Dark Horse Tres Blueberry Stout - Dark Horse Brewing Company

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.79/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Served on-tap at Drop Off Service in New York, NY

A: Pours an opaque jet black in color with some very dark amber highlights and a very light amount of visible carbonation. The beer has a half finger tall dense dark tan head that reduces to a very thin film covering about half the surface of the beer and a thin ring at the edges of the glass. Light to moderate amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Light aromas of dark roasted malts and blueberry.

T: Upfront there are light flavors of dark roasted malts which are followed by some light flavors of natural blueberry - the blueberry is not sweet or artificial tasting. Very light amounts of bitterness in the finish which fade almost instantly.

M: Medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Smooth.

O: Overall the beer is very well balanced between the flavors from the malts and the blueberry. I thought this was pretty interesting but not sure I would have another in a single session.

Serving type: on-tap

04-05-2013 01:47:17 | More by dbrauneis

metter98

New York

3.95/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at Drop Off Service, New York, NY

A: The beer is jet black in color. It poured with a thin dark tan head that died down, leaving some wispy lacing on the surface and a collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Light aromas of blueberries are present in the nose along with some hints of dark malts.
T: Like the smell, the taste has flavors of blueberries but these are balanced off by flavors of underlying malts.
M: It feels medium-bodied and slightly smooth on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: The beer has a nice balance between fruity and stout flavors. It is very easy to drink for the style.

Serving type: on-tap

04-05-2013 00:51:10 | More by metter98

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

4.1/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Al's of Hampden.

The beer pours a blackish brown color with good head retention and lacing. The nose is pretty impressive in this beer, as I pick up considerable vanilla, coffee grounds, dark chocolate and blueberry. The flavor profile generally replicates the nose, but is dominated by blueberry, vanilla and coffee. Mouthfeel is light to medium bodied, with a fairly long finish.

Nothing really extraordinary here (though the blueberry component is a nice touch), but for a relatively low alcohol stout, this beer is pretty nice.

Serving type: on-tap

06-18-2012 15:08:43 | More by johnmichaelsen

VncentLIFE

North Carolina

4/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Reviewed from notes and drank with Steel String Brewery. Thanks Chad (buschbeer)!

Pour is like motor oil. Small white head, but not really.

Decent amount of blueberry in the nose, dark fruits as well. Nice mix of fruits in here. Not as much blueberry as I wanted, but whatever.

Oh the taste. Thick malt flavor, roasted malt, and leather come to mind. The blueberries area very nice addition to what be a nice thick stout. Drinkable.

Serving type: on-tap

04-22-2012 01:18:44 | More by VncentLIFE

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

First had: on tap at TJ's, Paoli, PA

Surprisingly nice, this one was. I tend to approach beers like this with slight caution, but I'd definitely go back for another.

Served in a nonic, a rich obsidian black with a half-inch of creamy mocha head that domed precariously over the rim of the glass; moderate retention and lacing. Aroma heavy with dark roasty malts, and a distinctive scent of fresh-baked blueberry muffins. I know how hard it is to successfully meld fruit with the dark malts of a rich stout and get a satisfying result, but I think Dark Horse really nailed it with this one. Very roasty on the tongue, lots of dark malts, notes of coffee and dark chocolate, and an ubiquitous presence of fresh blueberries. Well, it delivered what it promised. Good balance, heavier-medium body, nice flavor, and quite drinkable overall. Again, I want more. Can't imagine it'd be quite as good if not fresh though.

Serving type: on-tap

03-21-2012 20:07:55 | More by Rifugium

claspada

New Jersey

3.4/5  rDev -15.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a viscous black motor oil with no head and little to no carbonation evident.

Aromas begin with blueberries and coffee. When I actually bring the glass to my nostrils I get, you guessed it a crap ton of blueberry coffee. As it warms I get more soy sauce and smoked malt. A little off-putting than I remember having in the bottle several months ago.

The taste is not as dominant as the nose but thank goodness. Initially you get lots of bitter dark baker's cocoa and lesser fudge brownies a consistent artificial blueberry maple syrup.

