Dark Horse Too Cream Stout - Dark Horse Brewing Company

GoldHorde

Minnesota

4.9/5  rDev +25.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

Dark Horse Too Cream Stout:

Now THIS is what I expect when a stout is served!

Blindfolded - you would never guess another style. Thick and creamy mouthfeel, with a strong espresso edge. Blindfold off, you find exactly what you are tasting - am opaque black serving topped with a mocha foam head.

Strong enough to stand up to a pairing with a maduro cigar or an Austrian-Hungarian game stew.

A = Beautifully black, absolutely opaque with the dense, forbidden blackness of a black hole from which not even light escapes.
S = espresso charges up the nostrils
T = deeply espresso with a bourbon edge
M = Thick and creamy - thoughts turn to adding this to my bathwater...
O = This is EASILY in my top five Stouts.

Beautiful job Dark Horse!

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 04:18:36 | More by GoldHorde

Tbn2

New York

4.78/5  rDev +22.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from bottle into pint glass.

Eye Candy-Used motor oil with creamy brown head settling on the top.

Nose Candy-Plenty of roasted barley, chocolate malts, and the smell of coffee that has been on all morning.

Mouth Candy-A party in your mouth. Roasted barley hits you first and moves quickly to a coffee taste. At the finish the sweet malts and hops combine in perfect harmony to give a very sweet finish; exactly what a sweet stout should do. Body feel is very full and just right for my taste.

Overall this is a great brew. If you can get your hands on one, you won't be disappointed. Thanks to drxandy for this one.

Bottoms up...

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2008 20:44:21 | More by Tbn2

Phatz

Pennsylvania

4.72/5  rDev +21%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Allowed to warm to room temp and served in a snifter.

Appearance: Pours as black a black as you ever did see. A thick dark brown head fades to a frothy cap.

Smell: rich roasted malts and berries, bittersweet chocolate caramel molasses and plethora of all around goodness.

Taste: The chocolate is soft and smooth and milky with caramel and a touch of carob with a roasted coffee finish that is simply *magnificent*.

Mouthfeel: sensuous and smooth it slides across the tongue with a medium body and leaves behind a nip of roasty dryness.

Drinkability: This beer really hit the spot. I like a good sweet milk stout and this one is right on the money. Balanced perfectly and a pleasure to drink. If this was available locally I'd have a case soon.

Hope this is helpful.
Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2007 07:41:20 | More by Phatz

hosehead83

Ohio

4.72/5  rDev +21%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Poured from 12oz. bottle into a standard pint glass
Pours deep and dark, almost purple, with a beautiful dark tan head of foam
Aroma-Coffee and chocolate malts
Taste-Chocolate/cocoa, roasted coffee w/cream and a subtle smokiness that fades into a smooth, creamy finish.
Overall, a deliscious, smooth and creamy stout, with just a hint of smoky bitterness for balance that would make this beer go great with a grilled steak. 8.0ABV? I couldn't taste it, I wanted to gulp this down it was so smooth.
Get Some!!

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2010 19:40:41 | More by hosehead83

centurian62

Michigan

4.72/5  rDev +21%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Wonderful aroma with a fantastic taste and finish. It pours with a small copper head, if any. It has a very nice coffee middle and the creamy finish is prominant and fantastic! I would expect more of an alcohol finish from an 8% ABV, however the finish made me long for the next taste.

If you like Sam Adams Cream Stout I would highly recommend this beer!

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2011 14:33:08 | More by centurian62

shanblur

Indiana

4.68/5  rDev +20%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Purchased this at frontier liquors in Evansville, IN at the Green River Rd location. Poured from bottle into a snifter.

