Dark Horse Reserve Special Black Bier

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

yep, it’s black alright. a brown bubbled watery head sits atop it. roasted coffee nose. a bit of chocolate too and the caramel aroma of spilled dr pepper on a hot hibachi grill. roast is the dominant flavor too. chocolate and blue bell homemade vanilla flavored ice cream. some peanut butter in the finish. very nice balancing bitter that stays in the background out of the way and allows me to enjoy the dark malts and richness of this. this has a rich flavor, but a surprisingly light mouthfeel. a nice brew that i will happily take in a trade again. thanks, adam(atpayne)

12oz bottle via trade with sprinkle - Thanks Mike! - Pours thick like oil, black as night, with a creamy mocha head that stays around for a short time but laces down. Nice aroma of coffee, a touch of molasses, caramel, and chocolate. Flavor is roasty.. Lots of roasted and burnt notes, coffee, chocolate, molasses, a hint of licorice. Palate is thick and chewy with a somewhat creamy mouthfeel. This is liquid from the Gods.. Very nice stuff..

Sampled at the monthly meeting of the Champaign-Urbana Beer Club courtesy of Tom and Nancy (mamabeer). Thanks! Going into it, I was thinking this was a black ale and was pleasantly surprised when it came out to be a whole lot more. Notes of tar and sweet coffee on the nose lead into a think and extracted porter, with a solid roastedness and sweetness. Semi-sweet chocolate, coffee, and a bite from the hops meet up on the palate. A solid finish. Well done.

12oz bottle at Box Bar. Pours a thick oily dark dark black with almost no head. Nose is extreme roast, espresso, malt, molasses, and licorice. Taste is syrupy, very thick and clingy. Lots of chocolate, coffee, more malted milk balls, and lots of roast.

Black. Small brown head. Pours like motor oil. Roasty, burnt, chocoffee, malt, licorice-aroma. Similar flavor with some cola and subtle spices, hops coming through also. Complex. Full, smooth body. Bitter chocoffee finish. Unique brew. Excellent.

Very dark brown, thick body with minimal tan/orange head that leaves some nice lacing. Aromas are heavy of dark malt, coffee and chocolate. The aroma flavors come through strongly in the tasting, but they are all pretty bitter. Coffee is more like espresso, chocolate is unsweetened chocolate, and malt flavors are slightly burnt, perhaps excentuated by the bitterness from the hops. Mouthfeel is silky but dry. Well balanced... maybe a little too bitter for some, but an excellent offering from Dark Horse.

bottle. dark black, aroma of chocolate and coffee. flavor is rich chocolates, roasted malts and coffee. This is a great beer. It may be my new favorite.

12 oz bottle, via MAP. Dark black pour with a small short lived chocolate brown head. Chocolate and roasted malt aroma, hints of coffee. Flavor is a mix of bakers chocolate and coffee nicely balanced with hop bitterness. Finish is coffee as well, with alcoholic warmth. Full bodied and chewy with an oily texture and fine bottle conditioned carbonation. Pretty robust for a porter, bordering on Imperial Stout territory. Alot of depth to the flavor. Second beer from Dark Horse, and second winner.