The mouthfeel is so so so full for a 4 and change ABV beer. Carbonation is low and could definitely use a bit more considering the style. A little too syrupy. Chewy and so so so full bodied.

Overall this is not as amazing as I remember in the bottle when I first sampled last year. This is much more roasted and smokey than I remember and I prefer the lighter coffee and chocolate from the bottled version than this thick roasted acrid example.

Serving type: on-tap

02-27-2012 21:54:03 | More by claspada

paxtonthegreat

Michigan

4.97/5  rDev +23.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

My all time favorite fruit beer! This is 2 things, a very well composed fruit beer and an excellent stout both separately. You can disect both flavors in your mouth very easily. This is the best example of a hint of fruit I have ever had in a beer. You get a very roasty smoky deliscious stout up front with the perfect small amount of blueberry in the back.

Serving type: on-tap

11-07-2011 19:02:41 | More by paxtonthegreat

ShanePB

Pennsylvania

3.78/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Served into a pint glass on tap at Canal Street Pub.

A: Oily dark black, some violet hues around the edges in direct light. A small, quickly dissipating beige head accompanies and turns into virtually nothing. Flat looking.

S: The blueberries are not hard to find. Immediate notes of pressed blueberry, light smoke, bitter chocolate and leather.

T: Nice eclectic blend of flavors. It starts off as a moderately roasted stout with very little going on. The blueberry comes through in the finish and into the linger, providing a much needed and definitely welcomed, change of pace from your typical stout.

M: A little thin, and even the lower-end carbonation doesn't save the mouth feel. I was just expecting a bit more body.

For only being 4.5% ABV, the Tres drinks like a much bigger stout. Not necessarily that there are overwhelming hints of alcohol, but something seems too over the top big for such a small beer. I would revisit for sure, but not something I could sit and drink for more than one pint.

Serving type: on-tap

03-30-2011 13:42:07 | More by ShanePB

JamesS

Indiana

3.43/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Half pint at Black Swan Brew Pub, Plainfield, Indiana. Poured a very nice deep brown, near black, but with no head and very little lacing. Nice stout aroma, with decent roasted grains, along with a huge blueberry scent; mingles together nicely. Decent flavor, but the blueberries almost completely overwell the stout; you do get a bit of nice roasted grains, but mostly it's berry. Goes down fine, nothing grand, nothing bad. Wish it has slightly less blueberry, since this was a blueberry stout, and not a stout blueberry.

Serving type: on-tap

03-17-2011 12:52:33 | More by JamesS

Kasia

Indiana

4.85/5  rDev +20.9%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

I stumbled upon this beer while at a micro brewery I frequent, it was featured as one of their guest taps. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was not at all sweet, it just had a mild undertone of blueberry flavor, the figurative cherry on top to seal in a perfect blend of complex flavors.

A-Has a large head with a deep clean coffee brown flavor, served in a snifter.

S-Refreshing blueberry scent.

T-Retains the blueberry flavor without being sweet or light. It has the richness of a complex beer, with the prominence of a single flavor the way a simple beer does. A perfect blend.

M-Very smooth with a small effervescence.

D-Easily drinkable, I highly recommend this beer if you ever have the chance to try it.

Serving type: on-tap

03-14-2011 00:55:32 | More by Kasia

sholland119

Pennsylvania

4.53/5  rDev +13%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

On tap at Station Taproom, 2/27/11.

A-Deep opaque dark brown with a thin tan head and no lacing.

S-Blueberries, graham crackers, bittersweet chocolate. Excellent.

T-Sweet roasted malt and graham crackers in the front with a nice breadiness and semi-sweet blueberry tanginess.

M-Medium bodied, a bit slick.

D-Excellent. The use of blueberries is perfect, the graham cracker character of the malt really stands out. One of the best 4.5% brews out there.

HV

Serving type: on-tap

03-06-2011 22:05:43 | More by sholland119

Kadonny

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from tap at TJs in Paoli into a nonic pint glass.

A: A thick black color with maybe just a hint of dark brown. A one finger light brown head sits atop that leaves some ring lacing.

