Dark Horse Raspberry Ale

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

pours a nice gold color. aroma is sweet and fruity. flavor has a decent amount of raspberry in it. not artificial at all. good body. yummy.

Pink amber with good, creamy white head / Nose of fresh raspberries / Light to medium body, a little thin, with low carbonation and fair finish / Very pleasant, fresh, and not overbearing flavors of fresh raspberries and grain / Pleasant, well-balanced, simple brew. A summer quaffer.

12oz. poured into a glass. Nice frothy head, the first sip was clean and, well, "raspberry-y". The fruitiness wore off as the glass emptied, distinguishing this ale from the Belgian lambics I’m better acquainted with. I very much enjoyed the subtlety of the raspberries here: more of a guest-star rather than the main attraction. Good balance of hoppy and malty with a pretty terrific finish. Went great with my gourmet burger. A unique, refreshing summer ale. I’d order this again, with or without a meal.

2004 bottle. Awesome appearance. Bottle conditioned, completely hazy, with a rosy-red/peachy hue, light but colorful and a thick white head and lacing. Aroma is light, touch of yeast and mainly a drier, fresh raspberry puree smell. Flavor is extremely fresh and tastes exactly like raspberries, no artificial notes. Hardly any sweetness, touch of sourness from the yeast and berries, no hops perceptible. Body is light, as it should be for a light fruit ale. Amazingly drinkable on a hot summer day. Well-made, sure it could use more malt and flavor, but I liked it for what it was.

On tap at the brewery. Beautifully cloudy with a wispy white head and some bubbles breaking at the surface. Smells of the freshest harvested yeast, strawberry cream cheese and raspberry liquor. Sweet, smooth and wheat reliant upon the first quaff. Raspberry accents take on a flavor similar to cheesecake crust. Something that seems to be a Belgian yeast strain makes this one special, and one of my favorite fruit beers to date.

copper color, strong aroma of raspberries which are also there in the taste, with a hop mix that makes for easy drinking and smooth finish, no unpleasant aftertaste like most fruit beers.

Festival tap: Dirty gold with the nose of over ripe rasberries. Smooth and actually quite malty for a fruit beer, the berry taste is strong and lasting. These guys make some fine, if not slightly off centered beers! Labels CANNOT be beat!!!!

Pint at the brewpub. Warm apricots and red raspberries in the nose, hazy body with medium bitterness; hints of lemon-lime, raspberry flavor doesn’t really dominate until late (that, and my exhaustion after 2 1/2 days of solid driving might help explain how I mistook this for the IPA!); salmon color. Way above average fruit beer.