A - Pours a dark black with a thick dark tan head with moderate lacing

S - I get a strong chocolate milk smell with roasted malts and coffee undertones

T - Creamy milk chocolate and coffee on a nice roasted malt backbone. Lives little to be desired

M Creamy with just the right amount of carbonation

I love this beer, exceptional aroma and taste. Will be on the lookout for more. Shame this is a seasonal release. The best I have had from this great brewery

Serving type: bottle

06-25-2011 19:19:19 | More by shanblur

thelagerheads

Michigan

4.65/5  rDev +19.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

$1.67 12 oz bottle
Cloverleaf Fine Wine & Spirits
Southfield, MI

Take the bottle and pour it deep into the glass and when the last bubbles froth and foment at the festering fizz top shake the last drips of the bottle onto the surface of the beer. You'll see little bubbles shoot off the top and slide like electricity to the glass sides and die there. This really has nothing to do with this beer but it's something I've noticed from doing this a few times now. All right...deep hued chocolate, coffee smoke, burnt wood and a mild sweetness in the taste of the dregs at the roof of your mouth. One of the best stouts and cream stouts I've ever had.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2006 05:32:45 | More by thelagerheads

Vogie

Michigan

4.63/5  rDev +18.7%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

First time trying a Dark Horse beer.

P: Served in a Samuel Smith stout glass. Pour is jet black with about a finger or so of mocha head that quickly disappears leaving a little lacing around the outside.

S: Roasted malts, dark chocolate, lactose

T: Getting a creamy dark chocolate taste. Cream first followed by dark chocolate and roasted malt bitterness on the back.

M: Creamy, bitter, light to medium body.

O: A good Sweet Stout, however I did like Samuel Smiths Organic Chocolate Stout a bit better. I was getting more bitter than sweet in this beer. A solid stout that I would have again but would seek out...

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2013 16:24:44 | More by Vogie

putnam

Michigan

4.6/5  rDev +17.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Dark Horse is obsessed with black colored beer!
Aromas of cocoa, espresso and spring rain on moss. The bottom of a pot of burned coffee. Flavors are mild, without any astringency, and dry. Roasty woodsmoke flavors accompany a silky-textured, unfizzy, medium-bodied mouthful of soot, vanilla, charred anise and beet sugar flavors.
Remarkable for its easy drinkability, especially considering the color. Easily the most drinkable of the Dark Horse black biers and probably the lowest in alcohol.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2005 21:54:39 | More by putnam

erosier

Connecticut

4.6/5  rDev +17.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

L: Pours a deep black color with a short and medium bodied brown colored head that leaves some lacing down the glass.
S: Smells of very sweet dark malts, chocolate, caramel, and a hint of cream.
T: Very sweet malty base, chocolate malts, flavors of caramel, cream, and a hint of coffee.
M: Very smooth, thick, warming, perfect amount of carbonation.
D: Very drinkable beer. I love stouts and the flavors and subtleness of the cream really make it a joy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2009 11:34:26 | More by erosier

righthereisay

Pennsylvania

4.6/5  rDev +17.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Had this at SharpEdge in Crafton PA during lunch but wanted to try it on a clean slate.

This may my favorite smelling beer. Coffee, Toffee, Chocolate, maybe licorice. I don't know.

Poured black. Not a lot of head.

The taste is great. One of the best. Very nice full body. Can't taste the alcohol. We got cocoa, coffee, it was great. Not as sweet as some other milk stouts, which I am thankful for. A little bitterness at the end, but not too much. Wished it were a little less though. A little too much carbonation, but not enough to spoil it.

Excellent beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2011 18:37:44 | More by righthereisay

jsh420

Illinois

4.58/5  rDev +17.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

fresh batch just hit the store

pours absolutely pitch black darker then about every RIS i have seen with a dark tan mocha

smells of strong roasted malts chocolate coffee and of course a cream - smells like a FBS with milk

taste amost lives up to the nose there is a slight sourness from the coffee and milk clashing - but overall amazing beer - rich roasted as hell chocolate malts

mouthfeel is medium heavy with good carbonation but leaves my mouth so dry i need to take a drink of water after every sip

drinkability is great - an almost perfect beer - i have had this beer before but not this fresh and it had lost most of the coffee flavors - just a great four pack @ 7.99

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2010 02:35:11 | More by jsh420

Snow81

Minnesota

4.58/5  rDev +17.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Crazy dark thick on the eyes

Smell: Rosted Malts with big Coffie notes

Head: dark brown head with lace that sticks to the sides of my mug

Taste: coffie beans to the roof, half way in it turns to a creamy coco, flaver of a bitter hop cuts thru all the way till the end of this beer. yum,

Weight: on the palate its a lot thiner then it looks

Finish: ever lasting coffie with a hint of hops that still linger.

