Dark Horse 12-12-12

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

Draft at Dark Horse. Black pour with a small frothy light brown head that lasted. Heavy complex sweet smoky aroma. Medium to full body. Solid sweet roasted malt flavor with a moderate bubblegum hoppy finish. Complex and interesting brew.

On tap at the brewpub. The body was black with a tan and light orange head. The aroma was sweet peaches with cinnamon and a little ginger. The taste was chocolate. There was also some light hints of vanilla with oak and a bit of banana. An interesting beer.

Draught. At 2006 Michigan Brewers’ Guild Festival. Dark murky brown, no head to speak of. Sweet yeast and spicy malt aroma, lightly roasty, very moreish. Flavour follows the aroma, sweet caramel malt, spicy and yeasty, the malt almost has a burnt character. Average body, decent carbonation, syrupy with an almost herbal finish - nice NorAm dubbel.

Michigan Brewers Festival 2006. Black headless body. Funky lightly sour aroma over muted roasty malt. Light woody notes. Similar flavour, with the wood emerging more, and dominating over the sweet malt. Medium palate. Decent, not really for me. 7/3/7/3/14

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.

Rating 12-12-12 bourbon barrel aged. Very low carbonation but thats how it’s supposed to be. Black with no head and aroma of boozy bourbon and some vanilla. Taste is mostly bourbon and if you can get past that, theres some chocolate and caramel but it’s a far reach to get that much. Sugary sweet with some nuttiness, Full bodied. IMHO, just too much bourbon. Rating 2400.

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.

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.