piney hop aroma with a pinch of grapefruit. Moderately thick, creamy, light tan colored head. Hazy, dark apricot colored beer with some small floaties in the bottom ( pour carefully). Solid, mildly sweet malt backbone that mingles with some floral tea, light fleshy fruit, and bubblegum flavors. The finish is fairly bitter, and just a bit chewy. Mouthfeel is incredibly soft. A nice, tasty IPA. Thanks malty!

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2005 02:26:49 | More by HappyHourHero

ypsifly

Michigan

3.6/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from an undated 12oz into a pint glass.

Hazy orange that is slightly amber. Small head falls to a veiled ring rather quickly.

The nose is piney with a little citrus underneath. Fresh pine tar and grapefruit.

The taste starts off rather weak, but finishes with bold hops. Not very balanced, could use some more malt to round things out a bit.

The mouthfeel seems a bit lighter than many other ipa's. Not as fullfilling as Two Hearted or Hop Devil. The one dimensional character of this beer hurts the drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2005 05:52:10 | More by ypsifly

Brian700

Michigan

3.9/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I am just adding this one on 5/20/05. I jotted the following down in a notebook after my sampling of this a few years ago. Not sure if this particular beer has been changed at all since this sampling.

This one pours an orangish color with a lot of sediment in there. The head is mostly white and leaves a decent amount of lacing.

It has a light hop aroma with some stronger citrus smell. Very nice but it doesn't smell like a knock you off yer feet IPA.

This beer tastes like oberon meets dogfish head 60 min. Its hoppy but there is some citrus and fruity esters in there as well.

Good mouthfeel. Moderate carbonation. I think this is a good beer and I would recommend. Very Drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2005 05:15:29 | More by Brian700

BeerFink

Ohio

4.18/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a very hazy dark copper color with a large frothy off-white head. Good head retention, and some attractive sticky lacing. Some sediment has collected at the bottom of the glass, while some of it is still suspended in the beer. Good aroma of citrousy, slightly piney hops, with some nice floral esters. Decent toasty malt presence sets the stage for some very bitter hops. Grapefruit and orange peel are present, sharp on the palate, and a little prickly. Smooth mouthfeel broken up by resinous hops. A good rendition of an IPA, but it was better when I had it on tap.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2005 02:05:55 | More by BeerFink

aaronh

Pennsylvania

4.2/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Heavily sedimented orange body topped by a thin off-white head. Strong bubble-gum and cotton candy aromas. Very strong orange flavors, nice and sweet up front followed by a very strong bitterness of tangerines. Amarillo hops, maybe? Really a nice orange flavor in there. Nice lingering bitterness with hints of orange on the finish. Mouthfeel is smooth and slightly astringent. Drinkability is very good, partly due to the somewhat unique flavor profile. I must say that Dark Horse has impressed me during my visit to MI.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2005 03:05:34 | More by aaronh

SupaCelt

Michigan

3.83/5  rDev -4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

This stuff pours an attractive dull orange colour and is heavily ornamented with particulate debris. These unfiltered remnants hang in place before my eyes until swept to the surface on the backs of bubbles. I love to drink sediment if it is available. The head is rather small, but is quite dense. A fair bit of lacey glass garnish stays behind in the wake of consumption.

The hop bouquet is relatively subdued. There is a faint grassy orange scent present, but the nose is not largely aromatic.

The flavour feels mostly malt driven. Tiny bits of lemon or orange come in from the hops, but there is not a huge fruitiness. More of a grainy aspect. The hop presence reveals itself in full force in the bitterness however. Finishes dry too. This is an interesting beer. It has a some raw appeal.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2005 08:35:02 | More by SupaCelt