Aged...

Appearance: Black as night, no like will penetrate this beer

Smell: Very dark roosted malts with hints of coffee and coco off the nose

Head: Nice big thick muddy dark brown head

Taste: Roosted mats with a heavy rich burnt coffee bean and a small amount of heat

Weight: I would have to say for both body and carbonation that's Medium to high

Finish: Hints of Bitter hops and coffee still on the palate

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2011 14:48:01 | More by Snow81

stimulus

New Jersey

4.53/5  rDev +16.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Poured from a 12 oz bottle (in a 4 pack) into a pint glass.

A: Pours a jet black with a 1/2 finger brown head.
S: Milk chocolate with some caramel notes.
T: Tastes like chocolate milk or perhaps more like a "cold" hot cocoa: this is a very sweet cream stout.
M: Well carbonated, medium to light bodied, and has a very smooth, velvety finish.
D: Goes down way too easily: I could drink the four pack tonight quite enjoyably. Dark Horse definitely nailed the style on this one! I highly doubt that this is actually 8% abv, as Dark Horse doesn't release the ABV of their stouts (except Plead the 5th since I think it's high enough that it's required).

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2011 01:14:42 | More by stimulus

TheGordianKnot

Tennessee

4.5/5  rDev +15.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into my tulip...

A- Pours one of the deepest and darkest blacks I have come across yet. Also the 1 finger head is a very dark brown that dies down pretty quickly. I love how the appearance is just so dark and almost ominous... love it

S- Smells ALMOST like the perfect stout to me. Nice dark roast with some coffee, a little bit of smoke, and even a hint of black licorice.

T/M- This is very roasty stout that leaves your mouth lingering with a smoke flavor. Those are the two main flavors I get and if you search you can get just a hint of a "sweet" dark chocolate. I paired this with some semi sweet chocolate and when I eat the chocolate and drink, it seems to settle a little and a coffee flavor really pops. This beer has a low carbonation and a nice silky smooth creamy full body finish!

D- Yes, this beer is extremely drinkable. I am a huge milk stout fan and this does not dissapoint. A bit more roasty and full flavored than a lot of others I have had, and thats a great thing! I look forward to getting my hands on the other 4 of the stouts from Dark Horse in this series, especially if they are half as good as Too...

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2011 13:34:07 | More by TheGordianKnot

brock146

Minnesota

4.48/5  rDev +14.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: black as expected. brown tinted foamy head

S: Mocha scent. Roasted malt with a lingering scent of sugary cream.

T: black coffee with sugar and cream. a very slight bit of chocolate in there as well. slightly bitter

M: Creamy, sticky, and carbonation is right on the money.

O: Great beer. One of my favorite winter stouts (Along with the other dark horse specialties). However I find that some of my bottles of this beer taste a lot better and more "cream stout" than others.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2012 04:02:54 | More by brock146

Beerzebub

District of Columbia

4.47/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Thanks mikey711!

12 oz bottle poured into an imperial pint glass at 53F.

Black, with a very small dark tan head.

Sweet, roasty aroma. Coffee, molasses, cocoa, and caramel.

Tastes like medium-sweet cafe au lait up front, rich and delicious, with cocoa and caramel undertones. Then it becomes darker, roasty and dry in the finish. Long finish, dry roasty cocoa.

The carbonation is superfine, soft and cushy. Exceptional smoothness and the dry finish make this ridiculously drinkable.

