Dark Horse Reserve Special Black Bier

a bit too bitter in flavor for me. it’s pretty close to a weaker imperial stout. beautiful elegent appearance. aroma is pretty terrific, but the taste is just a bit too bitter and empty (otherwise) for me.

Bottle. Pours oily black, with a diminishing plummy brown head. Nice aroma of dark roasted malt, molasses, coffee, and hardwood mulch. Good initial flavor of burnt dark chocolate, brown sugar, and dark roasted malt. The finish is dry and bitter, with very pronouced roasted coffee flavors that linger.Parts of this beer remind me of 2004 MendocinoWinter (Porter). Whatever you do, do NOT drink this too cold.

Roasted malts and bitterness dominate this porter. Inky black pour with short, tan head. The aroma is mostly burnt malt, but underneath are notes of chocolate and coffee. After a swirl, you get a whiff of earthiness that seems out of place. The flavor is hefty on charred malts with a hint of licorice. That gives way to a bittnerness, somewhat reminiscent of strong, burnt, bitter coffee. The finish is dry. Medium to thick body seems heavier than a stout, more like an imperial stout than a porter. Sticky palate and a long, bitter finish.

Pitch black, nice sized creamy tan head. Looks like a stout! Looks wonderful regardless. What a lovely roast aroma with hints of smoke and hops. Taste - wow, incredibly flavourful. Porter roast taste comes through at first with a hint of sweetness and a bit of acidic sourness. This is followed up by a ton of flavour - more roast, this time more coffee like, dry bakers chocolate, and a good dose of hops. Seems thinner at first before exploding into a robust body. Long lingering roast and bitterness. Wow, big thanks to Hogtown Harry for the bottle. This is instantly one of my favourites!

Black, bitter, roasty, tasty. Not much complexity or anything, it’s just dark, good and delicious. I love how bitter it is. Hops and dark grains both contribute to that, and it works great. Some alcohol in the aroma, but none in the flavor. Get some if you can.

From a bottle purchased at the Beer Depot in Ann Arbor.

Pours a powerful viscous black with a modestly-sized deep brown head and abundant lacing.

The beer provides a nice big aroma: roasting coffee, dark plums, molassas, and a hint of smoke. The smoke dominates my first impression of the flavor, coming on much harder than expected with a taste of smoked almonds tinged throughout with tendrils of sweet dark malt, plenty of fruit rounding out the late middle of the sip, and bittering into a lovely hopped finish still fronting plenty of thai-iced-coffee sweetness. The mouthfeel is plain perfect.

Darn I’m impressed by this beer and I wish I could get it on a regular basis.

pours a sinfully black... looks and smells like a strong stout. the hoppiness is the only thing that could explain why this wasn’t labeled as an imperial porter... well, that and it’s abv. roasted malts and hint of acidity... almost an espresso-like acidity actually. hop profile balances nicely, esp. w/ the carbonation. another first rate beer from dark horse.

pours thick black looks like a stout. no light is getting through this one. small brown head that goes away quickly. huge aroma. roasted malts dominates with some licorice something slightly acidic. flavor just as big as aroma. very bitter coffee flavor slightly salty and acidic. body medium. finish very bitter roasted coffee. very appropriate carbonation not too much not too little. fantastic beer.