Dark Horse Reserve Special Black Bier

Thanks to maniac for this one! Dirty motor oil black, very slight dark brown head. Thick slightly burnt molasses aroma, slight pepsin. Slightly smoky too. Flavor matches, with an emphasis on the burnt molasses. An excellent sipper.

Date: 04/12/2006
Mode: Bottle
Source: Trade

solid black, whispy brown head, lightly sweet chocolate and roasted aroma, creamy body, rich malt flavor with a great chocolate character that just gets richer and richer, a nice bitter roasted finish, hint of fading tartness, much better than the typical alt as it has body and flavor
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Date: 02/10/2008
Mode: bottle
Source: tasting

rich dark chocolate aroma with a sweet fruity character, rich chocolate flavor, a bit dry and powdery, touch of fruit, long dry bitter chocolate finish,

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 12/20
Rating: 3.1/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **+/4

Pours out a very viscous black with thick brown head that fades quickly. Aroma is of roasted malt, chocolate, slight coffee and some charred wood. Taste is almost like a french roast, with strong roasted malt character, bittersweet chocolate, and like hop profile to keep things from getting lop-sided. Full bodied and moderately carbonated with a creamy finish and just enough alcohol to show through to let you know this porter packs a punch. Solid.

Pours a very dark brown with a thin tan head. It’s almost like pouring out mud or sludge. Smells of alcohol, chocolate, and deep roasts. The taste is very chocolaty and dark/burnt roasts. My favorite porter so far!

Very black with a clingy ring of tanned foam. Nose sugest burnt butterscotch, charred raisins, buttered and blackened toast. A hint of tart cranberry and sweet oatmeal cookies. Taste presents a serious counterpoint. A barren espresso bitterness with that dry soapy bite is somewhat singular at first. Black malt is thick and powerful, lending an earthy, pure cocoa flavor. Very dry with a distant intimation of lemon and even orange zest. Steamed vegetal edges along the inside of the popcorn bag. Day old cold press. Something really interesting is hiding here, and doing it too well. Palate is smooth, slightly sweet, and dramatically dry. Lopsided. More gravity would do nicely.

Bottle. Pours opaque black with a rich creamy khaki head. Excellent lacing. Wonderful nose: roasted malt, dark chocolate, coffee, vanilla and roasted marshmallow. Very dry flavor profile. Loads of dark roasted malt. Honestly, I was looking for more. A tad light on the body. Beautiful color and nose didn’t quite live up to my expectations. A good ale, though.

Bottle thanks to Ughsmash! Poured an opaque black with virtually no head and no lacing. Aromas of roasted chocolate malt and a bit of astingency. Taste was a wallop of roasted chocolate, lots of sweet malt up front chased by bitter malts. Medium bodied porter with good carbonation, almost no alcohol taste at all. Aftertaste was a roasty bitter. A very roasty and bitter porter that balances the sweet and bitter malts very well together. A great porter, has the same malt characteristics of a good stout.

I really enjoyed this one. Poured black with tan head. Aroma of roasted malt and strong chocolate. Flavor was mostly coffee followed up by chocolate. Some earthy hop hints in the finish. Clean and refreshing.