Dark Horse Plead the 5th Imperial Stout

Brewed by Dark Horse Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Marshall, Michigan USA

Serve in Snifter

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Tasted blind against Dieu Du Ciel Peche Mortel, Stone Imperial Russian Stout, Dark Horse Imperial Stout, Southampton Imperial Russian Stout, Rogue XS Imperial Stout, Great Divide Yeti, Bell’s Expedition, Alesmith Speedway Stout, Victory Storm King, Thirsty Dog Siberian Night, Pizza Port Santa’s Little Helper, Avery The Czar, Hawk’s DM’s Imperial Stout, Three Floyds Dark Lord, Bear Republic Big Bear Black, North Coast Old Rasputin, and two of Scott Jackson’s homebrewed Impys. Dark Horse Imperial Stout impressed be, taking 3rd place for me, among 19 other Imperials. Black. Rich malts in the nose, with hints of chocolate, roast, fruit, tar and tocacco. Flavor is full of charred fruits and chocolate. A very good Imperial Stout.

Aroma is creamy, malty, with definied sweetness. Light. No head to speak of. Very malty taste, with roasted bitterness and chocolate. Was quite sweet, but for some reason it seemed appropriate and balanced. Long finish, very tasty.

Roasty. Alcohol. Some tobacco notes in the aroma. Very compex, resinous, smoke, soft residual sugars. This stuff ends like a bulldozer. The boys at Dark Horse continue to product great beers. Cheers.

Oil slick black, thin tanned creamy head. Nose held soft tones of sweet dark roasted malt, toast, milk chocolate, dried dark pitted fruit, and berry, with even lighter notes of coffee coming through late. Up front flavors of dark chocolate and berry intermingle nicely with a late hop bitterness and slight alcohol twinge to round it out. Syrupy full body, light carbonation, bittersweet chocolate and berry-like finish. Not my favorite Stout from DH, but still tasty none the less...

Pitch black and thick pouring out of the bottle. A very thin, dark brown head begins to form and quickly leaves a dark brown ring around the top of this beer. The aroma is very strong, with hints of teriyaki sauce, reminds me a little of Tiple Bock, but this one actually smells good. Black licorice, charred meat (burnt ends of brisket), liquid smoke, worcestershire sauce and more. Low carbonation and a thick palate, initial flavors of sweet milky licorice and dark chocolate syrup, but the body basically dissolves over the middle and on the back of the tongue. The finish is dry, parched, and empty. Almost no flavor in the finish at all.

This draft brew from the brewery poured a small sized head of finely sized mostly diminishing bubbles that left behind an opaque black colored body with no visible carbonation and a good lacing. The aroma was strong with coffee, dark malt, a hint of chocolate and mild dark roasted malty notes. The mouth feel was tingly with a strong malt hop bite that gets ya right off the bat. It also had a strong coffee finish with a lingering bite. Did I mention this brew bites? Oh OK. Well, the flavor was also strong with coffee, dark malty notes and dark roasted malts. Yummy! Highly recommended.

Smelled like cocoa; dry, dark chocolate. Very smokey, I think from the barley? Halfway through the glass, I brought myself a bowl of ice cream. Beer + sweet dessert complemented each other brilliantly; a good beer and a great night.

from bbb63, looked like oil, thick, viscous, jet black, not a hint of light comes through the other side of the glass. very sweet aroma, rife with molasses and licorice. heavy roasted flavor, a little burnt, the molasses from the nose follow up in the flavor. there is some alcohol present, but the aftertaste is sweet chocolate. mouthfeel is thick and velvety, and oh so smooth on its way down...thanks alot for this one mike.

UPDATED: JUN 17, 2008 Bottle... This beer rocks!... Pours completely black from the bottle. Liquid black hole... the lights just went out in Georgia; that’s saying a lot since I’m currently somewhere on the Ohio Turnpike (riding shotgun, of course). Small, creamy, brown/orange head. The nose is of dried plum and blackstrap molasses. Heavily burnt, bitter flavor with notes of ash, alcohol, prune extract and blackstrap molasses. Ultra full-bodied and chewy with pillow-soft carbonation. Lengthy, scorched, bitter finish. It’s no Dark Lord or World Wide Stout, but it’s definitely on par with Storm King and Expedition Stout. I see no reason why you wouldn’t be into this one if you enjoy those two. Underrated, I think. Thanks to eyedrinkale for the bottle!

Bottle courtesy of styles: Black with no head. Aroma is chocolate syrup (as jeffin7 has noted), coffee, roasted malt, licorice, and lightly vinous fruits. Medium-full bodied, oily and slick. Taste is burnt chocolate, tobacco, bakers chocolate, licorice, roasted malt, hops, bread dough yeast, bitter mocha, and a hint of vanilla and smoke. Finishes slightly chalky with notes of roasted malt, burnt chocolate, and light hops.