Dark Horse Tres Blueberry Stout

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

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.

Strong blueberry aroma and taste. Nice stuff.

12 oz bottle: I opened this bottle and smelled the blueberries right off the bat. I like blueberries. Blueberries in beer is right up my alley. Big aroma of blueberries and as that subsides, a bit of roasty stout-like qualities come out. Lots of roasted malt in the flavor and pretty dry also. Quite a bit of carbonation. A good stout with the addition of blueberries make this a winner.

Very thick beer and very dark. Brown foamy head that shrunk down to an oil slick and a bead around the glass. Nose of obvious blueberrries and faint roasted grains. Unlike many fruit beers, this beer is not simply a vehicle for some fruit syrup. The blueberry flavors are in front, but they compliment the stout flavors very well. Nice burnt roasted grain flavors with some sweetened coffee bitterness in the finish. I was a little reluctant to try this, but this is a very good example of how to use fruit in beer.

Had it on tap. This is a nice dark stout, but it has *sparkle* to it somehow which I did not expect. It has the slightly floral taste of blueberry, but not in an obnoxious way and it is very chocolaty. I truly enjoyed this one.

Bottle... About as dark as a stout gets; pitch black with a small, fizzy, brown head. Unsweetened cocoa, buttermilk and vanilla in the nose. Burnt, tangy flavors with moderate bitterness. Maybe some blueberry fruitiness in there, but that’s probably more the power of suggestion than actual detection. Full-bodied and oily with lively carbonation. Burnt, mildly bitter, dry finish. Judging by the verbiage in others’ ratings, I stand alone in thinking this looks and feels more like an imperial stout than a low gravity dry stout. Can’t believe the ABV is only 4.5%. It’s not that it’s alcoholic, just much heavier than expected. Great stuff, but don’t pop one open expecting a light stroll through a blueberry patch on a warm Spring day.

Cool blueberry, vanilla, a little chocolate, and boo berry cereal. Black as coal and a burnt sieana head. Light mouth feel and more carbonation than extected, fortuanatly the carbonation died down at mid glass giveing way to a pleasant slightly dry bitter charactor. Coffee, chocolate, blueberry, and ambient fruitieness came together in an amazingly effective way. Finishes chewy and roasty with a wallop of chocolate, coffee, molases and only the faintest traces of blueberry. I'd concider this more of a stout than a fruit beer. I've got a friend in psychprof, and he's got a friend in me.

Bottle. Deep black in color with a nice tan head. Very nice blueberry aroma. Lots of bluberries in the nose. Flavor is malty and fruity. Chocolate and caramel notes. Finish is blueberry like. Medium bodied. Nice beer, Enjoyable.