Dark Horse Brewing Co. Bourbon Barrel-Aged Plead the 5th

Bourbon Barrel-Aged Plead the 5th

 

Dark Horse Brewing Co. in Marshall, Michigan, United States 🇺🇸

  Stout - Imperial Rotating
Score
8.16
ABV: 11.0% IBU: 41 Ticks: 134
Bourbon Barrel-Aged Russian Imperial Stout

Pitch black in color with a faint tan head that immediately identifies this beer as BIG. Aromas of dark fruits, chocolate, caramel and roast also make it even bigger. Roasted coffee and fruity chocolate notes are just the beginning of this stout's complex flavor. If this is wrong we don't want to be right.
 

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6/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 6 Flavor 6 Texture 6 Overall 6
Taster showing pitch black with no head.

The nose shows moderately intense notes of smoky bourbon.

The palate is lightly carbonated and light bodied. Lightly sweet but all espresso.
Tried on 22 Feb 2026 at 07:53

6/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 6 Flavor 6 Texture 6 Overall 6
Taster showing pitch black and no head.

The nose shows light adzuki with bourbon.

The palate is lightly carbonated and light bodied. Espresso throughout.
Tried from Bottle on 22 Feb 2026 at 07:45

6.9/10 Appearance 7 Aroma 7 Flavor 6.5 Texture 7 Overall 7
Taster showing pitch black with no head.

The nose shows moderately intense milk chocolate and bourbon.

The palate is lightly carbonated and light bodied. Milk chocolate with light adzuki and a strong coffee bitterness.
Tried from Bottle on 22 Feb 2026 at 07:42

8/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 9 Texture 8 Overall 7
Inky brown black pour from bottle with reddish edges. Roasted malts and some vanilla. Chewy, dark chocolate. Mild burn. Pretty good.
Tried from Bottle on 20 May 2025 at 01:16

8.4/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 9 Texture 10 Overall 8.5
Can 355ml @ Sommerhuset. Pours dark brown almost black with a small beige head. Aroma has notes of roasted malt, oats, coffee, chocolate, alcohol and caramel. Taste is medium sweet and light to medium bitter with a long warm, roasted, coconut, caramel, coffee and oat finish. Body is full, texture is oily, carbonation is soft.
Tried from Can on 20 Nov 2024 at 19:28

8.4/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 9 Flavor 9 Texture 8 Overall 8.5
Can. A really dark brown one, unclear, with a minimal beige head. The aroma has loads of roasted malts, coffee and oats, with dark chocolate, dried fruit and alcohol. Booze and oak. It's full bodied and warming, perhaps a bit too warming, with a gentle carbonation and a good bitterness. Quite chewy. The flavor is pretty similar to the aroma, except there's a pleasant coconut touch as well. Roasted malts, fruity and chocolatey coffee, oats, alcohol, booze and some oak and vanilla. Lasting finish. Overall, a beauty, although a bit too alcoholic. 240430
Tried from Can on 30 Apr 2024 at 20:01

7.9/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 9 Flavor 9 Texture 8 Overall 6.5
Bottle at home, Espoo. Thanks tiong! Color is clear dark brown with small head. Aromas and flavors: Coffee, chocolate, bourbon,... Nice.
Tried from Bottle on 12 Jan 2024 at 16:07

8/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 8
355ml can. Thx tiong. Poured black in color. Thin off white head. Notes of vanilla, roasted malts, bourbon, light boozyness. Dry long finish.
Tried from Can on 12 Jan 2024 at 16:05

7.6/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 6 Overall 7.5
(Can, 0.473l, thanks tiong, at VastActiv, 20240112) The beer poured black. Its head was small and lightly brown. Aroma had burnt malts, wood, vanilla and lightly ash. Palate was full bodied and warming with medium carbonation. Flavours were burnt malts, vanilla, wood, dark chocolate, sweetness and bitterness. Aftertaste was burnt, woody and bitter. Pleasant.
Tried from Can on 12 Jan 2024 at 16:03

7.4/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 7.5 Flavor 7 Texture 8 Overall 7
Bottle shared at RBBWG 2023. Black color, small off-white head. Smell and taste are malts, lightly oxidized brown malts, bitterness is okay but I miss bourbon tbh. Boozy still but not the fine bourbon that was in some of the others we tried this evening. Still alright.
Tried on 09 Dec 2023 at 15:34