Dark Horse 3 Guy Off the Scale Old Ale

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

2004 vintage courtesy of footbalm. Bomber pours clear copper with thin head. The aroma is rich creamy and yummy. I get creamy candy caramel, some dark fruity esters, some alcohol and a bit of vanilla. Amazing and interesting. The taste is the same as the aroma with chewy sticky maltiness, a bit of pine flavor non hop bitterness, caramel goodness and a nice warming sensation. This brew has aged greacefully. Wonderful.

2008 release. Pours a clear reddish brown without much of a head at all. The nose is sweet and full of alcohol. Figgy leather and light sharp raisins. Sweet caramel malt is balanced by alcohol. Full slippery creamy mouthfeel. A bit viscous with subdued carbonation, about right for the style. Big sweet round malt. Caramelly and rich with figs and dates. A hint of toast is the only thing I don’t entirely love with this beer. Not much in terms of hops, just the standard english sort of barleywine hop level. Not to say this isn’t a great beer! The finish has some heat. This might age well, but it tastes so great now! (And I don’t know if there is any left at my local!) A bit of Nyquil in the finish, but I like that!

Commercial description just about nails it. Aftertaste consists of Cheerios and hints of juniper. Very nice.

2005 bottle thanks to hoppymeal. Look up big in the dictionary and this bad boy should be right there. Nice looking reddish-brown color with a medium size head. Aroma is mildly hoppy with alot of sugar and fruit sweetness. Taste is big and sweet with lots of citrus hops left over to go with some brown sugar, candy, and sweet maltiness. Big, sweet, smooth and a tad alcoholic sums this one up. The only problem is that the 2005 seems young, so I can understand the low ratings for the recent release. As for my 2008 bottle, its getting tucked away for quite some time. Nice brew!

12 oz. bottle courtesy of a trade with CaptainCougar. Another winner from Tom! Pours a dark, cloudy, rusty brown with a moderate tan head that diminished to a few bubbles after a couple of sips. Pleasant aroma of sweet malt and brown sugar. Lots caramel and brown sugar in the flavor, along with just a hint of orange. Nice chewy mouthfeel with some light dryness at the finish. Rich and full bodied. Some light warming from the alcohol at the swallow, but nowhere near what would be expected from a 15% abv beer. Very nice.

Bottles in trade from masonjer and d0b. Thanks!
Pours dark maroon and brown with a light tan head. SMell is a pleasant brown sugar, caramel and almost light cherry and soy sauce sweetness. Taste is slightly of dark fruits, balanced maltiness with some mild hops but not nearly as flavorful as I expected. Pretty mild overall, and some light alcohol shows, but no indication of 15%. Not bad by any means, but the flavor was a bit underwhelming. Will try another bottle in time to see if it changes for the better.

Bottle gifted to me by the ever-generous Pantanap. Thanks so much Kan! Another favorite of the night. Pours a beautiful reddish orange with some nice white lace. Aroma is very nice--hops are prevalent, along with a potpourri of fruits--dark and tropical, and a bit of alcohol but nothing close to 15%. This is shocking, really that this beer is 15%. Cannot taste it at all. Very yummy and well balanced. Quite enjoyable barley wine.

Bottle shared generously by Sam at the casual CC gathering. This one really came across like an English-style BW to me. Slightly hazy amber pour, no carbonation, like it had been laid down for many years. Still had some decent lacing though. The nose was very fruity, with some almost tropical notes in there somehow. A bit of heat but nothing too boozy, which is surprising given the 15%. A very nicely balanced blend of sweet toffee malts and tropical fruits.