Dark Horse Reserve Special Black Bier

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

Sweet malty porter aroma. Dark brown with a rich foamy tan head. Flavor is very porter-like. Rich dark chocolaty malt. Some hops bitterness to balance. Fairly straight forward but good. Palate is soft and even. Well balanced with a good light bitter duration.

Six-pack of bottles purchased at Flanagan’s in Appleton. This is an awfully good Porter -- I think it’s the highest-rated Porter I’ve sampled. Pours black and oily, with a dark tan foamy head that leaves nice lace. From the bottle, it has strong coffee and cocoa aromas, and those transfer to the flavor. Almost a baker’s chocolate flavor as it warms. EXCELLENT for a cold night. Despite the heavy aroma and flavor, this is quite sessionable. Trying to find other Dark Horse beers in the Valley

Pours very dark brown with a quarter inch thick brown head. Aroma of cocoa and roasted malt. A nice bitterness to it with a bit of roasted coffee.

bottle - part of 6-pack purchased at Wacky’s, right next door to the Dark Horse Brewery. Pours dark as night. Small tan head, just a little lacing. I’m not a big porter fan, but this is good. Very smooth drinking The description is accurate, serious chocolate and coffee flavor in this one. This would be great with a hearty meal. The Dark Horse never disappoints.

12oz bottle acquired in trade with Styles. He informed me the bottle was approximately 2 years old, which puts it sometime around the second half of 2005 or early 2006. Poured into big brandy snifter. Oily black pour with a nice thin head of dark tan silk. Aroma is a rich dark chocolate and roast. As it warms I’m also noticing some dark fruity notes. Nice smooth aroma. The flavor is just as smooth with plenty of chocolate and some dark fruit sweetness, like natural brown sugar. Pretty nice. The body is silky and smooth, with low carbonation that is very welcome in a beer of this flavor profile. I’m not blown away, but I’m impressed with the attention to detail. Very nice stuff.

On tap GABF 2007. Very nice oaky, wet hopped beer. Aroma is very hoppy and coffee. Taste is slightly astringent, malty, and bitter, with a slight harshness. Solid. Would age well.

Bottle, pours a dark black with a frothy one finger dark brown head, good lacing. Roasty aroma of cocoa, nuts, and coffee. Flavor is a heavier malty roast with more coffee and chocolate. Palate is medium-full with medium-low carbonation and a dry finish. Not a bad porter; Dark Horse is living up to its reputation quite nicely.

12oz Bottle $8.69 6-Pack Village Dell and Wine, Rice Lake Reserve Special Black Bier pours black without a hint of light coming through when backlit. A three finger brown head formed on the pour and slowly fell to one finger becoming extremely creamy. Leaves some decent patchy lacing on it’s way down. Roasted malts kick things off and lead into a mildly fruity (figs, prunes), nutty aroma. Cocoa shows itself complimenting the nuttiness. Mild alcohol fumes way in the back. Complex and warming. Roasty malts combine with a mild lactic quality quickly leading into the nuttiness that was present in the aroma. Cocoa and mild brown sugar lead their way to the the finish the cocoa becoming most dominant. A hint of fig peeks in and out throughout the palate. Heavy body with a smooth silkiness as it slowly works it’s way over the palate. Becomes slightly gritty on the swallow. Leaves my mouth watering after each sip. Good balanced moderate bodied Imperial stout keep this going down easy. I could see myself putting a few of these away on a cold winter evening. Another high quality brew from Dark Horse. I’ve sampled three or four of their offerings (all being darker, heavier styles) and everyone was excellent. I said it before and I’ll say it again to the brewers at Dark Horse...Please find a distrubutor in Chicagoland. 10/7/07