Dark Horse Amber Ale

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

A dissapointing effort by an otherwise dandy brewery. It pours a pale yellowish amber body with a slender off-white head. The faint aroma has some watery caramel and an earthiness to it. It tastes like watery, dusty caramel with watery molasses and a somewhat metallic bitterness. Hard to believe that Dark Horse is producing something like this.

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6/03/2007: Dark Horse Amber Ale pours a murky amber color with no head or crown. It is moderately sweet and balanced with some flavors of fruit, caramel, and yeast. This beer really isn’t that good in any way and it doesn’t get much better after it warms up somewhat! It has a medium-light body and feels thin on the palate. I’m not really sure how such a good brewery managed to produce such a mediocre and disappointing beer. It reminds me of a not so good homebrew from a beginner. I don’t really have anything good to say about this beer. Unfortunately I think it is somewhat of a disaster and Dark Horse should just discontinue producing it (or at least change the recipe!).

12 oz bottles from The Hop Shop in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Bottle from Chalet Party Shoppe in Goshen, IN. Pours amber with a nice off white head. Fruity hop and malty aroma. Medium light texture, and slightly earthy like a bottle conditioned homebrew. Initial flavor of caramel, dark bread, maple, and biscuit countered by a moderate hop bitterness. Middle has some fruitines. This was an interesting amber, and would pair well with food. Worth a second try.

12-oz. Thanks, SecretSanta! Pours a fairly (but not perfectly) clear medium amber with the faintest suggestion of off-white filmy head near the top. Not a real assertive presentation visually, and the aromatics aren’t much better; not too much happening on the nose other than some dank, faintly musty caramel. Modest attack; light body, low carb, tastes like yeast, wet bread, and maybe a touch of caramel malt. Another faint suggestion at the finish, this time of resiny hop. Very little finish overall. Pretty subdued and thrown-together even by amber ale standards.

I’m not a big fan of Belgian beers. This was Kind of weird. The earthy and pepper flavor is what made this different from most. Rerate: It’s been along time since The last try. This brew is outstanding. My favorite amber by far. Fruity aroma/flavor. Slick refreshing palate. Wonderful!!!

Bottle courtesy of moejuck: Poured a medium cloudy amber color ale with a small foamy head with minimal retention. Aroma of semi-sweet caramel malt with a faint yeasty presence is somewhat bland. Taste is refreshing with some semi-sweet caramel malt with a definite yeasty presence and no discernable hops. This was not a bad beer overall but still not something I would drink often.

I was just thinking of some belgian notes in this before i read captaincougar rating. Poured a reddish brown slightly cloudy color with a small white head. Aroma has some yeasty, biscuity, maybe caramel malty notes to it. I noticed some earthy notes in the flavor. Not to bad at all.

12oz bottle: Pours a transparent copper bronze with a thin, wispy-lacing froth of white head. Sweet toasty Belgian malty aroma has some peppery yeasty notes. Body starts lightly sweet and toasty, but thins toward a drier, earthy finish with a hint of black pepper. A nice, Belgian-style session brew.