Elevator Dark Horse Lager - Elevator Brewery & Draught Haus

Bierguy5

Ohio

3.48/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle, 5.3% abv. Pours a dark amber color, with a brown tint. White head holds well for a few minutes.

Faint roasted grain in the nose, along with some earthy hops. Not very much at play here.

Darker malt, slightly roasty with a hint of chocolate, without the sweetness. Dry and slightly astringent at the finish, with some earthy bitterness.

Lighter body, but not overly fizzy. Alcohol is a non-factor here. Overall, not terribly interesting but without any major flaws. This would be easy to drink a lot of.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2011 22:38:03 | More by Bierguy5

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

4/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Molten copper with pumpkin accents and plenty of uprushing bubbles. The carbonation destination is two fingers of khaki hued foam that is developing large divots in its upper surface as it slowly shrinks. Thick streamers of lace look good too.

This offering is more properly thought of as an American brown lager. Besides, last time I checked, Columbus is not in Europe. Loads of brown bready malt are a pleasant surprise and instantly earn this pony a good score.

Dark Horse Lager is not short on flavor, which is the first major point in its favor. Sweet and bitter balance is right in the fun zone as well. My EB & DH experience is still on the low end, but it's obvious that these guys know what the hell they're doing.

Flavors include toasted brown bread, steely caramel, cocoa powder and strong iced tea. This must be a fresh bottle because the finish is impressively tight/clean, with a healthy nip of hops. Too bad most Euro dark lagers don't taste this good.

There are no complaints about the mouthfeel either. It's easily big enough and has a well-calibrated combination of creaminess and stinging bubbles. Borderline buzzy to start turns into 'keeps your attention' lively by mid-bottle.

Elevator Dark Horse Lager is solid beer from the gate to the backstretch to the finish line. Even though it uses lager yeast, it's really more of an American brown ale than anything else. Forget being a dark horse, this stuff is a favorite.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2011 12:50:40 | More by BuckeyeNation

stakem

Pennsylvania

3.63/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to csmiley for the chance to try this one. Poured into a pint glass this brew appears a clear amber brown color with a finger of quickly dissolving lightly tanned head. Some streaks of lace cling along the glass.

The aroma of this brew is sweet caramelized malt smelling with a bit of buttery notes. Some brown sugary suggestions are also evident along with a minor level of citrus hop scent. A faint chocolate malt suggestion is also evident as the brew warms.

The taste is a sweet mixture upfront tasting of a combination of caramel and chocolate malts with a hint of brown sugar. The sweetness fades to some buttery diacetyl notes, contrasted by a mild herbal hoppy bitterness and an increasing alcohol flavor and warmth brings up the rear.

Medium bodied with modest carbonation. For a brew at just over 5% abv the alcohol is quite pronounced but plays off with a nice subtle fruity flavor that meshes well with the other flavors. It is quite drinkable but a little too sweet for my liking and at times the buttery notes just dont blend well with the other flavors. As the brew warms, it picks up a bit of a light roasted quality about the malt that lingers in the mouth.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2010 03:06:03 | More by stakem

JayQue

Virginia

3.65/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Not a bad lager. Pours a dark amber color with a cream color head - average retention and good lacing - rings around the glass.

Smell is mild and malty.

Tastes pretty good. Toasted malt and sweet malt with a minimum hop presence other than to cut the sweetness.

Mouthfeel is good. Plenty rich for the style, light and crisp.

Drinkability is good. Slides down easy and has enough flavor to warrant making it a session beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2010 19:01:52 | More by JayQue

Ryan011235

Ohio

3.85/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a pint glass on 7/28/10

Medium brown color; not quite cola but close. It has nice clarity though; no haziness. One & a half fingers of foam has dropped to a thin layer. Minimal lace.

Simple aroma of toasted bread, earthy hops & musty yeast undertones.

Subtle earthy hop notes hit upfront & give way to a full malt profile. Sporting only a vague sweetness, there are notes of toasted dark bread, a hint of biscuit & even some dark sugars. No frills, but it tastes pretty good.

Leaning towards full bodied. Carbonation seems right around where it should be; not overly fussy. Residuals of toasted malt with a lingering bitterness.

Not too shabby. Dark Horse is straightforward & plays it safe. Certainly nothing wrong with that. Still, with other quality beers available locally (from Elevator & others), this won't end up in any sort of regular rotation.

