Dark Horse Plead the 5th Imperial Stout

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

12 oz. bottle courtesy Pailhead. Thanks! Dark brown pour with nearly no head. Roasted malt aroma with a subtle coffee, chocolate, fruity thing going on. Taste is very similar with a more pronounced and slightly tart fruitiness. Full bodied but feels like on the tongue. Alcohol extremely well hidden. Very intriguing.

12oz bottle from MrBendo and drewbeerme - thanks, Todd and Andrew! Very still, settled pour. Rich chocolate aroma, some faint traces of roasted malts in there. Bitter taste up front, with a chalky finish that dissipates quickly, leaving some slightly sour fruits. Strange finish to what comes on as a strongly malty (albeit somewhat anonymous) imperial stout. Not quite up to DH’s other entries in this series, but still solid.

The Dan Journal #202. Tasted 7/10/08. 12oz bottle. Dark brown and dense hue. Sparse khaki ring of head. Aromas of cocoa dust and raisins. Full bodied with a bitter cocoa flavor. Raisins and coffee, yet with less bitterness. Tangy and sticky. Solid rolling palate.

Pours muddy dark black with a small frothy light brown head. Aroma is moderatly to heavily malty of dark bread, cookies and roasted malts, lightly hoppy and moderatly yeasty of tawny and smoke. Flavor starts well balanced , roasty, toasty, and nutty, finish is also well balanced, nutty with a nice bitterness. Medium to fluu bodied, creamy and softly carbonated. Nice!

Bottle. Pour is a spectacular dark, dark brown with a head that hesistates at first and then slowly forms into a thin, tan cover. Aromas are huge and interesting: coffee, chocolate, burnt aromas, charcoal, prunes or other dark fruit, Flavor is a great mix of the aromas mentioned above… but comes off as a little less full than some of my all time favorites (think Expedition). In spite of this, the alcohol is wonderfully held in check by all that is going on, so it doesn’t go down like a shot of whisky or anything like that. Just a pleasant warmth. I should also point out that there is a very silky vanilla backbone to all of this that I didn’t see coming… it is a little different and gives the beer some uniqueness. I should also add that this one got better as it warmed and I will definitely drink the second bottle at cellar temperature.

Carolina Crew Gathering Greenville, NC. Thanks to Sprinkle for this!. Thin black pour with a tan head and slight lace. Very big roasty aroma, almost smokey. Thin Mouth-feel Chocolate, coffee, and rum (probably molasses) Alcohol is well masked.

Bottle courtesy tpd975. Pours black with a one finger tan head that leaves good lacing. Aroma of roasted malt, a hint of smoke, molasses, chocolate, and coffee. Taste is the same as aroma but more prominent. Medium full mouthfeel with a moderate amount of bitterness and very smooth alcohol. Very good.

Bottle courtesy of tpd975. Pours thick black, with a brownish head. Aroma is lightly smokey and of dark fruits. Taste is roasty, and very sweet, malty with slight note of smoke, some chocolate / coffee and candy sugar to make it a great Imperial Stout.