Dark Horse - Reserve Special Black Bier Ale

Tonight I'll be reviewing a dark ale from one of our favorite breweries, Dark Horse.  If I had seven fingers, I could count on one hand how many beers we have reviewed since this blogs inception.  Unfortunately, due to a lack of what would probably be an extremely awesome genetic mutation for any aspiring pianist, I only have five fingers with which to count our Dark Horse reviews.  Our last review was of Boffo Brown Ale which turned out to be a nice, big brown ale - probably a solid pick during the cold weather we are starting to get here in MN.  For this evenings review, I am stepping up the dark malt a notch and tasting Dark Horse's Reserve Special Black Bier Ale.

Dark Horse's website (which looks almost as lame as ours... any web developers out there looking to work for beer reviews???) claims their Reserve Special to be the oldest brew in the Dark Horse family.  I always seem to enjoy the original creations from each brewery the best.  I think its knowing that I'm enjoying a beer that helped get the brewery on its feet.  In either case, Reserve Special was one of the beers that started it all.  The picture of the donkey on the front of this bottle looks like it just had an accident on the living room floor.  Bad donkey!  That's a bad ass!  No, not badass like Samuel L Jackson.  Bad - ass like... nevermind....

That donkey definitely just did something horrible.

This Black Bier Ale looks as thick as motor oil pouring out of its bottle.  A finger of solid, creamy brown head adds a nice cap to this pure black brew.  The aromas mimic those of a bold stout; bittersweet chocolate, roasted malt, coffee and just a hint of alcohol.  Even though Dark Horse says its between a Porter and Stout, I think they are lying to me based on appearance and aroma alone... this beast is a stout.  But, after my first sip, I can be convinced otherwise.  Its not as chewy as I had anticipated.  Its not thin either.  It's just right.  The aromas derived from the flavors come together in a silky smooth experience throughout all twelve ounces.  Plenty of dark cocoa and coffee with hints of wood and dark berries are balanced nicely.  A mild carbonation and hop bitterness round out this delectable treat.

Overall - Well, Dark Horse did it again.  Not only did they manage to actually create a beer that looked and smelled like a Stout but drank like a Porter, they accomplished it with the quality that we have come to expect from these guys.  This is a great dark ale and one that will be wonderful throughout the Fall and well into the Winter.