S: Roasted malts with chocolate and of course blueberry. The blueberry is far from overwhelming though. Nice.

T: Again, roasted malt and the chocolate poke through with the blueberry following up and complimenting the chocolate and roasted flavors nicely. A bit of cocoa, caramel sweetness and some slight earth notes leave a creamy but slightly prickly finish. Nice lingering flavor. Nothing offensive here, very easy drinking and very enjoyable.

M: Smooth, creamy, not overly full. No alcohol.

D: Pretty good, but after maybe two of these I would want to move on. Still, those 2 would be real enjoyable.

Overall a real nice stout that is really different, but really good. The low alcohol allows you to just sit back and enjoy it with no worries. This is an excellent stout that I will definitely drink more of. Well done Dark Horse.

Serving type: on-tap

03-04-2011 21:01:34 | More by Kadonny

xnicknj

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

on tap at irish pol in philly. served in tulip glass.

Pours a lighter black color with some browned tones. A nice layer of tanned head retains well throughout the beer along with some spots of lacing on the glass.

A splash of juicy blueberries alongside chocolate and roasted malts. This is pretty much dominated by the fruit, but the dark scents manage to keep it under control.

Begins with a familiar roasted dark malt flavor before unleashing a wave of blueberry flavor. Fruit and syrup sweetness along with bits of chocolate. Softer tones of caramel and malt towards the finish with a bit more blueberry.

Fuller medium body, decent carbonation, a bit creamy and sticky on the tongue. I was surprised to find out the ABV on this beer after I had it, especially since the body was still full enough to hold the beer together. I was expecting the blueberries to wreck the flavor, but the chocolate and malt played nicely with this.

Serving type: on-tap

03-02-2011 05:44:16 | More by xnicknj

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev +3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours jet black with a chocolate brown head. In the aroma, hints of sweet blueberry and roasty sweet oatmeal. In the taste, sweet roasty oatmeal, with just a hint of blueberry. A small hop bite, and a medium bodied mouthfeel, with a semi dry sweet oatmeal in the aftertaste. Small blueberry notes, but more oatmeal stout like, but quite nice.

Serving type: on-tap

02-26-2011 18:15:58 | More by OWSLEY069

stewart124

Ohio

4.38/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours jet black with little head.

Some vanilla in the nost along with plenty of roasted character.

Large amount of coffee, vanilla and a very nice roasted character. There is a residual sweetness that lingers and a pleasant amount of blueberry. Silky smooth and plenty of body. The blueberry sweetness adds another dimension to this American Stout.

Nice Bitterness that has an earthy feel. Faint traces in the finish of the blueberries.

Very drinkable and delicious to say the least.

Serving type: on-tap

02-17-2011 23:58:13 | More by stewart124

Jesse13713

Ohio

3.9/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance - A small half finger of head. It is not transparent at all. Pours pitch black with a hint of blue and purple in the foam. Quite different looking from anything I've seen before.

Smell - Smells of coffee, chocolate and blueberries. A slight grape smell as well. The blueberry scent was very faint to me.

Taste - Not a very strong tasting stout. A slight coffee start with a blueberry aftertaste that is very smooth. It tastes just a little watered down.

Mouthfeel - A whirlwind of blueberry and other darker berries mixed together. Quite pleasant.

Drinkability - Very drinkable and not a very strong ethanol taste.

Verdict - Despite being slightly watered down, it is a perfect mixture of blueberry taste. It was different from any other dark fruit stout or porter I've had before. Definitely worth checking out.

Serving type: on-tap

02-13-2011 14:37:23 | More by Jesse13713

WVbeergeek

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

At Smokin' Joe's this beer was amazing, dark roasted malts bring out that dark chocolate/slight coffee hint. As the nose opens up you realize there's a nice earthy blueberry character taking hold, low alcohol minimalizes interference from other flavors. Overall you take the first sip and you realize dark roasted malts/creaminess/blueberry all at once almost overwhelming but excessently awesome version of a fruit stout. I will grab a four pack when available in OH, but this version on tap at Smokin' Joe's was my beer of the night. Mouthfeel was creamy alcohol was smooth or non-existent on the palate, excellent version of a great beer. Drinkability overall was Class A, the type of beer I want to experience again and again from today's craft brewing industry...you can just tell this beer is labor intensive.

