Dark Horse Plead the 5th Imperial Stout

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

12 oz bottle. Dark brown with tan haze. Nose of coffee, chocolate and Hoisin. Medium body with a light tang. Taste is black coffee and molasses. Dries with licorice and a squirt of grapefruit.

12 oz bottle pours dark and opaque with a small light brown head. Aroma of dark chocolate, molasses, vanilla, coffee, and dried dark fruits. Taste is even more complex than the aroma, as notes of caramel, cherry skins, leather, prunes, and anise join the dark roasty chocolate and coffee essences. Excellent! This one belongs in the top tier of American impy stouts.

Bottle. Had it at the Map Room in Chicago. this beer was excellent. I was surprised with the full flavor and body. good amount of coffee flavors with some chocolate and malt.

Bottle shared by wetherel at the PP Bottle Shop again, thanks John. Silky black with faint wisps on the surface. Lots of licorice and molasses in the aroma, with nuances of oats, charcoal and plum. Medium coffee flavor, some bbq smoke and bittered chocolate. Dry roasty finish with a lasting note of caramelized sugars.

12oz bonus bottle from grimreeser on 4/1/08. Thanks! Great bonus. Had at PP bottle shop with Justin and Sean. Pours flatish, but a small tan on other pours. Black. Thick body. Some roasty and ashy flavors, but very mellow, as if the bottle had some nice age on it. Possibly a little sweet. Pretty decent.

Wow. Awesome stuff! Pours jet black with no head. Aroma of sweet chocolate. Taste is smooth of roasted chocolate. Malty and nutty in the finish.

12 oz bottle shared by hophead75! Pours one of the darkest black stouts I have ever seen- no doubt, this is darker in color than Darklord. Head is thin and almost brown it is so dark. Aroma is nutty, with tons of dark chocolate, anise, and hints of tar and molasses. Great full chocolate malt flavor, with some dry roastiness and just a hint of black burnt malts- I bet carafa III is also in there. Smooth and silky in the finihs. This new version is just as good as I remember the original to be.

Pours black like oil, with just the thinnest brown head showing up at the end of the pour. Smells of black licorice, dark roasty chocolate beans, dark malt, and some dark fruits as well. Very rich and thick palate. The alcohol was apparent, but not overwhelming. Really thick burnt malt and roasty chocolate flavors penetrating deeply. Really nice imperial stout, really enjoyed the mouthfeel and the roasty flavors. These guys can really make some great stouts.