Dark Horse Amber Ale

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

Pours a hazy golden color with a very small tan head. Light to no lacing. Subtle malty aroma, with light esters. Some hop aroma. Very light body beer. No lingering after taste, but a tad bitter on the sipping. Shared with cbkschubert on X-Mas.

Bottle. Light amber in color. Clear. Three-finger, off-white head. Good retention, with some lacing. Fragrant hops aroma. Toasty malt taste with a crisp, bitter finish. Flavor is a bit weak. Medium/light mouthfeel.

(bottle at Cellars tasting) Pours amber with an off-white head. Hoppy aroma with slight apple and yeast. Taste is slight caramel with a grainy/bitter finish and medium mouthfeel.

12 oz bottle poured into a pint glass. Pours amber with a average off-white fizzy head that shrinks to a smal film and leavs spotty lacing. The aroma is different, almost a light burnt malt aroma followed by the aroma you would get from a Hefe, bannana and cloves. No hop aroma. Taking a drink first I taste biscuit and toasted malts, no hop flavor, but it tastes almost like a hefe, bannana and a clovyness, and in the end it leaves a metallic finish. The body is medium with a dry/creamy texture and lively carbonation. Overall, this beer was good, but different, I like my amber’s a little cleaner tasting, the clovyness was odd.

12 oz. bottle, no freshness date, sampled in a snifter. Unfiltered hazy appearance, bright amber hued copper in color, small, tight off-white head that settled into a thin bubbly lacing. Not much in the way of head retention or any laced sticking. An estery nose of banana and pears, followed by clove and hints of pepper and orangey coriander. Traces of floral hops, the malts are mildly caramelized sweet with touches of toasted biscuits. Smooth medium bodied, the carbonation dies out a little too quickly, becomes flat feeling towards the end. The hops are more noticeable in the taste, herbal before turning dry spicy bitter in the finish. Softly tart fruity tastes, namely banana and green pears. Also pepper and sticky clove from the yeast. Lightly toasted biscuity malts along with a caramelized sugariness. I like a dry finish, but this was a bit too harshly arid for my tastes. This was a lot better from the tap when I had it at the brewpub last fall, I was disappointed with the bottled version, and I normally like anything from Dark Horse.

[Bottle, Cellar’s Tasting] Pours clear orange with an off-white head. Aroma and taste are grainy with little else going on with it. Fairly thin. Decent finish. Nothing special.

An OK amber ale. Light red color and moderate carbonation. Aroma has some home, and overall this is more bitter than most of the style. Some grass in the flavor. Dry, malt finish.

Sampled at Cellar’s Wine & Spirits Wedesday evening beer tasting in St Paul, MN. Pours a clear coppery amber brew with a fast dissolving white head. Aroma of multi-grain and caramel malt, a touch of dry spice and flowery hops. Taste is medium bodied, light carbonation with flavors of dry caramel malt, a touch of orange zest and some dry fruit. Finish is semi-sweet with a dry biscuty malt aftertaste.