Dark Horse Reserve Special Black Bier

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

Pours thick black with brown head. Tons of chocolate and roasted notes in the nose, a good amount of coffee, and a bit of alcohol astringency. Lots of coffee, chocolate, and roasted notes in the flavor, some slight dark fruit and bitter hop is also present. One of the more flavorful porters I’ve had and also one of the best.

Pours dark black with a brown head that recedes quickly. Aroma of coffee and roasted chocolate. Taste is very coffee with some roasted flavors. Light lacing. Solid stout.

The aroma of this beer was all coffee. Anything thing else seemed roasted to the point where it too smelled like coffee. The not surprising coffee flavor, while not overly complex, was very drinkable with some sweetness, some bite, some hoppy dryness, and lingering dark flavors of deep forest fruits.

On Tap at the Great Lakes Brewfest. Brown to black with a frothy tan head. Aroma of roasted malt, chocolate, oatmeal and coffee. Taste of roasted malt, chocolate, coffee and fruit. Smooth and tasty with a mild bitter finish. Yet another quality beer from the state of Michigan and Dark Horse brewery.

20 oz draft on tap at The Galway Tribes (Frankfort, IL). Pours a deep dark black, letting no light in, with a frothy brown head that almost looks like ground up chocolate it is so dark. Aromas are roasted malts, cocoa, and burnt coffee. Taste is similar, borderline med-heavy on the palate, this beer didn’t dissappoint. Roasted malts mixed with touches of chocolate and coffee and balanced with a nice bittering finish with a touch of burnt (coffee? malt?) on the end. That was the only dissappointment of this brew and quickly left my mind once I kept drinking it. Even ordered a second. Cheers!

Bottle courtesy of StFun. Pours an opaque black with a 2 finger brown head and spotty lacing. Nose is powdered cocoa, roasted malts, smoked barley and a touch of coffee. Taste is charred dark chocolate, roasted coffee beans and chalky cocoa with some bittering hops in the finish. Full creamy mouth feel. I didn’t know what to expect and this one surprised me. Very good. Thanks Josh!

Bottle. Pours a deep inky black with a small light brown head that fades. Crisp aroma of bitter toasted malt. Taste is bitter and clean, of burnt toasted malt, with hints of coffee and chocolate. Lingering toasted, burnt flavors. Very refreshing and tasty.

I really like this brew. It fits my style and taste. Malt, Chocolate, Coffee and carbonation (not too heavy) Dark Fruit but done the way I like it. Very enjoyable - smooth - kinda milky/creamy but with enough hops and flavor to give it some attitue.