Dark Horse Reserve Special Black Bier

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

12 oz bottle - thanks MatSciGuy! Pours black with tannish brown head that recedes quickly. Flavor is full on roasty, rich malty notes. If I didn’t know any better, I’d be thinking "Dry Stout." Nice synergy between the hops and the carbon from the roasting.

On tap at the brewpub. These guys know how to do dark beers. Dark black with a foamy beige head with rocky rivers running through it. Charred wood, coffee, molasses, dark fruits and good hop kick to boot. Wow.

Pours thick black with brown head. Tons of chocolate and roasted notes in the nose, a good amount of coffee, and a bit of alcohol astringency. Lots of coffee, chocolate, and roasted notes in the flavor, some slight dark fruit and bitter hop is also present. One of the more flavorful porters I’ve had and also one of the best.

bottle: pours a very black with a good creamy espresso foam coloured head. aroma is a great roasty adn some fantastic dark chocolate. the flavours mirror the aroma jsut seem more poerful on the palate. the roast and dark chocolates are near perfect. the finish is excellent with more of the chocolate.

bottle. pours a pitch balck color with a medium brown head. it has a nice roasty aroma. taste is nice and roasty. bitter and dry. nice.

12 oz bottle into a tulip. Pours dark brown/black with a thin brown coffee-colored head that dissipated fully. Aroma is a wonderful mix of dark fruit (plums/dates), sweet malt, roast coffee, molasses, and bitter dark chocolate. Tastes of coffee, bitter hops, dark chocolate, and a touch of sweetness. Finishes quite dry. Thin, somewhat watery mouthfeel, but smooth with very subtle carbonation. Delicious, and the aroma really makes this one a winner.

Pours a slightly oily black with a small brown froth on top. Fantastic aroma, deep roasted malt and lots of smokey creamy chocolate... and yea dusty cardboard is a good descriptor for the aroma. First taste is both sweet and bitter... lots of character. Dark fruits, licorice, roasted malt, chocolate, some burnt malts, and sour cream. Definitely reminds me of a schwarz. Medium/full body with ample carbonation that makes it more of a drinker than a sipper. Not sticky at all. The hops play big but still let the malts carry the beer.... well crafted.

4/23/2007: Dark Horse Reserve Special Black Bier is near black in color and pours clear. There is a good-sized foamy brown head the slowly collapses and leaves a frothy dark tan crown on the beer. Thick foamy lacing with brown speckles cover the glass almost from beginning to end. Semi-sweet chocolate, some alcohol, and delicate char (nice complexity) can be found in the very nice aroma. The flavor contains heavily roasted malts, dark chocolate, and coffee. The flavor isn’t really that sweet and it has a perfectly balanced bitterness from all the roasted malts. The roastiness is like dry roast all the the way to just before being burnt; it’s just perfect! The finish has a wonderful milky/creamy dry cocoa and espresso flavor. There is no alcohol detectable in the flavor. The body of this beer is full and it feels very smooth in the mouth. Dark Horse Reserve Special Black Bier is quite complex and almost reminds me of an Imperial Stout! 12 oz bottle from illinismitty. Thanks Sean!