Dark Horse 3 Guy Off the Scale Old Ale

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

12oz bottle at Richlikebeer’s YEHA ’05. ahh, Dark Horse, the brewery with the ugliest labels and incorrect oz. listings on the bottle. said it was 1 pint 9oz, I think. anyway, this one poured cloudy amber golden, with a tan foamy head. vinuous hoppy aroma. malty vinuous flavor. a little sharp alcohol whiskey finish.

cloudy off brownish orange color small tan head decent lacing. Sweet carmel aromas very very light citrus hop notes lots of sweet dark fruit notes hints of plum and a touch of alcohol. Well carbonated very sweet large plums and maybe some grape... some definate alcohol notes and carmel and a lighty bitter. Pretty dang good stuff.

Sampled at the Yeha. Poured a cloudy amber with a white head. Flavor is sweet caramel and citrus. Taste follows from the aroma with fruit and caramel but with some yeasty character with a dry alcoholic finish.

12oz bottle. Poured a medium and cloudy amber color with a smaller sized off white head. Aromas of dark fruits, light alcohol, caramel and yeast. Tastes of mainly dark fruits with some caramel. Warming alcohol finish.

Truly a very nice representative of this style. The cloying malt, the oh so bitter hop counterpoint. The trademark flavors: toffee, citrus, raisins, dates. The alcohol is evident but not conspicuous. A very easy drinking big beer.

Bottle: Burnt caramel in color, moderate light beige foamy head, fairly nice lacing.   Strong alcohol presense on the nose.   Candied applies, sugared orange peel, chocolate covered rum balls, and dark pitted fruit also make up the aroma.   Malty and bready up front, quite warming too, alcohol is noticeable but manageable.   Candied fruit on the backside, somewhat sweet, with a citric bitterness that is fairly subtle.   Touch of vanilla, figs, and dates on the finish.   Big in body, mouthfeel seems fairly moderate tho.   A bit of a twang after the finish, somewhat like raw alcohol.   Good stuff, but maybe a bit too foward on the alcohol.   While not bitter or harsh, a year or two will do this one some good me thinks.   A big thanks goes out to Schroppfy, Jah Noth, and Santa Clark for sending me this stuff!!!   I am really glad I ended up with multples of this one because due to unforseen circumstances I might not have had the opportunity to rate this one.

Bottle (12-9-2005) and tap (12-29-2005.) Beautiful, hazy and semi-translucent ruby color with a small grey dust concentration near the center of the snifter to serve as the head. Aroma achieves perfection by assembling a sweet, sugary, red fruit symphony: ripe maraschino cherries, sugary cherry Jolly Ranchers, cherry amaretto cheesecake, strawberry shortcake and raspberry syrup over graham cracker crumble. Freesia, juniper and boysenberries serve as a supporting role to solidify the nose. Thick interlude of flavor, like a cherry almond nougat. Jovial, with the bitterness creeping up post sip and settling in on the back flap of the tongue. Anticipated amaretto from the nose comes to fruition in the flavor. A little swish in the mouth stirs up more bitters and invigorates grenadine, honeysuckle rose and other garden allegories (juniper, again, along with lilacs) and maple syrup over red raspberries. Sticky, thirst inducing and warming the vocal box. Bitterness builds throughout the experience, with a bitter dance of the tongue’s underbelly being most prominent in the finish, as we thirst with memories of brandy, strawberry fields and maple vats chock full of sugar and caramel chews. On tap, the malt profile felt even sweeter and more syrupy. A dream come true on draft. This one is quite delicious. Rich and fulfilling. Dare I say after dinner drink? Dark Horse doesn’t disappoint. In a year, this will be the smoothest of sippers, should I be so lucky to land another bottle. Thanks so much for the bottle, Styles!

Clear, ruby body with a thin, quickly-diminishing off-white head. An intense aroma mostly dominated by alcohol, but with definite notes of ripe prune, raisins, molasses, cinnamon, licorice, pine, caramel, grapefruit, toffee, bread, alcohol, apple and some pepper. Thick and robust mouthfeel but isn’t syrupy or sticky and the carbonation is soft and supple. The flavor is sweet, but not cloying as the nose would suggest. The caramel, simple syrup, toffee, molasses and other sugary flavors are the dominate flavors and the addition of the fruit adds some interesting complexity and depth. Luckily, this is well hopped-not so American C-hop piney bitterness-and the balance is superb. At this level of alcohol, the hops are really necessary to balance the sweet malt backbone. This is maybe the best balanced Barley Wine at this level I can remember drinking. Nothing dominates the others. I wonder if the name implies that the three ingredients (not called water) are at such levels that they seem off the scale. I don’t know, but maybe the got lucky and balanced this beauty without measuring everything out. Either way, it’s tasty and enjoyable.