Dark Horse 12-12-12

Brewed by Dark Horse Brewing Company
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Marshall, Michigan USA

MBG 7-21-06. Murky dark brown, beige head. Huge chocolate roast and faint dark fruits in aroma. Flavor dominated by toffee and chocolate. Roasty, toasted malts through and through. Some spice I can’t pinpoint. Very faint dark fruit, would guess raisin. Creamy smooth mouthfeel. Would expect more fruit in a belgian, but interesting regardless. Well done.

Notes from ’06 GTMW. Aroma of sour cherries, bourbon, and alcohol. Hazy caramel mahogany with no head. Flavor of toffee, bourbon, anise, Belgian yeast, cherries, and light unsweetened chocolate bitterness. Surprisingly light bodied with a tinge of carbonation. Pretty good.

Pours a cloudy golden color with a thin white head. Aroma and flavor of sweetness and yeast. The body is light to medium with a creamy texture and moderate carbonation. It’s simple but well done, although the yeast lacks a strong belgian character.

Tap at MBG Fest ’06. Very dark brown in color, no head or lacing. Decent Belgian yeast aroma, moderate fruitiness, spice. Some darker fruits. Medium bodied. Yeast seems to dominate taste, moderate fruits, some higher alcohols. Decent.

Tap @ GTMW 2006. Hazy and light caramel brown in color with a huge grey skid mark flying across the head. Caramelized hazelnuts introduce the sweet treat to the olfactory, with buttery glazed honey residing on fresh French pastries in supporting roles. Huge flavor profile emits hot pears and bananas, with an equally authoritative bitterness. Buttery almonds and fusel alcohol demand hot attention. Bitterness builds like once caramel coated pine bark with bitter pockets breaking one-by-one. Full-bodied palate presence with lavender and honey teaming with buttery hazelnuts, and a nearly syrupy pear wine persona hit a plateau unto the finish. Quite lovely and quite unique.

Draught. Deep black with a mocha head. Aroma is very fruity with some berries, yeast, and dark malt. Lots of chocolately flavour, leafy hops, dryness, and fruit substance. Very good.

Draught at 2006 MBG Summer Festival. Pours a dark oily black with no head. Aroma of wood (barrel-aged I guess?), roasted malt, dark fruit or molasses. Flavour of wood (bourbon or whiskey), sweet malt, dark fruit and some slight roastness and chocolate. Medium bodied. I liked it but I must say this whole barrel-ageing everything is getting old.

Draught sample at MBG 2006 Summer Festival. Ruddy dark brown, still body. Aroma of roasted malt and whiskey, like a strong rye & coke. Big, sweet flavours - malt, fruit, some whiskey and a bit of cocoa in the finish. Keeps the alcohol in check pretty well. Not bad at all.