Dark Horse Reserve Special Black Bier

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

Poured a luxurious black from the bottle with a creamy tan head. Notes of cocoa in the aroma. Drak cocoa flavor with a malty body and bitter finish.

Jet black in colour with moderate carbonation. Strong roasted malt aroma, along with a hint of molasses. Creamy coffee flavors are apparent, along with a refined Schwarzbier-like malt profile, and a chalky dry finish. Heavy mouthfeel. Oakbluff and I were using this beer as a "palate cleanser", but it turned out to be quite good. Huge thanks to oakbluff for sharing.

Big thanks to msante79 for bonusing this one. 12 oz bottle. Dark black with a dark tan head. Taste is dark coffee, roasted malt with a bit of smoke. Towards the finish it gave me a slight yogart cream taste. Finishes dry and slightly bitter. A great beer that I am happy to have tried.

12 oz. bottle. Dark black pour. Thin, dark tan head. Aroma of brown sugar and molasses. Nice heavy mouthfeel. Flavor is roasted malt, coffee, dark chocolate. Long, smoky, bitter finish. Great beer, truly a treat.

multiple bottle from lots of good folks. thanks to those... pours a very black bier indeed!... viscous near black pour with barely brown showing at the edges. it’s topped by an almost orange brown head which leaves a decent amount of randomly shaped lacing. the aroma is smoky, grain, cream, wood, mildly sour, coffee and dark fruit in the background. the palate is a bit on the sweet side... flavors of smoky dark grain, chocolate, coffee, slightly cooked cream, caramel/butterscotch candy and a light aspirin sting (from the hops?). finishes ashy and bitter with acidity and astringency kicking in late. medium to full body. super creamy carbonation and smooth mouth feel... mmm, i’m glad i have a bunch...8/5/8/4/16/4.1

aromas of malt powder, licorice, prunes and some fruit (other than prunes). you can taste the burnt edges on the grain! full bodied, slick and rich but bitterness keeps it really balanced and easy to dispose of. 8/5/8/5/17/4.3

Pours a slightly oily black with a small brown froth on top. Fantastic aroma, deep roasted malt and lots of smokey creamy chocolate... and yea dusty cardboard is a good descriptor for the aroma. First taste is both sweet and bitter... lots of character. Dark fruits, licorice, roasted malt, chocolate, some burnt malts, and sour cream. Definitely reminds me of a schwarz. Medium/full body with ample carbonation that makes it more of a drinker than a sipper. Not sticky at all. The hops play big but still let the malts carry the beer.... well crafted.

(Sampled 7-7-08) 12 oz. bottle poured into shaker- poured midnight black, HUGE off tan head formed and got in the way, very heavy roasted malt aroma with a slight note of molasses and coffee in the background. Hits the mouth with a heavy and wide body, the malt just dominates the tongue, some mild bitterness on the finish from a few hops and the malt kicking your butt one more time. Break out the smokes kids, it’s time to have some BEER!

Tasted 7/11/08. 12oz bottle. Dark brown hue with Spiraling layer of khaki head. Rich roasty nose. Cocoa and coffee. Mildly smokey and leather. Earthy with subtle esters. Medium to full bodied with a big roasty mouthfeel. Rolls between tart and bitter with an initial sweetness. Molassis and bitter coffee. Mild effervescence. Maybe a touch too burnt. Too bitter. Good hoppy character that I assume adds to the bitter palate. Mildly cloying finish that leaves a tingling bitterness and astringency on the back of the tongue. Solid!