Dark Horse Tres Blueberry Stout

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

I love blueberries and not many beers made with them have appealed much to me. This did. It poured out black with a fleeting brown head. The aroma of blueberries was not overpowering. It was joined by notes of chocolate, coffee, malt, barley. Good body to it and low carbonation. The flavor was rich with the blueberries singing backup rather than lead. Quite good.

Bottle shared with Decaturstevo and Beer_Hawk. Thanks Steve, this has been on my wants list for a long time. Pours dark black with a dissipating brown head. Aroma of fresh blueberries, dark roast, and even some smoke. Initial flavor of blueberry, chocolate and cereal. Middle has a notes of medium roast coffee and smoke. Soft bitter finish, with some faint mineral texture. This beer is nicely balanced, as it is not too sweet or roasty, and the blueberry is not overdone.

A deep black pour under a short & short-lived head the color of wet sand. At first I didn’t quite catch the blueberry in the aroma, instead focusing on the roasted maltiness and chocolate edges. Shortly thereafter, I caught a strong whiff of the berries, which seemed more soapy than fruity. Interesting, though. Additional notes of wildflowers. Flavor is an oddity with milk chocolate and berries and coffee roasts all clashing together at once. Each becomes more discernable in the aftertaste, at times very bitter and almost wooden, at times sugary sweet. Cherry, mint and even strawberry stouts I can understand, but I’ve never had chocolate-covered blueberries and I think I now know why. It doesn’t really "go"... does it? Ah, well. A unique experiment, I suppose.

<font size=-4>Single bottle from Wacky Willy’s... in front of <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Place/michigan/marsha Horse Brewing Co., Marshall, MI 49068</font>

Dark dark brown to black with a razor thin light tan head disappearing into nothing. The nose is dry stout dead on with a bit of dry roastiness. The blueberry is nice and subtle, but rather appropriate. The body is thin with low carbonation, completely as it should be for the style. The roast is intense in this flavor. A roasty bitterness seems to be backed up with a strong piney hop profile. A slight blueberry sweetness gives this a bit of balance, but the fruit doesn’t throw this off too much. A dry blueberry bite lingers with the roasty coffee finish. A bit of acidity, but again, appropriate to the style.

A gift from beastiefan2k. Very dark oily pour with a creamy dark brown head. Good aroma with strong blueberry announcing its presence over lots of dark chocolate, coffee and roasted barley. The flavour also shows lots of blueberry quality that just accentuates the chocolatey sweetness of the brew. Quite malty and sweet. Dark chocolate and roast on the back with a soft earthy bitterness countering all of the malty/chocolatey sweetness. Fairly complex malt base with a chewy leathery quality that complements the chocolate and roast. I can’t believe this is only 4.5% ABV.

Black with a large head on the pour that disappeared and left not trace. Light aroma of nothing distinguishable. The flavour has only a hint of blueberry, it seems very acidic and has more of a coffee feel. Bit of chocolate and burnt malts. I’d like to taste it with more blueberry as it may calm some of the big acidic and burnt flavours.

Bottle: Black, nice tan head and no lacing. Nose of fig, incense; the hops are too earthy and bright, clashes with the berry (columbus maybe?). Vague blueberry. The flavor is more balanced but isn’t as bright. This really needs an over the top berriness like the walking man cherry stout. Finishes nutty, stouty. Lacks cohesion.

Bottle. Thanks to Styles for this one. Poured a dark black body with thin head. Light blueberry aroma, roasted malt. Flavor is bitter sweet, syrupy blueberry taste, sugary, with a light chocolate undertone. Nice dessert beer.