Dark Horse Reserve Special Black Bier

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

Bottle. Duh -- it’s black. Almost no head, surprisingly. The aroma is full-on chocolate syrup. It drinks with a big-time richness, with bitter dark chocolate as the primary component, a little bit of woodiness finishing it off. Tasty beer. (#3677, 9/19/2009)

Bottled at Monks Café, Wallingatan, Stockholm. Pours out in an opaque black appearance topped with a small beige head. Rich but a bit simplistic aroma of black chocolate with minty and grassy hops. Nearly full-bodied with strong notes of chcoalte sauce, cocoa powder, cookies and mint. Long full medium-bitter aftertaste of dark chocolate, brown sugar, crackers, grass, mint, mild black pepper and mild alcohol. Flavorful but a tad too sticky and rough.

Sampled at 2009 Bruegala. Black with an average light-brown head that is mostly diminishing. Light chocolate aroma with moderate coffee roast, bordering on burnt. Short, lightly bitter flavor has light notes of dates but is largely dominated by burnt coffee and bakers’ chocolate. Surprisingly thin body.

Bruegala 2009 sampling - Pours a pitch black with a large, light brown head that leaves some fair amount of lacing on the glass. Aroma has an average grainy, burnt note with notes of coffee and toasted malt. Hops provides a light grassy note with some dark fruit - raisin, prune notes. Flavor is a very strong acidic coffee note with a light dryness to it and lots of burnt malt character and bitter bakers chocolate/dark chocolate flavor. Moderate body and a thin texture with a modest amount of carbonation. Overall I think the coffee character of this brew really detracted from the overall enjoyability of the brew.

BPW #23 Served on tap at Dark Horse Brewing Company. Appearance is a deep black with a nice roasted brown head. Aromas are heavy roasted malt with a nice dose of roasted coffee bean. Flavors follow suite but the tongue picks up more of a chard flavor. The malt profile is very pleasant. Palate is very dry and moderately full. A real nice beer that I am glad to of tried fresh on tap.

Dan’s Bachelor Party Extended Weekend Rating #23 of 90. Tap at D.H. thanks Dan. Pours black with brown edges and thin brown head. Good amount of dark malts and coffee on the nose. Tasty roasted malts, coffee and a mild hop flavor round this one out nicely.

This beer pours a deep black, opaque with a nice dark mocha head. The aroma is mostly roast with a touch of malt fruitiness. There’s just something missing for me. The flavor has a touch of chocolate but again is mostly a mild roasted maltiness. There are some hops in there providing an interesting bitterness. It’s a clean stout that sticks to roastiness for its character. I wish there was a bit more of this character, but I’m just being picky. The mouthfeel is smooth. Drinkability is good.

12oz. Bottle: Aroma of roasted malts, slight burnt malts, chocolate, cream, light piney hops, and a hint of bitter coffee. Poured pitch black in color with a large, creamy, dense, slightly rocky, brown head that diminished but lasted throughout. Opaque. Lightly sparkling. Excellent lacing. Flavor is lightly sweet and light to medium bitter. Tastes of roasted malts, slight burnt malts, cream, light chocolate, light bitter coffee, slight hops, and a hint of wood. Medium body. Slick, creamy texture is a tad thin. Soft carbonation. Roasted malts, light cream, light chocolate, and slight vanilla finish is boring.