Dark Horse Tres Blueberry Stout

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

12oz bottle given to me by Rogueone eons ago. Loved it the first time I had it and couldn’t bear to look at this gem another day. Pitch black pour with a medium light brown head. Nose is mostly chocolate malt with subtle blueberry and coffee. Chocolaty flavor up front gives way to blueberries and a bitter coffee finish. It’s so easy to overdo or underdo fruit in a beer, but they absolutely nailed it.

Bottle courtesy of BMan1113VR in this year’s summer secret santa. Thanks! Pours a viscous midnight black with a dark brown head. Just gorgeous. One of the most beautiful looking stouts I’ve come across, but the head falls off a bit too quickly for me. Light sweet blueberries, chocolate, and very faint hints of roast. The body is a little thinner than its looks belie, but it’s not thin by any means. Really nice mouthfeel, smooth and supple. Chocolate, blueberry, subdued roast character that leans more towards bitter cocoa than char. A little like a dark chocolate truffle with blueberries in it. Finishes with more lingering bitter dark chocolate flavor. Outstanding.

As all good stouts the beer is black as night. Very carbonated, had a hard time pouring the beer without creating a volcano of head. The blueberry gives a very strong aroma. It seems that the blueberry is more powerful in the scent than the taste. Good roasty flavor that really doesn"t give a lot of blueberry until the end. I think a slightly sweeter stout would do very well with the blueberry flavor as well.

Really looked forward to trying this one. I’ve always wanted to make a blueberry stout, yet I’ve never gotten around to it. Opaque silky black body with a moderate light brown head that settle to a small bubbled lid. Little ringlets of lace. Light roasted barley with mild blueberry and some herbal scents. Fairly light in feel with a bit of airiness. Fruitiness of blueberries shows itself throughout the guzzle. A light and fruit essence that does not truly reveal itself willingly, but it’s there - One of the reasons I have restrained myself from trying this in a homebrew. The more I think about it perhaps a mix of 90% blueberries and 10% raspberries would bring out the flavors more. I digress. This really does seem to fit the bill. A touch too bitter at times (some coffee flavors that distract), but a very well made brew in my book. Thanks Lou.

Thanks to Rogueone for sharing a bottle, part of a Too-Tres-Fore-Plead The Fifth horizontal tasting. This beer pours brownish-black with a thin beige head that recedes quickly. Spotty lacing on the glass. Aroma of anise, malt and light blueberries. Medium, smooth body with flavors of roasted malt, licorice and subtle blueberries. Bits of chocolate at times too. The finish is roasty with a nice blueberry aftertaste. Normally nobody holds a candle to New Glarus when it comes to Fruit beers but this is very enjoyable, and easily the best fruited Stout I have had.

Black with a tiny hint of purple around the edges. Thin but persistant brown head. Coffee aroma, with just a hint of blueberry. Huge coffee/espresso flavors, again with just a hint of blueberry. Mildly tart at the finish. Nice job af blending the fruit with the stout flavors. Thanks to jsquire for the trade!

Thanks to secret santa for this one. The pour is so damn black it makes dark lord look like a pussy-seriously this is one of the darkest stouts out there. I could have sworn this one was going to be 10% with how dark it was. Relaly nice long lasting creamy brown head and good lacing. Aroma is very very strong with fresh blueberries. I can smell it from at least 2 feet away. Upon further inspection the aroma also has some chocolate and a bit of roasted malts. Flavor has tons of chocolate malt, a bit of roasted barley and a ton of blueberries. FInish is a bit tart but mostly smooth. This beer is awesome. Still confused how this beer is so dark and yet so smooth....

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.