The can popped with almost no carbonation. It felt strange pouring a beer out of a can and into a glass, so I figured why not drink it straight out of the can?

The aroma is instantly hoppy, but with a nice sweetness to it. It doesn’t scream at you that its going to be terribly bitter, more that its going to have a nice nose and a more balanced flavor.

First drinking it, you can notice the alpha acids in the finish, but they’re not too present up front, making this surprisingly refreshing for an IIPA.

Subsequent drinks reveal a bit more of the bitterness, but its still really well balanced with the malt character. The malt is gently sweet, and a substantial mouthfeel that doesn’t overwhelm.

If we could get this in Michigan, I would absolutely be buying it. Probably the closest an Imperial IPA will ever get to a lawnmower beer – and in this case that’s a good thing.

8/10

So, we’ve all known for some time that Ian and I are great fan’s of Michigan beer.  After all, it is the great beer state.  What does Joe Short have to offer the great state of Michigan?  Well, excellent beer.  Excellent beer that is cleverly named and flavored.  The newest beer he’s crafted that I’ve tasted I had tonight, and that is “The Liberator.”

I don’t know how to describe the Liberator upon initial inspection.  It’s copper, with a solid white head, which lasts FOREVER.  It’s timeless, like Lincoln.

Upon smelling, you are greeted by some citrus and pine aromas, as well as a small amount of malt.  The most prevalent smell is definitely the hops though.  The bitter, delicious hops.

As for flavor, it’s a menagerie of wonderful flavors.  Dominated by the various characteristics of the hops, you taste grapefruit, bitterness, and a hint of malt.  The alcohol is there, but understated.  It’s a bit of a palette-ruiner, but that is just fine by me.

I’m thrilled by this beer.  In my opinion, it’s the best thing Short’s has released to date. This beer will set your taste buds free, like Lincoln did the slaves.  It is to be cherished by mankind.  Beyond that, it’s affordable too!  No 4 dollars a bottle+ here, this was only 2.69 a bottle.  All the bang for the buck you could want.

9.25/10

First off, let me tell you how I managed to come across this beer…  I first heard of it though a good friend of Beer and Comics, Laura Bell.  Yes, Laura, the son of Larry Bell.  The owner of Bell’s Brewing.  Laura has been a good friend of Ian’s and mine for some years now.  We were at a friends wedding when she dropped some knowledge on me about the availability of this beer and that she’d really like to see it reviewed.  I promised that if I were able to get my grubby paws on it, I would review it accurately.  Fast forward 1.5 months to today.  I received this beer as a gift for the completion of my grad school application from my friend Phantom at today’s hash.  I’ve been THRILLED with the possibility to have this for some time, and glad it finally happened.

The pour:  a bit cloudy, and somewhere between tan and amber.  Like a dark orange.  The head didn’t stick around long, and didn’t leave much lacing.

The smell:  This smells like IIPA’s should smell.  Hoppy.  There is a slight sweetness to it, but it’s overwhelmingly hoppy.  And AMAZING.  It is no secret that is what I like, and like to smell in a beer, and certainly Bell’s Oracle doesn’t disappoint.

The taste:  a medium body, with a well carbonated mouthfeel.  It’s very hoppy and bitter.  There’s a hint of malt at the front of the mouth, but it is overwhelmingly bitter.  I LOVE IT.  Fantabulous.

I’m really really happy with this.  I’ve been waiting for Bell’s to do this for some time now, as I LOVE IIPA’s.  If you can still find this out there, do it.

9/10

First up, I tried Founders Devil Dancer. It’s useless to point out that this has always been a fantastic beer because theres hardly a flaw in either of the two I’m comparing, but I must say, this is so astonishingly well balanced in my opinion. Upon completion, I ate some peanuts, some cheese, and drank a glass of water. I immediately poured the Dark Horse Double Crooked Tree after that. Here is what I noticed between the two.

Pour: Devil Dancer pours a thick copper/tan with extremely little head. Double Crooked Tree pours with a frothy finger thick head, and a lighter copper than the Devil Dancer. Appears to be less body to the beer as well. My theory is that the Devil Dancer basically topped out around 13% and when they force carbonated it, they left it light. Whereas with Double Crooked Tree (which finally pours without yeast!) was force carbonated, after fermentation, possibly in excess. It was not an enormous head, like a belgian, but surprising for an IIPA with as much Oomph.

Aroma: Both aromas are similarly hoppy. Its likely they used the same varieties, as those high AA hops are just not very common. The difference I noticed was that while double crooked tree was all hop and no play, the Devil Dancer rose up with some sweetness, and some serious alcohol. The intriguing thing about this is that the Double Crooked Tree is actually 0.6% higher. It is possible that the sheer abundance of hop aroma in the Double Crooked Tree masked the aroma of the alcohol.

Taste: Heaven. Greatest experiment ever. The Devil Dancer was glorious. It was bitter as hell, really hoppy, a bit malty sweet, with some residual alcohol. The Double Crooked Tree was all hop. It was really good, but I felt and continue to feel that it lacks the complexity and balance of the Devil Dancer.

In conclusion, the Devil Dancer pulls it out for the win. While there were certain improvements over last years Double Crooked Tree, it just can’t hold up to the Devil Dancer. If devil dancer is a true 9.5, Double Crooked Tree is a 9.3. I can’t naysay either of these beers, I can merely say I’ve enjoyed Devil Dancer more. They are both excellent representations of my favorite style.

1. Imperial IPAs/Imerial Rye IPAs
2. Diet Coke/Pepsi
3. Imperial Stout
4. Blue Monster
5. Quadrupels
6. Tripels
7. IPA
8. Stout
9. (big) Doppelbocks
10. Other Ales

This would make one realize why its no wonder I love double crooked tree so much.  SO much in fact, it warrants a full description.  First, be careful removing the cap.  That wax can be brutal.  I’ve definitely injured myself on more than one occasion in the rush to open one of these guys.  The pour, is a deep copper brown color.  Very little head, as can be expected with a 13.6% alc by volume.  But what little head there is, is a pleasant creamy white.  The smell is hops, hops, and more hops.  Good citrusy, piney scent.  Gotta love it.  While there is a tad bit of malt sweetness to the first taste, the real prevalence is an enormous amount of hops.  The taste just keeps going.  Somewhere, immediately after swallowing, you get a real taste of the malt, but its quickly lost to alcohol, and more hops.

Beer and comics needs to have an (I)IPA tasting soon…  Ian, lets make this happen.  I love IIPAs.

This gets a solid 8.5/10.  The real reason its not higher?  Its seasonal.  I want it all the time damn it!