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Dark Horse Reserve Special Black Bier

Dark Horse Reserve Special Black Bier - Porter

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 Percentile 
98
overall
Brewed by Dark Horse Brewing Company
Style: Porter

Marshall, Michigan USA

bottled
common

on tap
available

Regional Distribution
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 Ratings  Average  Score  ABV  Style Pctl  Serve in 
5503.87/5.03.85/5.07.5%99.3English pint, Stem glass
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Commercial Description:
Our Reserve Special Black Bier is a full bodied ale. Each batch is brewed with heavy roasted and chocolate malts to give this beer its unique flavors of coffee and chocolate. The color of this beer is black, and when pured into a glass it will have a deep brown head of foam.
 Most Recent Top Raters Highest Ratings Who's Rated This?  
 drewbeerme (2223), Chicago, Illinois, USA
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/105/57/104/515/20
Jan 4, 2007  
12oz bottle, pours pitch black with tan head. nose is very chocolaty, undertones of coffee, smoke, and dark fruits. flavor is extremely roasty, charred milk chocolate, dark fruits, and pretty bitter. mouthfeel is smooth but not as thick as a stout. this beer is complex but the flavors aren’t blended perfectly. to me this is really somewhere between a stout and an imperial stout not a porter, but it’s a great beer nonetheless. because it’s so good i can’t knock it for not being closer to style. when i want to drink a stout or imperial stout i’ll grab this and be happy. a great beer.


 sliffy (1966), Columbus, Ohio, USA
4.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/105/517/20
Jan 4, 2007  
Bottle: Black pour with a small tan head. Aroma, coffee, roasted malts, some chocolate, an earthy bitterness. Flavor, bitter coffee, some chocolate, roasty flavors. Rich and thick on the finish. A pretty good amount of bitterness on the finish. Really good brew.


 spector (906), Lancaster, Ohio, USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/516/20
Jan 3, 2007  
Good amount of chocolate in the aroma.Pours black with a large tan head.Bitter coffee and roasted malt stand out in the flavor.Medium to full mouthfeel with a bitter coffee finish.


 Hollywoodt (174), Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA
3.5 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/57/103/514/20
Dec 24, 2006  
Poured a dark brown with a minimal tan head. The color and consistency reminded me a lot of other stouts. The aroma was of roasted malt, with a hint of coffee and chocolate. Flavor was more of the same with just a touch of bitter thrown in. My only knock against this was that it was undercarbonated. Other than that, it was a good brew.


 jimmack (1221), Nutley, New Jersey, USA
3.7 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/57/104/515/20
Dec 20, 2006  
12oz. bottle thanks to SS MIBRomeo. Black with a small tan head. Mild roasted malt aroma with some dark chocolate and a bit of coffee. Flavor starts off quite bitter, with a harsh roasted taste. Mellows out after a couple of sips, with the chocolate coming through as well as a touch of hops. Quite enjoyable.


 puzzl (2586), New York, New York, USA
3.7 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/105/57/104/513/20
Dec 7, 2006  
Bottle from my winter secret santa. Started drinking this around 58 degrees, perhaps a tad too warm. It works fine at room temp., but I noticed some great flavors right off that I stopped noticing as it warmed.

Aroma is lots of toast, peanut brittle, bitter bitter coffee, cherry. Nice pitch black pour with a good head. Flavor is not as assertive as the aroma, with a striking dry bitterness (more coffee bitter than hops bitter), char, light chocolate. Slightly thin up front, this ends up being slighty thick in the finish. Solid.


 ogglethorp (885), Ohio, USA
3.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/57/104/515/20
Dec 5, 2006  
Bottle. Pour is oily black with a decent thick tan colored head. Aroma is chocolate, coffee, toasted malt. Flavor is coffee, chocolate, malt, caramel. Palate is full bodied with resiny feel to it. Very rich and creamy. Solid!


 nolankowal (850), Columbus, Ohio, USA
4.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/59/104/518/20
Dec 4, 2006  
Bottle courtesy of artusory, thanks again Ryan! Oily opaque black pour with a somewhat creamy yellowed-light tan head. The aroma is really big with roasted malt, chocolate and coffee with small tinges of cherry and some hazlenut...very inviting. The flavor doesn’t let down at all, tons of coffee and dark chocolate notes as well as a nice rostiness, a bit of nuttiness and some dark fruit elements. Oily slick mouthefeel that is also quite rich with a nice balance of sweet, bitter, roasty, and savory. The finsih really sticks with nutty and roasted elements...the soft carbonation of this beer also lends to the flavor and aromas. Overall a really damn nice porter, very rich and flavorful without being too thick. More and more I wish Dark Horse would distribute to Ohio because they have yet to dissapoint. Wonderful brew!



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