Dark Horse 4 Elf Winter Ale

Brewed by Dark Horse Brewing Company
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Marshall, Michigan USA

Serve in Lager glass, Shaker, Tumbler

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Bottle. Frothy off-white good mostly deminishing head. Red-am¨ber colour. Heavy malty and light hoppy aroma. Strong spicey notes with dark fruits present. Moderate bitter very spicey flavor. Cinnamon. Long moderate bitter finish. Oily palate.

Bottle from Høkeren. Small head with short duration. Color is dark brown. Aroma and taste are dried fruits, caramel, yeast, hops and malt. Soft carbonation and semi full bodied.

Bottle. Dark amber colour with a beige head. Aroma is hop, malt, coffee, caramel, spices. Flavour is hop, malt, coffee, fruit, spices, caramel, dried fruits. Nice beer.

12 oz. bottle shared by bsuedekum- thanks, Blake! Pours a cloudy chocolate brown with a bit of an amber hue on the edges and a small tan ring. Aroma of a host of spices- nutmeg, clove, ginger- along with chocolate, dark fruits, and a little earth. The flavor follows the same lines, with a bunch of spices on top of fruits, chocolate, caramel, and roast. Light-medium bodied, with a spicy mouthfeel and low carbonation. Crazy beer, and good.

Have had so many great brews from these guys...was hoping for more. Dark mahogany brew with hints of chestnut and an eggshell head. Mild toffee, caramel, nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger...but all subdued. Looking for bold and in your face. Missed the mark here.

Draught at Bishop Arms, Copenhagen. Dark brown colour with a small off-white head. Aroma and flavour of malt, spice, toffee and hops.

Bottle to snifter. Pours hazy brown with a soapy khaki head that fades to a wispy film and sudsy collar. Aroma is strong herbal spice and sweet caramel malt. Taste is more herbal spice and caramel with some chocolate mixed throughout (tootsie roll). Palate is medium mouth feel and chalky with a dry spice finish.

Botella de 330ml.Copa Globo.Saboreada en oct´11.Color caoba oscuro.Corona marfil,bastante buena retención.Aromas de malta caramelo,chocolate y maltas tostadas.Intenso especiado aromático:canela,clavo y nuez moscada.Amargor dulce de entrada seguido de un sabor de dulce malteado.Suave astringencia.Cuerpo pleno y carbonatación correcta.Final y retrogusto de ciruelas pasas y melazas.Placentera asimilación. 330ml bottle.Snifter glass.Enjoyed on oct´11.Dark mahogany in color.Off-white crown,fairly good retention.Caramel malt,chocolate,toasted malt aromas.Intense aromatic spicy:cinnamon,clove,nutmeg.Sweet bitter upfront followed by sweet malty flavor.Smooth astringency.Full body,correct carbonation.Dry prune & molasses on the finish lasting to the aftertaste.Pleasant drinkability.

In short: An overly spicy xmas beer with some strange off flavors. Meh.
How: Bottle 12oz. Consume when probably almost one year of age. Bottle sent to me as a bonus by alexsdad06, thanks Brad
The look: Very dark mahogany topped by a small beige head
In long: Nose is the typical array of Christmas beer spices (nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, etc.) and gingerbread man cookie. Taste is a gingerbread man dipped in soy sauce, some toffee, a whole lot of spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger), juicy red apples. The spiciness was overdone and there was some strange off flavors in there. I didn’t finish my bottle. I’m not a fan of these overly spicy xmas beers to start with, and to make matters worse this one was a poor example of the style. To me it’s like each beer bottle comes with an engraving at the bottom that can only be read when the bottle is empty, something like “Sorry, the solution to your problems wasn’t inside this one either. Please try again”.

12 ounce bottle from mikem409. Thanks! Also my 4800th rating. Cool. Pours a clear dark reddish brown color with a large tan head. Good head retention. Big spicy notes in the aroma, primarily nutmeg, and some toasted malts. The taste is spruce, nutmeg, cinnamon, bitter hops, toffeeish malts. Medium bodied. This is a spice bomb and lacks balance, but its still not bad.