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2010 21:19:16 | More by Ryan011235

chiefydawg

Ohio

4.03/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Dark amber, very clear body with muted but adequate carbonation and a thin, white, short-lived head. Not much lace.

Nice Munichy maltiness up front in the nose, bringing almost a tad of fruit (NOT from the yeast or hops though). Faint German-smelling hop aroma, clean yeast. Wisp of smoke and roast.

Tanned toast, some rich homemade biscuit crust. Hint of dark fruit and burnt caramel. But the hop is more prevalent than expected and imposes itself. Not bitter, but balanced with some earthy, apple peel taste, keeping it malty but in check. Clean lager taste with a touch of refreshing sulfur. Sweet but not cloying at all.

Nice, medium mouthfeel is quite inviting. Quite drinkable and clean-finishing for being malt-based and having low carbonation. This bottle may not survive the review!

Loves me a semi-local Dark Lager, man. Quite a treat the more I think of it. Truthfully reminds me of a darker, well-made Oktoberfest with extra late hope additions.

Note: the beer did not survive this review.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2010 02:32:32 | More by chiefydawg

Traquairlover

Virginia

3.63/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Thanks to ne0m00re for this bottle.

12-oz bottle poured into a pilsner.

A = Nice dark caramel with good clarity. I really like the color, but I'm split on the appearance by the fact that there is an almost complete lack of head, a small amount of bubbling at first that was similar to Coke and then nothing.

S = This smells really nice, like whole wheat sourdough uncooked bread dough, a bit of earthy hops. Very nice.

T = Good balance but a little less oomph than I had hoped for after the smell. There is a constant level of bitterness without any strong hops flavors and a good bready flavor at first, but this thins out a bit as it hits midpalate and light flavors of burnt toast appear. All in all it's good, but not great.

M = Carbonation is soft in terms of feel. It doesn't sting. But it is far too strong in terms of amount. A small drink starts to expand in the mouth until it is in danger of spurting out unless a larger swallow than intended is performed on an emergency basis. Body is very light, mouthcoating is adequate for the beer, but a little light.

D = This is an easy drinker.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2010 15:26:44 | More by Traquairlover

joepais

Maine

4/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to Csmiley for sending this one out to me
Bottle poured into a pint glass produced a finger worth of white head that faded to a good lace. The body of the brew was an interesting reddish brown color.

The aromas were a little roasted and bready yeast, it was very light and subtle. Basically what I look for in a lager when it comes to smell. The flavor was roasted and sweet at the same time. It was crisp and light in the mouth with good carbonation. It was a easy brew to drink and was looking for more when I finished it

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2010 02:12:14 | More by joepais

MbpBugeye

Ohio

3.55/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A- Poured into a pilsner glass. Big crazy head thats nearly out of control. The head retention is insane. Its like a meringue dolloped on top of this beer. The beer itself is a deep caramel color with lots of effervescence. The color is actually kinda strange looking.

S- Strange smell. Toasted malts, maybe some cornmeal, aluminum, and some cinnamon like spice.

T- Light flavor. Cinnamon, faint hops and biscuit malts.

M- Low carbonation, slick, heavy body. This is a lot heavier than I expected. Goes down well and is thirst quenching.

D- Pretty sessionable. Finishes clean and dry. Easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2010 04:07:14 | More by MbpBugeye

Freethyhops

Alabama

3.88/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle served in a pint glass. no sign of a best by/bottled on date

Bottle thanks to Ryan011235, always nice to get something from a brewery I've never heard of.

Pours a transparent dark amber almost brown color. less than a 1/2 finger of head that dissipates to a then film almost immediately. Not a whole lot on the nose. A hint of toasty sweet bread. The taste is dominated by roasted barley and a bready malt backbone. A little sweetness kicks in before it finishes slight bitter and dry. This beer has the crispness you expect from a lager while providing nice roasted characters. The mouthfeel is quite pleasant, as well. An overall easy drinking and enjoyable brew.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2009 03:21:18 | More by Freethyhops

mikesgroove

South Carolina

3.78/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I am going to be making a concerted effort to dive through the pile of things I need to try in the next couple of weeks. So I started out last night with this one. Served cold and poured into a pint glass, it was consumed on 09/09/2009.
 
