Dark Horse Reserve Special Black Bier

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

Black, bitter, roasty, tasty. Not much complexity or anything, it’s just dark, good and delicious. I love how bitter it is. Hops and dark grains both contribute to that, and it works great. Some alcohol in the aroma, but none in the flavor. Get some if you can.

From a bottle purchased at the Beer Depot in Ann Arbor.

Pours a powerful viscous black with a modestly-sized deep brown head and abundant lacing.

The beer provides a nice big aroma: roasting coffee, dark plums, molassas, and a hint of smoke. The smoke dominates my first impression of the flavor, coming on much harder than expected with a taste of smoked almonds tinged throughout with tendrils of sweet dark malt, plenty of fruit rounding out the late middle of the sip, and bittering into a lovely hopped finish still fronting plenty of thai-iced-coffee sweetness. The mouthfeel is plain perfect.

Darn I’m impressed by this beer and I wish I could get it on a regular basis.

pours a sinfully black... looks and smells like a strong stout. the hoppiness is the only thing that could explain why this wasn’t labeled as an imperial porter... well, that and it’s abv. roasted malts and hint of acidity... almost an espresso-like acidity actually. hop profile balances nicely, esp. w/ the carbonation. another first rate beer from dark horse.

pours thick black looks like a stout. no light is getting through this one. small brown head that goes away quickly. huge aroma. roasted malts dominates with some licorice something slightly acidic. flavor just as big as aroma. very bitter coffee flavor slightly salty and acidic. body medium. finish very bitter roasted coffee. very appropriate carbonation not too much not too little. fantastic beer.

A solid porter. Pours black and has malty aroma. Flavors are sweet and bitter, they compliment each other well. It is the hint of something smoky and sour in both the aroma and flavor that I can do without.

Black bodied with a brown head, this has an aroma filled with sweet roasted malt, chocolate, vanilla, and a drop or two of coffee. Creamy. The flavor is a bit sweeter with the addition of molasses and is lightly bittered by almonds. Sticky finish with a modest hit of earthy bitterness. Nice.

U.S.A. rating #1234!

<font size=-4>Thanks to the generosity of RateBeerians at the <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/events-detail.asp?eve Lord Release- Three Floyds, Munster, IN - 04/29/2006<font size=-1>

Nice dark black pour. Wiht maybe a slight red touch. Nice creamy looking tan head as well. Very smooth and creamy mouthfull. Not a whole lot of taste in my opinion. Slight coffee, molasses, hops, and alcohol notes. A little to bitter for my taste. Not one of my favs. But drinkable.

Black coffee pour. The nose is real roasty, with a touch of dark chocolate and charred cookie. Thick mouthfeel is appropriate. Lots of baker’s chocolate throughout, leaving my tongue chalky. A nutty layer persists under the chocolate, helping to sweeten things. A slight sharp bitterness in the finish is nice contrast for this otherwise smooth brew.