Dark Horse Double Crooked Tree IPA

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

From the Columbus gathering, brought by bgburdman9 and sliffy. Murky brown-orange color with an off white head. The aroma was pretty damn malty, huge amount of bread, toffee, rasin, and caramel. The flvor held a good bit of those sweet notes with some vanilla and oak. Nedless to say this beer was weet and malty, with some woodiness and a small hop profile. The mouthfell was pretty thick and bit grainy at times...a pretty damn big beer overall. I don’t know how much age was on this one, but this was one of them IIPAs that went the way of the barley wine...which isn’t a bad thing mind you.

Bottle got mine from northerntimber: Dark brown pour with a loose off white head. Aroma of rich caramel malts, earthy hops and some fruit. Flavor, caramel, a dry hoppiness, it was medium bodied and a little chewy in it’s mouth feel. The alcohol doesn’t really come through at all. Surprised to see it’s actually that high.

Columbus gathering beer#8. Brought by me and Sliffy. Mix of strong hops, malts, and alcohol. Bready raisiny flavor. Very sweet but not overpowering at all. Had a lot of bitterness but it was not too much. This is one of my favorite all time DIPA and would love to try this again.

Pour is deep murky amber with HUGE yeasty floaties and a nice thin dense tan head...smell is sugary sweet with some nice citrus too...taste is strongly sweet with a light mouthfeel...alcohol is present, but not 13+% flavors...much more bitter than I would have thought for some reason...

Brilliant gold-tinged amber pours thickly, resistant to forming a head. Ruby light shows through. A thin film and sticky ring of foam is all that is left of the head in just a few moments. Slightly abrasive, slightly greasy, slightly peachy/apricoty hop is dominant. Upon opening the bottle and before even pouring, hops hit your nose within seconds and are strong enough to smell like a cooled IPA wort: super fresh and green hoppiness. A caramelly/raisiny malt is just barely detectible. AMAZINGLY balanced in the palate! Caramelly/raisiny malt is stong enough to hold up to a BARRAGE of intense and varied hop flavor. Citrus, resin, peach, apricot, and a hint of cedar and pine hop are all represented. The hops are STRONG but not overpowering, and not abrasive. Absolutely amazing, you’ve got to try this to believe that this much hop flavor can actually fit in a beer and still taste so good! Heavy fusel alcohol gives an alcoholic spice which beautifully ties the malt and hops together. 13.6% abv is really only noticed in the warming effect on my throat, and the quick buzz... Moderately thick body with delicate carbonation makes for a very smooth and pleasant body. This is one of the most incredibly tasty beers I have ever had. Without a doubt, the best DIPA that has graced my lips with it’s blessed bitterness. AMAZING! If this wasn’t 13.6%, it would have scored a 5 on drinkability too, but something this strong just can’t be "ultimately drinkable", however, it’s damned close!!!

Dark hazy copper, thin white head. Intense hoppy nose of orange zest, caramel, black tea, and toffee. Bitter tones of spruce, orange, caramel and brown sugar. Medium bodied, very light carbonation, bittersweet finish. In your face stuff which I really dig....

Bottle thanks to Pailhead (or was it Styles?) at DL Day. Thanks! I remember having this on bourbon barrel at the MI Festival, although my palate was a bit too fatigued at the time to rate it. From the bottle, its cloudy and barleywine like in appearance, with notes of maple, citrus, and pine on the nose. On the palate, it reminds me a lot of Devil Dancer. Its spent a few months in the cellar, and I can imagine a few years would do this one well. Its hoppy! I was blown away that the alcohol level was 13.6. This hides it exceptionally well. One of the better Double (or maybe Triple?) IPAs I’ve had, and I’m not a huge hop guy.

12 oz bottle, via Styles. Pours a slightly cloudy copper colored body under almost no head at all, save for a thin ring. Lots of yeast sediment in bottle. Aroma is bursting with raw green hops, hugely piney, over a heavy syrupy caramel malt base. Hop tea in the highest! Flavor is intense, tons of bitter hops with loads of heavy caramel malt. Just lots of everything in this one. Finish is warming and bitter. Mouthfeel is full bodied and syrupy with extremely fine soft carbonation. This beer was like chewing on hop pellets. I can only imagine what it was like when extremely fresh. The alcohol is pretty well hidden for being 13%. Worth seeking out.