Draft sample at MBGF Summer08 under the name Porter. Poured clear dark brown color with an average frothy light brown head that mostly lasted with fair lacing. Moderate roasted coffee, caramel and chocolate aroma. Medium to full body with a smooth texture. Medium to heavy sweet flavor with a medium to heavy bittersweet finish of moderate duration. Good drinkable beer.

Poured like molasses from the tap with a tan head. The balanced aroma/taste of coffe and smoke are consistent throughout this one, but nothing special.

Growler... Murky pitch black ale with a small, creamy, lightly tanned head. Smoky, chocolaty aroma. Well-balanced, deeply roasted flavor. Medium-bodied with medium carbonation. Finishes toasty, singed and dry. Thanks to artusory for providing the sample!

2003-2004 bottle (don’t remember exactly) from Styles, drunk on 1/24/07
Heavily sedimented bottom shows how unfiltered Dark Horse is. Leaving the sediment behind as best as possible, the beer is still more or less opaque (though slight ruby-magenta highlights break through on the edges and near the surface). Dark beige head forms small, but very creamy and dense, leaving moderate lacing on the glass and eventually fading to partial cover. The body is nearly black, with an earthy brown tint.
Luscious chocolate and fudge rise up easily in the nose, filling the senses quite well and lending an afterthought of lightly salty char. Strong, sweet base malts combine with the dark malts to add a creamy-sweet vanilla character that nearly matches the intensity of the fudginess up front, and soothes the nose on its way to a more dry finish. Light malt phenolics provide moderately strong notes of anise, with a light breadiness and almost what you might consider to be a bit of smoke. It’s all very cohesive by this point in its age and interestingly, there seems to be no off-flavor nor much more than a slight glimpse of oxidation. With warming, the vanilla seems to dry out and the aroma becomes almost fluffy without being overly sweet. The dry, anise-laden finish reaches out farther in to the middle of the aroma to cut the fudge and chocolate. No alcohol noted, medium-high strength of aroma.
Chocolate-vanilla iced cream flavored beer is pretty spot on for the first few notes, though slowly some light earthiness from the roasted barley emerges adding light coffee tones (very faint) and bits of dry roasted graininess. The sweet, velvety fudge-like flavors easily win out, however and the beer comes off as one of the more creamy, velvety, soft stouts I’ve had in some time. Very much like their cream stout. Carbonation is low, but not really lacking, giving some life to the body and helping to highlight the dry anise and bitter chocolate notes that sit on the finish. Light char and lively vanilla-liqueur-like warmth are somewhat evident on the finish, especially with warming, giving yet another layer of complexity and intrigue. Medium-sweet, with a medium body, but not too sweet (which is saying a lot coming from me). Perhaps a bit more roast would lend a some assertiveness to balance the creamy-soft ride from start to finish. Though if you like sweet, soft, chocolate stouts, you’ll love this.

Growler, courtesy of artusory. Thanks, Ryan! Pours a dark brown appearance; light tan head with good retention. Wet malts and milk chocolate in the aroma; light spice. Medium mouthfeel: milk chocolate and caramel; somewhat creamy; medium, dry chocolate finish.