Dark Horse Reserve Special Black Bier

Wow, this beer is black. I’m not getting any light at all coming through. Foamy espresso colored head. Aroma is roasted malt and chocolate. Medium bodied. Flavor is dark chocolate, roasted nuts, deep roasted malt, and light roasted coffee. Nice mouthfeel. Really deep and dense for a porter, but well balanced. Nothing is over the top. Solid.

Bottled
Opaque pitch black, no head. Heavy roasted, coffeish malty nose. Flat mouthfeel. Dark chocolaty, coffee beans flavor. Roasted aftertaste. Nice, balanced mouthfeel. This is really chocolaty and coffeish without being too roasted or burned. Not alcoholic at all. Delicious.

Bottled (thanks heemer77!). Very deep brown colour with not much head. Aroma is coffee, roasted malts, some very dark chocolate and mild notes of wood. Flavour is roasted malts, alcohol, smoke and some wooden notes. Also bigtime coffee.

Pours a dark coffee brown with a thick layer of tan head that quickly dissipates to a small amount of lacing. Aroma is of dark chocolate and roasted malts, and toasted nuts/chestnuts. Flavor is of dark caco and the foam of roasted espresso. A very delicious dark beer. Very happy with this selection. Body is light/medium with hints of carbonation but not over.

12oz bottle. label contains a "scared donkey"... Kinda like Kinky Kelly and the Sexy Stud? Pours a thin dark brown/black. Aroma of roast. Flavor is thin, roasted malt.

bottle. Aroma is malt with notes of sweet coffee and chocolate but subtle. Nice average sized tan head that mostly diminished and left ok lace. Black hue. Flavor is sweet and malty with a lingering finish. Palate is full bodied and oily smooth. Pretty big for a porter but average overall.

Bottle, thanks to CaptainCougar. Pours opaque brownish black with a lacy dark tan head. Pine and sweet chocolate aroma with a touch of coffee. Medium body and light carbonation. Sweet taste of coffee, chocolate, molasses. Roasty espresso, smoke and pine finish. A really nice beer, but guys, this is not a porter. Not even a robust porter. What you have here is a sweet stout, or maybe even a foreign stout. Not complaining, I’m just sayin...

12 oz. bottle. Coffee and berry scents dominate the aroma. The smell reminds me of coffee with a healthy dose of cream and sugar as well as fruit-flavored syrup. Fruity and floral. Licorice, red grape, and the tangy scent of roasted coffee beans. Pours a rich dark brown with a maroon tint and a dark copper hue. I believe the liquid is clear, but it is so dark and thick as to appear to be opaque. Small amount of short-lasting, thin, sable-colored head. Good lacing, especially for a beer with so little head. Upon the first sips, dark, roasted coffee dominates. The beer fortunately mellows considerably upon multiple sips, but it remains too coffee-like for my tastes. The later sips feature vanilla, sweet fruit, powdered sugar, and milk chocolate in addition to coffee, making this brew fall into the rich dessert beer niche. Complex flavor profile overall. Roasted coffee finish and long, dry, bitter, similar aftertaste. Full body; thick in texture as well as appearance. Oily and lively in the palate. The coffee aftertaste is too much, but otherwise the palate effects are very good. Dark Horse Reserve Special Black Bier Ale falls squarely into the fruity, English-style ale tradition. It is a love it and hate it beer for me. If the brewers toned down the coffee notes, I think it could be truly great. The bottle I sampled has been sitting in my cellar for several months at least.