Dark Horse Fore Smoked Stout

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

Again, thanks to SQNfan for the bottle via trade...CHEERS!!! This one was a step above the Cream Stout...very similar in terms of the two A’s, but more Aggressive swiss chocolate, dark-roast Starbucks coffee, and toffee/caramel. Even the label is Aesthetically pleasing. A rating!!! If this is Available in your Area, TRY IT!!!

While not as taken by this as some others, it was a good beer. Dark, alomost black, with a tan head. Did not get much smoke in the aroma, which is good, or in the taste, which is better. Just a light wisp of smoke. Other notes more apparent were roasted barley, dark coffee, chocolate malt. Flavor was dark chocolate, roasted nuts, and that hint of smoke. Nice.

Pours the darkest possible, opaque chocolate brown to virtually black body. A small, foamy, chocolate brown head dissipates quickly to a wispy film with a pronounced edge. Minimal traces of spotty lacing are noted. The aroma shows rich dark and light chocolates, chewy nougat and caramel, roasted barley, and some dark fruits. A light smoked peat aroma enters the fold, adding depth and character. There are some traditional Baltic characteristics in the nose, as dark fruits and rich, chocolaty malts are uninterrupted by any hop character. The flavor follows suit, with rich, roasty malts again dominating. The smoked peat really comes through, blending perfectly with the decadent chocolate and caramel. Hints of alcohol soaked figs and dates emerge adding yet another layer of malty goodness. The mouthfeel is just shy of full and quite viscous, with just a hint of cloying sweetness showing after the long, smoky, roasted finish. What an awesome beer. Dark Horse knows all things stout! Great beer.

Fore Smoked Stout pours an opaque black with a tan head. The aroma is smoky, as advertised, but also kind of sweet. The flavor is a clash of chocolate and cheap cigar. After having One, Too, Tres, and Fore of the Dark Horse Stouts, I find this one to be the most distinctive, but not my favorite.

12oz from EithCubes - thanks, Mike! Man, these guys at Dark Horse know what they’re doing. This is the last of the initial quartet I’ve sampled and I’d rate it on a par with the others. That is to say, it’s a distinctive, earthy brew that’s very satisfying and awesomely drinkable. Thick dark pour, very handsome, with minimal head. The barley malts are immediately prominent in the nose, and they are satisfying. But boy, those peat malts give this one a quirky character that contrasts vividly - and tastily! - with the chocolate qualities. Good stuff, guys!

This was a strange brew for me as I haven’t had a smoked beer before. I got the smoke immediately on the aroma and the taste. It has had a charcoal aftertaste.

Pours a thick oily pitch black with a small light brown head. Aroma of roasted malts, smoke, barley and liquid smoke. Taste of roasted malts, dark chocolate, barley and liquid smoke. Very smoky in both aroma and taste, but in a pleasant way. Very nice.

Weakest of the new DH stouts thus far. The taste is fine, but the smoke is really really light for this one. Almost an intro smoke stout, I really wanted more out of it. The smoke is present slightly in the aroma, and almost none in the flavor. This seems to be what they were going for, but, I’ll skip this one next time. Still, a solid offeringREALLY loving the DH Stout line up so far though! Can’t wait for 5!