Dark Horse Crooked Tree IPA

Brewed by Dark Horse Brewing Company
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Marshall, Michigan USA

12 oz bottle


I have had only a few IPAs better than this one. It does all the right things to make it the perfect beer for a warm summer afternoon. While not outstanding, I could keep it around for a daily drinker.

Aroma / Appearance - A foamy one-finger head was the result of an aggressive pour. Underneath, when the turmoil settled, I was looking at a ruby colored body and traces of sediment. The nose was a mixture of typical IPA aromas - pine, spruce, citrus, orange and a strange one, pears.

Flavor / Palate - The first wave is very bitter with a strong hoppy kick. Once that settles down, I picked up hints of caramel, more resiny hops, creamer and some toned down grapefruit. The residual bitterness was not unlike liking maple syrup from a tree in the middle of winter. As it warmed, the bitterness got less intense - around room temperature it reached a nice balance. The body is very full with only slight flaws. The finish is sour and grapefruity. It is very well done for a regular drinker.

Bottled. Poured a clear medium amber with a short cap of white head. Nose was juicy and soft.. with grapefruit, pear, and pine... very nice! Flavor picked up pine and some citrus hoppage on the tip of the tongue, smooth, yet higher-carbonated caramel across the middle, and a bit of alcohol on top of sweet malts and bitter pine hops at the back-end. Long dry finish with pine, alcohol, and sweet malts. Very solid brew.

Bottled. Out of a World Class Beverages "Midwest Taster" pack, this was the only one actually from the Midwest. And I’m thinking they might be putting the bottles in the "taster" packs when they’re past their pull date. This one hit me with a soured pizza dough smell when I opened it. But once poured, it faded to a generic beer smell, then let a few IPA hops come out to play. Fluffy, noisy head over a coppery, filtered body. Some of that pizza dough smell comes back in the first sip, but then it’s flooded out by a rather rude hop profile. Definitely an American profile, like pine boughs marinated in grapefruit juice. Now me thinks most hopheads will say that’s just their meat, but this needs a bit more flavor instead of going for bitterness. Very substantial caramel malt mouthfeel makes up for it, though. I could drink something like this all day, but the initial smell keeps my overall rating down.

Clean, light, and tight IPA. Uncomplicated like a great cut of meat, which is nice with all the "complex" hotdogs parading around. The tangy hoppy bitterness races in and then zooms around the corner with each sip.

Pours cloudy orangish, strong floral aroma. First sip very surprised at how hoppy it was. Quite bitter, but not overly.. solid brew

Bottle poured into shaker. Orange citrus aroma. Just a touch too bitter for my liking.

Pours a hazy medium amber with a lhin white head. Aroma is interesting, with smokiness predominating. Undertones of citrus and other typical hoppy notes. In the mouth, it’s a little watery and ordinary. It’s certainly a good IPA, but having had HotD Blue Dot and Stone’s 10th Anniversary in the last two nights, it’s hard to not be a little let down....

Hazed, to cloudy copper color with a moderate head that dissipates to a covering of off-white bubbles. Orange blossoms, grapefruit, floor malt, and earthy pine. A more traditional scent. Thin in the front, with light pine and citrus. Quite balanced, but there does not seem to have a lot of depth. Easy enough to drink, A hot day out type IPA.