Great beer, I enjoyed this.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2010 08:38:22 | More by Beerzebub

AdamBear

Pennsylvania

4.47/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

A-pours like black motor oil, exactly how i like my stouts to pour. thin dark tan head

S-i could smell this as i was pouring it in to the glass and as i walked to my desk. it smells like really dark roasted coffee beans and cocoa beans. smells extra fresh. super strong, not exactly pure smelling though.

T-comes in with with a really dark and sweet taste of mocha. its a thick taste that lingers to a semi-bitter matching after-taste. the after-taste has more of a chocolate cover coffee bean flavor. pretty smooth and well balanced.

M-thick and medium carbonation with a dry finish

O-i'm pretty impressed with this stout. its solid tasting yet its super smooth and really drinkable, even dangerously drinkable. i would say this borderlines the taste of an american imperial stout...it has the flavor profile. i recommend this and will get this again if i see it.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2012 01:40:24 | More by AdamBear

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.45/5  rDev +14.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

So I only have a couple more left in the holiday stout series and I wanted something dark to have with dinner last night and decided to take this one for a ride. The nice 12oz bottle was served at cellar temperature and poured into a pint glass.

Appearance - What a wonderful looking stout we have here. This one poured a pitch black with no light escaping at all,

This thing looked like an abyss. Pitch black, I could not even find any light sneaking in around the sides at all. A nice huge looking tan head then rose up over the top to a height of around two inches before finally settling down to a thin chocolate pillow across the top, but not before depositing copious amounts of side glass lace throughout the session,

Smell - The aroma was very large, and nice and sweet. Tons of lactose aromas coming through on this one. Sweet mil chocolate and a good touch of sugar all over this. Some nice dark roasted malts were hanging out way in the back, but otherwise this was just very sweet, delicious smelling to be honest.

Taste - The flavor followed suit nicely. The first thing I noticed was a nice roasted malt taste that was quickly erased by sweet milk sugar. Lots of vanilla hints rolling through here as well, with a nice chocolate like flavor as well. The finish had a touch of dry hoppiness to it, but other then hat it finished the way it started and came off very nice,

Mouthfeel - Nice smooth, creamy feel, not as heavy as I would have liked, but still very well done, and a testament to how well this one was put together. Really again very well done.

Drinkability - I could have easily had this one all night long. The carbonation was done very well and the overall feel of it was nice, albeit a touch on the light side. There was a decent amount of sugar, and the alcohol was nowhere to be found. I easily could have had another one at any point.

Overall I thought this was a n excellent representation of the style and one of the better sweet stouts I have had. Rich in complexity and low in BV, it is the perfect session able stout for the evening. I would be happy t have this one again any day!

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2008 22:56:09 | More by mikesgroove

Buebie

Minnesota

4.45/5  rDev +14.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12 oz brown bottle without freshness date.
Went into an oversized snifter. Poured black and inky, no light penetration at all.
Dark as hell head with a fluffy 2 finger head.
Spotty streaks of lace line the glass. Big ol' sediment cake left at the bottom of the bottle.
Weirdo design as usual on the lable.

Slight boozy aroma at the knose. Dark semi-sweet chocolate, cocoa nib nuttieness, sweet carmalised malt.
Lightly smoked oaky aromas.

Mild carbonation up front masking the real weight of this beer. As the carbonation melts away, the thickness of this beer comes through, and yes its thick, like a beer milkshake.
Reminds me of a reduction sauce mixed with white flour.
Its rich and creamy with a great big semi-sweet chocolaty flavor. Definatly some lactose in here bringing a mellow smothness to the beer and a thick creamy texture.
The finish is long on chocolate and silky smooth texture.