Nice pour here, very dark and nearly completely black in color with the exception of some touches of red around the sides and the bottom of the glass. Nice tan head came up and over the top and settled down after a few minutes, dropping a nice amount odd side glass lace in the process. Aroma was light, lots of caramel malts and bready notes dominate. Warming it brings out light notes of grain as well. Smooth taste here with a medium body that was well carbonated. Nice feel across the tongue with very sweet notes that seem to get stronger as it rolls forward. Almost a peat like touch to it as well at times. Very drinkable as the flavor was not over powering and the light ABV made it go down quite nicely.
 
Overall a nice little lager I have to say. Not the biggest fan of the style, but I have to admit this kind of worked for me. I would have no issue at all with trying this one again any day!

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2009 15:42:27 | More by mikesgroove

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

3.43/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22 oz bottle into a pint glass.

Pours a deep clear amber, with little over a finger of off-white colored head. Pretty good retention here, staying rich across the surface, with some nice patchy lace back. The aroma is some toasted bread and light notes of toffee and cocoa sweetness. I'm getting a bit of nuttiness too, as well as some spicy floral hops behind the other flavors. This isn't particulary robust in the nose at all.

The taste is tight toasted malt character, as well as some lighter chocolate roast and sweet caramel. The backend is fairly green tasting with citrus and a spicy bitterness. Pretty clean feel on the finish. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, with a sharp and crisp feel. Overall refreshing presence for the most part.

This was decent. Definitely a little darker tasting than you would expect from a normal lager. I'm not sure how old this bottle was, but it seemed to have a bit of fade on it. I'd like to re-review in the future with a fresher sample.

Serving type: bottle

08-24-2009 16:59:57 | More by Kegatron

rayjay

Hawaii

3.88/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Yet another csmiley choice from Black Booty 09.

A very dark copper color, maybe dark brown, but not black (no that there's anything wrong with that). Lots of white foam, some lacing.

Sulfur on the nose giving away it's lager roots. That dominates over all else.

Nice noble hop punch that fills your sinuses, and gives way to a rush of malt sweetness, then finishes somewhat dry with the sweetness and bitterness just barely hanging in there. Clean, robust, balanced, not heavy. Just a simple refreshing session beer.

Above average all around. Nice medium-light mouthfeel that's refreshing and inviting.

Cheers to session beers!

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2009 05:21:06 | More by rayjay

ndekke39

Ohio

3.55/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Split a bomber of this with a good friend. Decanted into a pint glass.

A: Orangish-brown, light haze, thin white head. Seems pretty average for a dark lager.

S: Definite lager aromas. Very nutty, yeasty, rich dark malt aromas.

T: Definite nuttiness. A hint of something like popcorn. Strong maltiness overall. Clean finish.

M: A tad on the watery side. Very little carbonation.

D: A nice, drinkable lager. The first dark lager I think I've had. I'll definitely try this one again!

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2009 01:41:06 | More by ndekke39

sleazo

New York

3.75/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A_Pours a chocolate like brown which ranges through the spectrum from dark to milk when viewed against a light. A smallish tan head caps the brew. Retention is poor but the lace is fairly solid.

S_The nose is a nice blend of chocolate and a small dose of vegetal hops.

D_A smooth sweet liquid greets the tongue upon first sip followed by a burst of chocolate and caramel roasted malt. The finish is rather dry and speaks of light hopping. Some hints of hay in the aftertaste. There is also a bit of a metallic element as well that manages to detract from an otherwise tasty beer.

M_A thicker lager with just the right ammount of large bubbled carbonation.

D_The words, smooth and easy drinking come to mind as my glass quickly empties. A mostly clean tasting lager that is pretty tasty overall.

Thanks to csmiley for the opportunity to sample this.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2008 00:31:43 | More by sleazo

bluejacket74

Ohio

4.1/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22 ounce bottle, it's Elevator's first bottled beer (purchased at Blacklick Wine and Spirits). Served in a pint glass, the beer pours dark brown with some red tints too. Head retention is average, lacing is very good. Aroma is toasted malt and nuts, with a bit of chocolate and hops. Taste is similar to the aroma, but the hops come out more in the finish. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it's on the creamy side and has average carbonation. Drinkability is pretty good, it's very smooth and very easy to drink with a dry finish. Overall I think it's a good, sessionable dark lager (5.3% ABV). I'd definitely pick this up again, it's a good choice and the first bottled selection Elevator is selling in the Columbus area. Recommended.

Serving type: bottle

08-09-2008 01:25:21 | More by bluejacket74