Serving type: on-tap

02-12-2011 18:47:09 | More by WVbeergeek

jale

Michigan

4.33/5  rDev +8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had on tap at Reno's west in Lansing.

A; Pours a deep black with 2 fingers of a tan head. Lacing lasts a while.

S: Big roasted malt aroma. Slight fruit sourness.

T: Roasted almost burnt malt flavor. Light sweet bluebeery flavor does'nt overpower, just adds to the big stout taste.

M: Carbonation is just right. Not to thick for a big stout like this.

D: Love this. Could drink many more.

Serving type: on-tap

01-18-2011 22:13:39 | More by jale

LuthersLager

Michigan

4.75/5  rDev +18.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Like drinking blueberry pie!

Dark Horse is my local watering hole and the annual release of this beer creates excitement like kids at Christmas - and it usually comes out around Christmas... nice coincidence.

When you hold this beer up to your nose you smell blueberries. I believe, from talking with the bar staff (not any of the brewing staff) that the beer sits in a secondary fermenter with Michigan blueberries for months. I might be wrong, but I hope not - I like when beers are romanced with details like that.

The blueberry flavor is clearly there, not ridiculous like drinking some weird acai-blueberry crap at your health club. This beer is balanced giving you enough roasted malt and blueberry to make you think of blueberry pie. And for us Michiganders, blueberry pie at Christmas, made from berries from the falls harvest is... well there I go romanticizing beer again. Just drink one!

Serving type: on-tap

01-08-2011 21:05:16 | More by LuthersLager

corby112

Pennsylvania

4.4/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On draft at Bridgids.

Pours pitch black and completely opaque with a frothy 2.5 finger dark mocha color that has excellent retention, only slowly fading into a lastig cap. Streaks of lacing left behind.

Roasted dark malt aroma with lots of chocolate malt, oatmeal, toffee, burnt toast and a subtle dark fruit presence. The dark berry presence is well integrated, balancng out the deep roasty notes.

Full bodied with a nice creamy texture that adds fullness and complexity. Verydry and roasty with hits of bittersweet dark chocolate, coffee bean and burnt toast hut this is balanced out by subtle dry spic and swee dark fruit. The bluberry presence is evident but not verly sweet balancing outthe roasted malt notes very well. Slight alcohol warmth onthe finish. Pretty drinkable for how heavy it is.

Serving type: on-tap

06-07-2010 03:52:12 | More by corby112

jampics2

Ohio

4.13/5  rDev +3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap @ the Beer Engine. Poured into a pint glass on my Birthday! Appearance is black with no head.

Smell is amazing. Blueberry (but nice, not bitter, fake, or too sweet) and a heavy roasted malt component. Nice balance.

Taste follows. This could be my new session beer. Roasty malt gives hints of chocolate and coffee, while blueberry is clean and just enough to add without becoming gimmick-ey.

Smooth mouthfeel. Medium carb. All comes together well to create a nice feel for the beer.

Drinkability was good as well. I think this is a winner - Dark Horse walks the line without falling into fruit hell. Nice beer, fellas!

Serving type: on-tap

04-02-2010 14:06:10 | More by jampics2

KickInTheChalice

Illinois

4.03/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 3.5

3/27/10 on tap in a tulip.

Appearance: Midnight black, with no light escaping anywhere. It arrived with a thin tan head, which receded to the edge of the glass and left slight lacing on the way down.

Smell: Strong roasted coffee and chocolate malt is the dominant aroma; blueberry provides a secondary presence on the nose.

Taste: Surprisingly bitter all the way through. The coffee and chocolate start off strong with a dark roasted malt back, adding a light but firm blueberry taste. A touch of cigars in the middle, and the coffee is the taste left standing at the end. A fairly strong bitter aftertaste as well.

Mouthfeel: Smooth and creamy, a good fit for this stout.