This is so damn good, highly recommend.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2009 20:23:02 | More by Buebie

Bighuge

Minnesota

4.43/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This looks like some really thick stuff as it pours. Pitch black color. Thin dark brown head. Good retention and lace properties. The aroma is pretty damn nice. Some of that smooth oatyness. Also some char and black malt goodness on the nose. The flavor really coats the tongue thoroughly. Big rush of roasted malt goodness mixed with some dark berries and anise oil. Cherries come to mind as well. Actually, more like bitter cherry chocolate. Very pleasing flavor profile. Creamy and velvety mouthfeel. Medium bodied. Very flavorful and very drinkable. One of the better cream stouts I've had in a while.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2007 22:27:59 | More by Bighuge

KeefD

Minnesota

4.43/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This beer is pitch black with a creamy head that looks like blowing bubbles into chocolate milk with a straw. Some average lacing is left on the glass, but this looks perfect for a sweet stout. Nice, semi-sweet aroma, light chocolate and roasty notes, but nothing spectacular. Slight lactic sourness in the background. Flavor is nice chocolatey sweetness, creamy, light roasted flavors, almost no bitterness at all. This beer is incredibly smooth, so creamy on the the tongue, but doesn't quite reach full bodied for such a dark beer. Carbonation is light, but only adds to the silkiness. This is very drinkable and the alcohol can barely be felt. A very nice beer and probably my favorite so far from Dark Horse.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2009 00:58:47 | More by KeefD

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

4.43/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Was going to pay big bucks for this on tap but got a bottle for 2.50 at D's six packs! Score!

A - Truly astounding Milk stout. Poured thick, viscous, pitch black with an inch of the darkest brown cocoa heads I ever seen!

S - From the bottle a very strong sent of coffee, natural and roasty and from the glass same applies with a hint of chocolate and slight vanilla.

T - Ow wow that's roasty! Smooth cappuccino like coffee and vanilla with a solid roast base clashes with a slight hop presence and lactose. For the ABV it seems way too light!

M - As stated it seems to have a thinner (but delicious) medium body even for 8 percent (really?) even thinner than my Terrapin chocolate milk stout!

D - May have to go back in a week and pick up a couple of more. Worth picking up just for the smell and appearance but worth picking more up for the smooth body and solid roasty flavor! Another solid offering from Dark Horse!

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2011 00:01:42 | More by DrDemento456

DarkerTheBetter

Pennsylvania

4.4/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This beer looks like an orb of obsidian in my DFH snifter with a collar of dark brown and a few mystical swirls in the middle.

Smells just like awesome. Smells of sweet creamy milk chocolate but also with a strong backing of sticky caramelized barley. There's also a touch of green grape here. The decadent sweetness of this one is off the charts. There's also a slight... barbecue chicken in the background? Who cares, this one's about as sweet and milky as the style could ask for.

The taste starts with a subdued toasty barley that then unfolds into a far more roasted barely that isn't quite porter-y toasty. This roasted character lends a touch of acrid coffee and that barbecue flavor again. Beneath this all is a creamy milkiness that adds a world of balance to an odd beer really pulling things together.

Feels creamy, slick and smooth with a very tight carbonation that doesn't speak too loudly. The presence but cleanness of this one is really remarkable.

Wow. What a beer. It's edgy enough to get your attention, but smooth enough to be a pleasant sipper.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2008 01:43:15 | More by DarkerTheBetter

ABeezy

Pennsylvania

4.4/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Alright this is my first review ever. Bought this down at Dee's Hotdogs and Sixpacks in Pittsburgh. Was the worst label in the cooler so I got it. Was sitting in the row with christmas ales for whatever reason. Anyway was looking for a new stout to bring home so here it is! This is the 3rd stout I have had this week and the best.

Pour, hardly any head. I saw that not much was forming so I started pouring faster, it didn't help much. Some bubbles formed around the glass, they were brown like chocolate.

The smell is great. Didn't have to get my nose down in there, it drifted up to me. The first thing I notice is the smoke. Then chocolate, espresso and a deep fruit sweetness.

Taste, all that is in there. You get that lactose milk stout flavor for sure. After a few swigs I can taste some vanilla. Trying to drink slower and let this warm up but it's not working. The other two stouts I had were way to sweet. This one is sweet but balanced.

I would buy this again. Wish it had more head but I'd still buy it again.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2011 05:14:43 | More by ABeezy