Dark Horse 3 Guy Off the Scale Old Ale

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

(12oz bottle, thanks Pailhead) Small off-white head atop a clear copper body. Aroma is moderately sweet, grapefruit, caramel, raisin, syrup/molasses, light banana. Taste is very sweet, caramel, raisin, grapefruit, light alcohol burn in the finish. Medium-full body, but a bit thin for the big sweet flavors.

12 oz bottle via trades with Duane and sprinkle.. Thanks Duane and Mike! - Pours a nice ruby amber color with a fair tan head. Aroma was nice sweet caramel, brown sugar, and some citrus hops. Flavor is a good blend of those things as well. some definite cherry notes there as well. Finishes smooth with a lingering sweet aftertaste. Pretty nice..

Sampled at the monthly meeting of the Champaign-Urbana Beer Club courtesy of Duane. A solid barleywine that would hold up well to a longer ageing, although Noah was fairly certain this had already spent some time in the cellar, and I think that might have been the case. Notes of butterscotch, cream, and orange on the nose. Toffee, caramel, apricot, and honey on the palate leading into a nice hopped finish. A well crafted barleywine, and one that I hope I’ll see more of when in MI in February.

Bottle thanks to styles! Pour was a deep, sparkly ruby with a ring and a spattering of off-white head. Huge aroma with dark fruits and raspberries, grassy hoppage and caramel... but the big, mean alcohol lurking in there almost washed the rest of the nose away. First impression on the tastebuds was tart raspberries and bright alcohol. Caramel and dark fruity sweetness follow, along with some herbal/grassy hoppage. The alcohol never lets you forget that it’s there. Finish lasted a while, with dark berries and booze... mild herbal bitterness. Tart and bitter from the fruit and alcohol on the palate, yet there was enough malt presence to balance things out and provide a nice distribution of flavors. Warming and intoxicating going down. Good young... looking forward to seeing if greatness ensues with age!

On tap at Dark Horse. Amber body with redish highlights and a thick, creamy off-white head. The aroma is caramel and pine with a touch of alcohol. The flavor is caramel, toffee, pine and grapefruit. Finish is soapy with big chunky bitterness. The mouthfeel is big and chewy.

Crimson ruby color, nice swirl of tan head and lacing. The aroma is both fresh and fruity with notes of raspberry, flower nectar and grass. Very lively along with some dark caramel and earthy hops. The flavor pops with bourbon and licorice acompanied by some toasty nutella cocoa flavor and rich molasses steam. Mashmallow and juniper flavors on the finish. A light presence of bitterness and alcohol and a moderate amount of sweetness. Very nice barleywine with complex flavors, well hidden alcohol and nothing too overbearing. Subtle and relaxed yet quaffable and satiating. Thanks Andre!

Pour is nice ruby hazed brownish with a nice dense skin of a tan head...smell is sweet with lots of caramel and toffee and some nice grassy hop notes...taste is hot, but not overly so...oh wait, maybe I lied...I still taste alcohol 2 minutes after the first sip...some definate dark fruits (cherries and prunes) with a strong hop bitterness...bitter and rather alcoholic finish...good, but seems a little unbalanced...

Thanks to Styles for trading me this. The beer pours to a hazy coppery red color with a creamy beige head. The aroma has noticeable hops. Grassy and citrus. Also present are smooth lightly malted barley and cherries. Too light. Perhaps the wrong glassware was used (didn’t have a snifter handy). The flavor is very strong. Hoppy malts. (Maris Otter?). I like the smooth malts. The palate has noticeable alcohol yet isn’t offensive. Medium-thick bodied and nice. I’d buy 2 and shelve one for a couple years.