Dark Horse 12-12-12

Brewed by Dark Horse Brewing Company
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Marshall, Michigan USA

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

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MBG 7-21-06. Murky dark brown, beige head. Huge chocolate roast and faint dark fruits in aroma. Flavor dominated by toffee and chocolate. Roasty, toasted malts through and through. Some spice I can’t pinpoint. Very faint dark fruit, would guess raisin. Creamy smooth mouthfeel. Would expect more fruit in a belgian, but interesting regardless. Well done.

Tap @ GTMW 2006. Hazy and light caramel brown in color with a huge grey skid mark flying across the head. Caramelized hazelnuts introduce the sweet treat to the olfactory, with buttery glazed honey residing on fresh French pastries in supporting roles. Huge flavor profile emits hot pears and bananas, with an equally authoritative bitterness. Buttery almonds and fusel alcohol demand hot attention. Bitterness builds like once caramel coated pine bark with bitter pockets breaking one-by-one. Full-bodied palate presence with lavender and honey teaming with buttery hazelnuts, and a nearly syrupy pear wine persona hit a plateau unto the finish. Quite lovely and quite unique.

On tap at the brewpub. The body was black with a tan and light orange head. The aroma was sweet peaches with cinnamon and a little ginger. The taste was chocolate. There was also some light hints of vanilla with oak and a bit of banana. An interesting beer.

On tap at the brewpub. The bartendress at the brewpub said this was a derivative of there black bier. Charcoal and molasses dominate along with brown sugar and roasted malts. It is thinner then the black bier and not quite as assertive.

This beer was brewed to commemorate the 12 miners killed in the West Virginia mine disaster on January 12th. The third "12" in the name comes from the brewery staff shutting off all power during the brewing process for 12 minutes as a memorial to those who died struggling to extract energy resources in dangerous conditions to feed our energy gluttony. This 8.5abv brew, based on the impressive Special Reserve Black Bier, but using Belgian yeasts, is quite robust, smoky, and roasty. Quite assertive hopping contributes a big bitter finish. I’d love to get my hands on this again, but it appears to be a one shot deal.

Draught. Deep black with a mocha head. Aroma is very fruity with some berries, yeast, and dark malt. Lots of chocolately flavour, leafy hops, dryness, and fruit substance. Very good.

Rating 12-12-12 bourbon barrel aged. Very low carbonation but thats how it’s supposed to be. Black with no head and aroma of boozy bourbon and some vanilla. Taste is mostly bourbon and if you can get past that, theres some chocolate and caramel but it’s a far reach to get that much. Sugary sweet with some nuttiness, Full bodied. IMHO, just too much bourbon. Rating 2400.

Deep dark brown in color with a little or no carbonation. Vanilla and bourbon aroma. Big bourbon flavor. Chocolate and caramel notes. Sweet. Finish is vanilla and bourbon. Full bodied. Ok beer. Drinkable. A lot of bourbon was used here.

Draught. At 2006 Michigan Brewers’ Guild Festival. Dark murky brown, no head to speak of. Sweet yeast and spicy malt aroma, lightly roasty, very moreish. Flavour follows the aroma, sweet caramel malt, spicy and yeasty, the malt almost has a burnt character. Average body, decent carbonation, syrupy with an almost herbal finish - nice NorAm dubbel.

Draught sample at MBG 2006 Summer Festival. Ruddy dark brown, still body. Aroma of roasted malt and whiskey, like a strong rye & coke. Big, sweet flavours - malt, fruit, some whiskey and a bit of cocoa in the finish. Keeps the alcohol in check pretty well. Not bad at all.