Elevator Dark Horse Lager

Brewed by Elevator Brewing Company
Style: American Dark Lager
Columbus, Ohio USA

Objectively speaking: A drinkable dunkel without any fruit character.
I like: Obvious lager character feels clean, though it lends a wateriness all throughout.
I dislike: Watery, dull thin body. Grainy malt profile with plain bread dominance. Limited roast or toast character.

Draft sample at brewpub. Poured clear brown color with an average fizzy off-white head that mostly lasted with good lacing. Moderate roasted malty aroma. Medium body with a slick texture. Medium roasted bittersweet flavor with a medium bittersweet finish of moderate duration. My expextations were met with a good dry hopped dark beer.

On draught at the brewpub. Pours a mostly clear dark brown color with a medium and fluffy beige head that has decent retention. Patchy lacing. Aroma of roasted nuts and malt, with hints of hops. Medium, smooth body with a nice roasted character. Notes of malt, chocolate and nuts along with a decent amount of hops. The finish is dry and roasty with a lingering mild hoppiness. Pretty good all around.

07-Jul-08 (22-oz bottle with a competition label only: Free sample bottle for stewarding the 2008 World Beer Cup in San Diego, CA) Dry, nutty, lightly chocolaty, gently roasty nose leads nicely into an entry of lightly sweet chocolate, very toasty malts, and roasted nuts. Noble hop flavor and mild hop bitterness add some balance to this very malty beer. The roasty finish dries out the beer even further. Medium bodied with soft but ample carbonation. The medium-brown body is slightly hazy and capped by a tall, bubbly, light-tan head that settles to a wide ring over time. Some random patches of lace are left on the glass. A very nice dark lager that’s clean and easy to drink, but not short on flavor.

Very dark porter brown, thin head. Dry, dark malt aroma -- like a toasty brown ale or porter. Medium tanginess, some cola, very light nutty/seedy quality that isn’t rightly a ’sweetness’. Crisp, tangy finish. Only flaw was a little metal on the lips. Medium to medium light body. Very nice. Moderate roast without backlash aftertaste.

A special seasonal just newly offered from elevator, this seems to have a little nut flavoring plus the sweetness of a dunkel. A drinkable dark lager for sure.

July 17-19, 2008: ElevatorDark Horse is acutally a decent lager from an average brewery. I like the roasted grains in the aroma and flavor. It is there, but not overdone. This beer is very dark gold-brown with no head and a medium-light body. It is just different enough to be slightly interesting.

Draught sample at The CI in Athens, Ohio during Ohio Brew Week 2008. Rating #22 for this beer.

A dark brown pour with a hint of red. An astringent coffee aroma. Flavor of medium coffee and toasted malt with a light bitter. A bit thin and foamy. A pretty good drinker overall.