Dark Horse 4 Elf Winter Ale

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

Serve in Lager glass, Tumbler

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courtesy of frampin. pours dark brown with beige head. Aroma is just wonderfully loaded with spices; ginger and cinnamon. Just felt like sniffing a pine tree. Flavor, spices are as in aroma, very present, mostly ginger and cinnamon. Malt is also to be noted adding a ncie chocolate profile to the beer with hitns of cocoa nibs. Medium carbonation, and seems to be more than the announce d6.5%. Interesting festive beer for sure.

Black with toffee highlights. Small tan head with a little bit of lacing. Roasty aroma of black malts. Creamy smooth taste of coffee and caramel. Slight vanilla and a small hint of cinnamon and pine. Little bitterness in the back. Not bad.

On tap. Pours a dark ruby / brown colour with a medium beige head. Aroma is sweet and malty with toffee, caramel, cloves and cinnamon. Taste is similar with roasted malts, cinnamon, cloves and plums. Mouthfeel is medium to full with soft carbonation. Sweetish finish. Overall, the cinnamon is very well blended into the beer and flavors are deep and complex. Christmas spices, though, are not really my kind of thing.

From Voldby, DK. Bottled, 280412. Dark brown with off-white head. Aroma of malt and liqourice. Flavour with roasted malt too.

Nice black pour with a small beige head. Smells like black licorice. Taste is also black licorice. Maybe a little dark fruit too. No hops or bitterness. It does warm a bit at the end like the name says. Too much black licorice for my liking but not bad.

I assume this is the 2011 vintage. 12 oz bottle into a pint glass. A - Dark brown body with a small mocha one finger head. Some large bubbles creating some edging. S - Loads of winter spices. Sweet roasty malts and some candied sugar. T - Cinnamon, nutmeg, all spice, roasty caramel malts, and some dark candied fruits. Higher ABV is hidden well. Nice balance between the malts and spice. Mouth feel is medium bodied. O - A tasty winter warmer that’s head up well over the last few months.

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.