Dark Horse Reserve Special Black Bier

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

Pours pitch black with mahogany hints when held up to the light. Head is small but dense tan and dissipates quickly leaving decent lacing. This looks much like an RIS or a porter. Smell is of roasted coffee and malts with a bit of chocolate and sweet dark fruits. Really nice aroma. First taste is of sweet chocolate malts and caramel before giving way to a roasted coffee taste. Finish is fairly crisp with hops and coffee bitterness lingering a bit. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with decent carbonation. I really like this beer and would compare it to a decent RIS.

20080118 12oz bottle shared with dmac and, I think, must have been from schroppfy but I’m not sure and I’d had it for a while. Wow! Ashy, dirty, peaty stuff reminds of damp old timber. Very little head over pitch black beer. Some mineral notes are pervasive and in theme. Strikingly dry and finishes with a hint of woody bitterness. Astringent kick noted with mild citrus pith. Outstanding beer that would be welcome in my glass any day.

12oz bottle. Aroma: Chocolate, roasted malt, coffee, light smoke, dark fruits, and sugar. Appearance: Dark, dark brown in color. Medium tan head was full and foamy with great retention. Good lacing. Flavor: Lots of roasted malt with a bit of smoke. Coffee, chocolate, light vanilla. Some hop flavor and bitterness behind all the malt. Palate: Medium bodied. Moderate carbonation. Overall: Solid and drinkable porter.

12oz bottle..... poured almost black as some imperial stouts. light tan head subsided, leaving bubbles around the edges.... appealing aroma of roasty bitter chocolate, and even some coffee notes as well..... flavor had lots of roasted malts, bitter chocolate and an apparent hop backbone that adds some more of that bitterness to it. mouthfeel was lively and well carbonated.

Pours black with small pinkish brown head. Wonderful aroma of black cherry’s, walnuts, and chocolate. Deep roasty flavor, dry, coffee like. Finish is a little ashy. Flavor was a little disappointing after first whiff of aroma but still good stuff.

picked up in trade at dark lord day 2008 in exchange for new glarus smoke on the porter i think i got the better deal. pous black with big brown head,that never settles down in glass and dried to the sides. oh yea lots of lacing going on here, thick like a good imp.stout aromas of expresso and chocolate and roasted malts. taste of coffee and chocolate,dry and very little on hops but thats a good thing since i hate ipa’s give me a good black beer anytime, no flowers for this dog great american porter made right here in the heartland

Bottle thanks to CaptainCougar. Pours a deep black with small brown head. Nose of dried fruit, coffee and some light chocolate. Flavor has some oxidation, but once you get past that, it is rich with roasted malt, and coffee. Nice mouthfeel with light carbination. Almost has that cool coffee and the end of the shift taste to it. Very nice.

12 ounce bottle. I am really surprised this is a porter! Poured a jet black color with a one finger width brown head. I let this one sit for a bit before smelling it. It smelled of a lot of chocolate, coffee, and suggary malts. The taste was very good with a lot of chocolate and coffee with hints of vanilla and malt. Finished a bit bitter but was overall very drinkable. The only negative thing that I can say about this one is the mouthfeel... it was extremely light. Overall though a very tasty porter!