Dark Horse 4 Elf Winter Ale

Brewed by Dark Horse Brewing Company
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Marshall, Michigan USA

12oz Bottle. Thanks Sean! Pours a dark, ruby-ochre clearish, with a softly-tanned rim in lacy soap. Aroma is very peculiar. A dense core of roasted onion caramel and savory herb spice produces a peculiar, yet invitinglt spiced aroma. I like this. It’s kind of like Anchor OSA done right. There’s some very particular, unfamiliar scents in here that remind me of venison with juniper, barbeque, and balsam. Earthy, to say the least. Flavor works more towards gingerbread and potpourri, unfortunately. The dense ginger, allspice, and nutmeg really reveal themselves for what they are in this edge. Some cinnamon makes this pie-like. The roasted edge of the caramels hold up well to the ample spice. Maybe a bit too heavy on the spice and the foo-foo, but it’s a good character that melds well with the belgian spice and the juicyfruit finish. Palate is fine. This is a decently spiced beer. It brings out the holiday haunts, because of the intensity and unique dimensions it carries. A nice Christmas beer. This beer does wear out the palate pretty quick, leaving my gums numb.

12oz bottle. thanks to Kan for this! pours dark brown with tan head. nose of chocolate, maple syrup, nutmeg, cinnamon, and spruce. flavors of chocolate, cinnamon, nutmeg, spruce, pumpkin, and mint. med body, lots of spices but they seem to meld well together. nice brew.

Had this on tap at the brewery. Pours a brownich color. Really sweet, spicey aroma. Tastes like a spicey, gingerbread christmas cookie. Big, well balanced, tasty and awesome for a holiday beer. I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Liked this one much more than most of the people I shared it with, and thanks to HailSquishFace for sending me not one, but two of these to enjoy. Pours a dark orange with specks of black throughout. Aroma is great, juniper and ginger. Smells like old time chrictmas cookies. Flavor is spice, with a good balance of hops and malt to balance it out. The spice is the dominate feature all over, but if that is what you want ina Holiday beer, this one is exceptional. I enjoyed it a lot.

draft - Pours dark brown with a thin, light tan head. It smells really spicy. I am thinking nutmeg, cinnamon, maybe some allspice. It is definitely those spices we associate with the holiday season. It tastes of spice and malt with a good balance of hops that asserts itself in the bitter finish. I see the ABV is listed here was 6.5%. The bartender told me that it was 9%. It did not taste that strong, but another employee said the same thing. It goes down like a session ale though. Very good.

Pours cola brown. The nose is strong spice and berries. Gagging nutmeg or allspice or clove or something. Either way I do not like this.

On tap at the 4 Elf Party at Dark Horse; also sampled in bottle. I was excited to finally try this beer that eluded my early beer treasure-hunting missions. Murky red-brown body, medium, extremely dense nitro-like head. The initial emphasis in the aroma is nutmeg, with hints of cinnamon and brown sugar, with increasing anise potency as the beer warms. The anise really asserts itself in the flavor, but never becomes overwhelming or cloying, to my relief. In addition to anise, nutmeg, toast, and brown sugar notes characterize the body. The anise finishes the beer with a bitter, vegetal finish. Fairly complex, creamy, and quaffable. This reminds me of a heavier Anchor Our Special Ale. I look forward to opening another bottle.

December 2008 release. Bottle. Opaque, very dark brown, almost black pour with a small, short lived off-white head. Strong pumpkin, gingerbread, cinnamon, and nutmeg aroma, with some back ground notes of dark fruit and clove. Luscious dark fruit and spice flavor with notes of gingerbread, molasses, and a roasty/smoky finish. Great depth and complexity of flavors. Rich oily medium-full body with plentiful carbonation. This is the epitome of a winter warmer.