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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7.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottle. Harrogate Fine Wine. Very dark, cola brown. Swirl and thin ring of tan. Nose has deep, rich, tangy roast. Some burnt ends. Hints of dark berry. Notes of coffee bean and charred wood. Taste is tangy, fruity, woody bitter. Light sweetness on the lips. Decent body. Bitter tang. Long, tangy, fruity bitter finish. Very nice.
Tried
from Bottle
on 10 Aug 2016
at 17:04
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Tap (ZUP, Wroclaw). Black colour, beige head. Roasty, coffee, chocolate in aroma, quite intensive. Similar in the taste with small fruits hint. Bitterness medium to high, roasty with alcohol notes which scratches a bit in the throat but in nice way. Really good, full body and quite drinkable beer. Beer is definitely dry but with small sweetness in aftertaste to compensate big roasty bitterness.
Tried
from Draft
on 15 Jul 2016
at 10:20
8/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 9
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
13/07/2016 @home - 33cl bottle from Bierhalle Deconinck. Black colour with small tanned head. Nose is dark malts, cocoa, caramel. Taste is roasted malts, mocha, chocolate, caramel, bitter hops, dry bitter roasted ending
Tried
from Bottle
on 13 Jul 2016
at 15:45
8/10
Tried
on 19 Jun 2016
at 18:42
7.6/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Lukt: Kaffe, bek, lakris, sjokolade.
Utseende: Sort.
Skum/kullsyre: Tynt skum.
Smak: Kaffe, lakris og mørk sjokolade.
Hvor: Kjøpt@VP Kvadrat, Nydt@Hos Untapped Erik.
Medium: Flaske@330ml, ABV@%, Når@12.03.2016
Tried
from Draft
on 13 Mar 2016
at 11:27
5.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 5
Flavor 5
Texture 6
Overall 4.5
03.02.2016, 12 oz bottle @ home:
Small light brown creamy mediumlasting head. Aroma is slightly sweet roasted, dark sugar, minerals, dark malts, grass, caramel, hops, butterscotch, coffee, licorice. Taste is dry roasted, weeds, dark malts, burnt caramel, hops, bark, minerals, harsh coffee, licorice, paper. Longlasting harsh bitterness, watery mouthfeel. Not my cup of tea.
Small light brown creamy mediumlasting head. Aroma is slightly sweet roasted, dark sugar, minerals, dark malts, grass, caramel, hops, butterscotch, coffee, licorice. Taste is dry roasted, weeds, dark malts, burnt caramel, hops, bark, minerals, harsh coffee, licorice, paper. Longlasting harsh bitterness, watery mouthfeel. Not my cup of tea.
Tried
from Bottle
on 03 Feb 2016
at 10:34
7.6/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
0,33 bottle purchased at the Hoppy imp. in Greece, consumed few months after in Kosovo. Black pour, brownish little foam with little retention and lacing. Nose: basically what you expect from an American black beer, roasted malts, coffee, grassy-herbal a bit piney which results in a combination of incense and floral notes. Mouth: the coffee is partially covered by the bitter character of this porter, the after taste results in a bit of licorice, anice too. Very interesting.
Tried
from Bottle
on 01 Feb 2016
at 13:53
8.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 6
Overall 8.5
American robust porter generously shared by Jan of Weerspannige Brouwers. Thin but more or less stable, pale greyish beige head over a very dark, hazy mahogany beer, as good as black in appearance. Aroma of coffee grounds, bitter chocolate, pine resin, green peppercorns, black tea, cured meat, toasted brown bread, caramel, dried leaves, nutmeg, wormwood, soy sauce, dried porcini, black olive, haemoglobin. Umami onset, meaty and dried seaweed-like with a restrained candied date sweetness underneath as well as a salty soy sauce touch, soft carbo, oily, very smooth, full but slightly metallic mouthfeel, toasted and nutty malt ’bittersweetness’ ending in more roasted bitterness, a bit ashy even, spicy hops supporting this end bitterness and a dash of warming alcohol. Not sure if this qualifies as a typical porter, though, but regardless, this is a great example of American craft brewing.
Tried
from Can
on 18 Jan 2016
at 13:49
8/10
Tried
on 25 Dec 2015
at 15:33