Dark Horse Tres Blueberry Stout

draft at the brewpub - Pours black with a thin, fading, tan head. The aroma has roasted malts and lots of blueberries. Roasted malt and blueberries carry the flavor with some mild chocolate notes. Full bodied, lightly carbonated, and smoothing going down, this sweet stout is a quality brew.

12 ounce bottle. Pours ink black with a small quickly fading dark brown head. It takes a good swirl, but there are blueberries here. Mostly roast anc chocolate though. The berry flavor goes well with the dry roastiness. Oily on the palate with nice carbonation. Really pretty good.

Bottle. This beer pours super opaque black with a dark brown head and a wall of lacing. I have to admit, the prospect of a stout brewed with blueberries does not sound very good. But the aroma is marvelous. Rich chocolate and earthen notes interwine harmoniously with a subtle hint of blueberries. Now for the true test: the flavor. Wow. It’s rich of drying espresso complete with a smoky finish. Then, a velvety undertone of blueberries mixes with rich chocolate to really smooth everything out. The description of a "surprisingly light palate" is way off base. This is one of the sturdiest 4.5% stouts I’ve had. Maybe they were referencing specifically the blueberry flavor. A few more sips brings the blueberries up front just a bit more, but what really lingers is the smoky finish of espresso and bark. I am especially blown away given my low expectations for this brew and my general aversion to fruit beers in general. Cheers! [an update from my Dark Lord excursion] Had a little taste of this on tap at Rich O’s this time. I was shocked at the large blueberry presence both in the aroma and the taste. This is not at all what I remember nor is it what my notes indicate. I know my first bottle was a few months old at the very least and perhaps that aging allowed the blueberry character to mellow out and the malts to come together. I’m not going to change my rating until I get another taste, but I was a little let down when I had it the second time. Still it was all right.

12 oz bottle

Thanks to artusory for the beer in a recent trade. I’ve had a handful of Dark Horse beers. This is the best so far, beating out the 3 Guys Off the Scale. The blueberry is not overpowering but it is obvious enough where this beer gets its name.

Aroma / Appearance - The nose was an interesting combination of blueberry pie, chocolate, mocha and smoke. It reminds me of a warm blueberry cobbler. The pour was deep black and fluid with just a hint of head. The lacing was muddy brown as it slid down the side of my sample glass.

Flavor / Palate - A bitter combination of blueberries, cherries, smoke and roasted malts comprise the taste. It does not change much over the course of the beer but is very consistant. It feels as if someone liquified blueberry cobbler in a smoky environment. It was very enjoyable, though not quite on par with New Glarus Belgian Red. Still, if this ever makes it to Madison I could easily see picking up some more.

Bottle. slight blueberry nose. Nice stout roastyness with a slight trace of the fruit to make it interesting. Quite enjoyable. Be sure to share it with a special friend.

Thanks to Zinc Tuba for the bottle. Some flavors need to remain traditional with a line drawn somewhere and this is one of them. Blueberry shouldn’t be with a dark roasted, chocolatey stout and this one proves it. It didn’t complement the blueberry at all.

Bottle. Pours a deep black with a thin tan head. Nose is lightly scented with blueberries and cooked, roasted notes. I am not a fan of stouts but I thought the blueberry would take the edge off those traditional stout flavorws I do not care for. It did. There was just enough sweetenedeblueberry flavor to join with the coffee baqckground to make this an enjoyable sipper. I would not mind having it again. Thanks to Sprinkle for the bottle.

12oz bottle acquired in trade with atpayne (thanks!). Poured a dark black color with red edges and a small sized brown head. Aromas of blueberries, blueberry pie crust, roast, and chocoalte. I really liked the way the blueberry was done in the aroma. Tastes of blueberries, roast, and some coffee.