Drinkability: a strong, moderately complex stout. The blueberry flavor provides a nice change of pace from the traditional variety. The bitter aftertaste will slow me down a little bit, but this is a good stout to rotate into the mix.

Serving type: on-tap

03-29-2010 15:20:21 | More by KickInTheChalice

AgentZero

Illinois

3.73/5  rDev -7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

A - Very black, small brownish head, dissipated without much lacing. Very opaque, no light coming through on this. Pretty dark in the bar, so that's not happening. Was wondering if there would be any blue in it, but wasn't expecting that.

S - Deep blueberry smell, really that's a lot of what this is. Slight stout smell, but not much.

T - Deep blueberry taste as well, that's about all I'm getting on this one. There are some weak stout notes, but it's really a blueberry drink. Not too sweet, more like the blueberries I used to put in my cereal for breakfast.

M - Milky, somewhat thick, low carbonation. Very smooth.

D - Highly drinkable due to ease of taste and low alcohol. Doesn't taste much like beer, think you could give this to anyone, even BMC drinkers and they'd be able to enjoy it pretty easily. Not sure if blueberry is the right direction to head with a stout, think it might work better in a wild ale. A good attempt, solid beer, but it would be great if someone could do a novelty stout like this and make something really kickass.

Serving type: on-tap

03-21-2010 19:58:47 | More by AgentZero

Florida9

Illinois

3.98/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Flat black in color. Opaque. Served with about a finger of creamy tannish colored head. Little lacing.

S: A nice wiff of Blueberry and chocolate. Very interesting. But the blueberry fades (becomes overpowered or drowned out) as you drink the beer.

T: Dark roasted malts. Baker's chocolate and cocoa. There is a faint note of blueberry if you search for it, but if I was tasting this blind I would never have picked up on the blueberry flavor. Predominately dry cocoa and heavily roasted malts.

M: On the heavier side with a decent bit of carbonation, but a little lighter than I was expecting. However, with an ABV of 4.5%, this isn't anywhere near an Imperial, so any discrepancy on what I was expecting versus what this beer is may be my own mistaken expectations.

D: Good, but at the end of the day, the blueberry is lost. I will say it was nice that the blueberry was not overdone and the blueberry does work well with this beer, but it is also on the light side, leading to a better than average, but not overly unique stout.

Serving type: on-tap

03-14-2010 02:30:05 | More by Florida9

Josievan

Iowa

4.05/5  rDev +1%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this on tap at Ribco in Rock Island, IL.

Appearance: Tres Blueberry Stout is a very opaque, dark brown color. This is one of the darkest heads I've seen on a stout. The color of the foam is almost a charcoal gray mixed with brown.

Smell: Big roasted chocolate malts dominate. The blueberry is there, but in the background. This works well for the overall aroma.

Taste: The beer has all your great stout tastes of roasted malt, hints of dark chocolate, mild bitterness, etc. Where it differs, of course, is the blueberry flavor. However, there's not as much blueberry as I was bracing myself for. I wouldn't call it faint, just subtle. Where the blueberry really comes through is on the finish. Blueberry and bitterness mingle in a long-lasting but pleasing aftertaste.

With a beer with blueberry in the name, it would be fair to assume Tres Blueberry to be quite sweet. However, this is not the case. Your average milk/sweet stout is decidedly sweeter than this. Any sweetness that is here does come from the blueberry, but the malt has a toasty quality much more so than sweet.

Mouthfeel: The beer is medium-bodied and not overly carbonated, which fits the flavor profile well.

Drinkability: As far as stouts go, especially specifically flavored ones, it doesn't take me long to finish my pint. Although it isn't overly sweet, there is still that underlying fruit flavor, so I'm not sure I'd want more than a couple at one time.

Notes: I like stouts and I like fruit beers (know I'm in the minority for the latter), so I'm very pleased to announce that Dark Horse has adeptly combined both styles to produce something delicious and unique! However, Tres Blueberry is definitely a stout first and foremost, as any flavored stout should be. It's a stout's stout, which just so happens to taste like blueberrys. Tres Bien!

Serving type: on-tap

02-25-2010 23:29:40 | More by Josievan