Reserve Special Black Ale
Dark Horse Brewing Co. in Marshall, Michigan, United States 🇺🇸
Strong Ale - American Rotating|
Score
7.62
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Conceived in a dimly lit room on a blistery cold night in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, but born and raised here in Marshall Michigan. The Reserve Special is the oldest of all beers in the Dark Horse family. It has an incredibly “thick” presence and when poured into a glass its color is so dark it’s eerie. The flavors explode onto your taste buds with heavy malt, roast, and chocolate, but stay very balanced. The Reserve Special Black Ale has a hard time being called a stout or porter but it fits nicely into the category of a delicious strong black ale.
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6.4/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Nice dark chocolate. Jet brown with a rich brown head. Dark roast and chocolate with an ibtenaw bitterness.
Tried
on 16 Feb 2019
at 00:12
6/10
Tried
from Growler
on 14 Jan 2019
at 11:12
7.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 5
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Opaque brown pour with a thick mocha head and great retention. Very good lacing. Dark chocolate and molasses aroma. VERY dark roasted malt flavor with a little coffee too. Not sweet. Light bitterness. Heavy body and mouthfeel. The 7.5% ABV is well hidden. One dimensional. More stout than porter IMHO.
Tried
on 13 Jan 2019
at 22:34
7.1/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Appearance: Very dark brown, near black. Small, dark tan head. Aroma: Dark malt, slight tar, roasted. Taste: Dark malt, heavily roasted. Burnt. Slight coffee. Lacking depth. Bought: Siblings Christmas gift - thanks!, 355 ml Info: 5/1-2019, BB: ??/??-????
Tried
on 08 Jan 2019
at 16:23
8/10
Tried
on 10 Nov 2018
at 16:25
8/10
Backlog
Tried
on 04 Sep 2018
at 11:51
6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6
Moderat röstiger, schokoladig malziger Beginn. Geringefügig bitter, steigend röstig, dabei weich, geringe Karbonisierung. Geringfügig steigende Malzigkeit, süffig, dunkel, vollmundig. Langer Nachhall. 10/10/9/10/7/9
Tried
on 20 Jun 2018
at 19:44
7.8/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7
Black, beige head. Bitter, toasted malt in the smell and taste along with dark chocolate, coffee . Nothing that different but a great porter all the same.
Tried
on 25 Mar 2018
at 14:27
8.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Keg at BrewDog Lothian Road. Black body with a medium tan head. Good lacing. Aroma of nuts and cocoa. Flavour of rusted metal and dark chocolate. Medium body with a smooth texture. Soft fizz. An indulgent treat.
Tried
on 11 Mar 2018
at 00:55
6.9/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Black color with a fine beige head. Ok lacing. Ok intensity in the aroma. Medium body and fizzy carbonation level (as usual for barrel aged beer). Easy to drink. Ok balance between sweetness and bitterness. Semi dry ending. Wood/oak, chocolate, roast and coffee in the flavor. Nice easy drinkable stout with a fine character. Just a bit to thin mouth feeling.
[Bottle from a trade with Sigmund]
[Bottle from a trade with Sigmund]
Tried
from Bottle
on 21 May 2017
at 04:22