The Year in Beer

Name: Crooked Tree

Brewer: Dark Horse Brewing Co., Marshall, Mich.

By the numbers: 6 percent alcohol by volume; about 240 calories per pint.

Notes: My first entry from the guys at Dark Horse is a winner. Crooked Tree is an American IPA that poured a cloudy orange/amber color on draft, going down a little bit creamy but not hearty. It carried a dry floral-pine flavor/aroma profile, though its intense dry hopping, but nothing strong enough to be off-putting. One of the better IPAs I’ve had so far in this YIB. This was imbibed at Medici in uptown Normal, which has a respectable beer selection (especially on draft) for a Twin City eatery. Therese and I joined my hockey friend, Mickey, and his wife, Alli, for some after-dinner drinks in the upstairs patio area. It was super chill — caught them right at closing we only had the staff for company. Uptown is about 3-4 years away from being a really great destination area, once those multiuse buildings are done. Sidenote: I love the branding of the Dark Horse brand. The staff profiles on its website point to an eclectic cast of characters. While Crooked Tree is one of their year-round offerings, their seasonal brews have such fun names as Scotty Karate Scotch Ale and Three Guy Off The Scale Barley Wine. Good guys.

Try with: watching HGTV. When you’re house-hunting, everything is thought of in terms of that process. When the newspaper is delivered, I think, “This will be awesome when the Sunday sale papers have financial meaning to me.” When HGTV’s “My First Place” is on, I’m actually taking mental notes about the process. When we walk into a K-Mart, you’re looking at the outdoor furniture and comparing it in your head to what they got at Meijer. It’s all sort of fun. I like when my attention is focused on a singular project, and that’s certainly what this is. Now, it’s time to make an offer and move to the next step.

      — Posted by Ryan Denham