Dark Horse Reserve Special Black Bier

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

I picked this out of my "cellar" (a box in my garage), having focused entirely on the "black bier" and thinking that it was a schwarzbier. As soon as I poured it, I knew that wasn’t right, because it was so opaque, black, and oily that I looked at the bottle and saw "ale". It is deep with roast, burnt notes and a fair degree of hops, akin to a Rogue stout. The palate suggests more body that a porter, quite clearly. The palate is luscious and compelling, though the bitterness of the finish prevents this from being a "fast drinker". Still, it is a well crafted brew, whatever its style.

12 oz bottle thanks to sprinkle. Lots of chocolate and roasty malt aroma coming off of this very black beer with a nice tan head. Flavors are very similar in bittersweet chocolate and some coffee. Burnt malt after taste too. One of my favortite porters so far.

The pour reveals a deep black color with a thin creamy light brown head. Rich and sweet aroma of chocolate and roasted malt. Very good flavor of chocolate, hops and roasted malt with a solid bitter finish, it’s assertive and well-done. The body has a light to medium thickness with a dry mouthfeel and soft carbonation. A superb porter.

12 oz. bottle via trade with 1Fast STi - Pours a deep dark brown color with a nice tan head. Spotty lacing. Has a nice coffee, chocolate aroma. Has a strong roasted malt flavor. Leaves a dry, bitter aftertaste. Medium body. As porters go, this one is a little too bitter and dry for my liking. Still, a good beer overall. Thanks Blake.

Dark color. Smell of roasted coffee, oatmeal, malt and some hops. Tastes of hops, sweet chocolate, coffee, rye and oatmeal with a nice dry bitterness. Nice differnt beer.

From a 12 oz. long neck brown bottle with a cartoon moose (my friend splitting this with me claims it’s a mule) on the front label, no bottled/freshness date. Good start, poured a opaque blackish brown with a foamy, fluffy tan head that settled into a thin foamy, skim-like lacing, good laced sticking. Aromas of roasted barley and malts, molasses and a berry fruitiness, and a subtle herbal hoppiness. Also light whiffs of alcohol. Good moderate stout carbonation and a crisp, dryish, slick and creamy smooth medium bodied mouthfeel. Big tastes of roasted barley and grains, a coffee maltiness, a berry fruitiness, raisins and prune juice, molasses sweet, a light herbal spicy hoppiness, the alcohol shows up towards the end giving the taste a bit of a bite, and a dry roasted malty finish. A tasty and balanced double stout from Dark Horse, a good sipper, dangerously quaffable, well worth trying.

The labeling of this beer confused me. I was under the impression I was buying a Schwarzbier. After looking this one up, I found out it was a porter. After pouring it in the glass, I realized it was actually a stout by any conventional and modern use of the term. This one has a great nose of raisons, something else sweet that my inadequate descriptive abilities can’t peg, and some roasted malt. Tan thin head on top of jet black beer. Very roasty and a little too thick. This is no porter, more of an Imperial Stout if you ask me. Had some alcohol on the back end that wasn’t quite enjoyable. This is a good beer in a style I don’t really like.

Bottle thanks to Styles! Poured a medium-viscocity black with a fairly well-retained cap of caramel head. Nose picked up a solid array of dark almost burnt malts (molasses, dark chocolate, raisin, and some soy) with herbal spices and hops... very nice. Burnt dark chocolate, coffee, and soy come on heavy at the front of the palate with herbs, anise, and alcohol pushing through the back end. Solid levels of acidity and coffee bitterness surround the tongue and carry through the finish. Heavier on the palate. Very nice brew!