Dark Horse Tres Blueberry Stout

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

Thanks to BBB63 for this one. Pours dark brown/black with a huge tan head. The aroma is malt, chocoff, huge blueberries, florals, and fruit. The taste is amazing, with a subdued blueberry element joined by malt and chocoff. The palate is medium and very smooth, with a somewhat dry finish. This one reminds me a little of a semi-dry blueberry wine. The complexity is great, the balance is excellent, and I suspect that a wine-drinker might also appreciate this style. The blueberry flavor isn’t fake tasting at all, and it complements the beer rather than overtaking it. Bravo. Another for my 2004 Hall-of-Fame list.

12 oz bottle, from Bello Vino in Ann Arbor, MI (Dec 2005). Pours at cellar temperature into my Chouffe tulip with a very thick, stable dark brown head atop a jet body.....the fresh blueberry-dominant nose is apparent a few feet away, instantly upon opening, and the bare hints of milk chocolate merely add delight.....in the body, the berries and dark roastiness of the stout don’t mix quite so well, a bitter-lactic-fruity-acidic combustion ensues and I’m not quite sure what element is the victor, though it is quite interesting to watch (and taste). In the end, much more bitter and roasty than a "fruit beer" would typically be, but with a shallower profile than many stouts...somehow, it maintains enough character to be drinkable, even excellent, though I would conclude after this sample that blueberries are not the first fruit to think of melding into a stout. Full, perfectly (moderately) carbonated body.

Perfectly black body with an orange and brown head. The smell makes me nostalgic as it reminds me of blueberry pancakes my parents made while we were camping. The taste is dominated by coffee and blueberries. There is also a little bit of anise. A nice sweet blueberry finish. An excellent beer and easily the best fruit flavored stout I have tried.

Rerate: This last batch seems to have a stronger burnt malt, coffee, and acidic taste that before and is slightly less balanced. Again, the blueberry flavors need to be more present in the taste. I still like it and only a drop of .2 overall.--Orignal review-- Wow, DON'T be afraid of this dark. Opaque black with a huge tan head and medium-bodied. Blueberries on to the forefront but the stout characteristics are detectable (roasted malt, chocolate, coffee). The flavor however is much less aggressive. The blueberry is in the background here as the stout flavors dominate. The taste lasts on the palate. Since I like stouts and fruit beers, I found this an great combination. I agree with last post, Marc, that this is closer to a stout than fruit beer.

Bottle at home ... Thanks to a trade which escapes me (but feel free to tell me it was you ) ... deep black with a thick fairly firm tan head ... soft roast malt almost coffee nose ... quite a lots of roast with a noticible blueberry presence in the linger ... Its just too bitter for me... but the blueberries are definitly there and there no mistaking its blueberries... good roast ... little coffee ... but just too bitter... as i swirl round mouth i get alternations of the bitterness and the blueberries... sometime they seem to run of to hide behind the bitterness other times they smack me in the face... All round a winner but could be better.

Picked up a single 12-oz bottle at Riley’s Wines of the World in Madison, WI. Pours a near opaque dark brown, near black, brew with a dark tan head. Excellent lacing. Aroma is blueberries, even at a distance away as I poured for our guests. Close up aroma has chocolate, some mocha, roasted barley malt, and mild fruit. Taste is a little gritty, carbonated, and lighter than the first two Dark Horse stouts. Finish is sweet at first and then slightly bitter. The aroma is better than the taste. Reminds me of going out for pancakes the next morning.

Bottle thanks to styles! Poured a highly viscous black with a short cap of caramel head. Quite excellent aroma of rich, roasted chocolate, coffee, and blueberries (started out with sour notes, but morphed into a fresh basket as it approached room temp). Chocolate hit the tastebuds first, yielding to bitter coffee roast and a hint of the fresh berries. Smooth, yet rather light on the palate (esp. compared with the thick pour)... roasty finish with blueberries. Interesting and very well-crafted brew!

Pours black and thick, blueberry definately somewhat natural aroma, and oily roast aroma. Above avrage mouthfeel, almost no head, certainly no lace. A decent dry stout, assisted by some blueberries.