Monster29 - Dark Horse Brewing Company

Gobzilla

California

4/5  rDev -6.5%

01-26-2013 10:53:34 | More by Gobzilla

spycow

Illinois

4/5  rDev -6.5%

04-27-2013 00:02:31 | More by spycow

iwantmorehops

Vermont

4.5/5  rDev +5.1%

04-22-2013 02:23:10 | More by iwantmorehops

Hugonaut13

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev -0.7%

04-22-2013 01:24:17 | More by Hugonaut13

gratefulbeerhead

Indiana

4.75/5  rDev +11%

04-17-2013 01:59:26 | More by gratefulbeerhead

Duff27

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev -0.7%

04-16-2013 23:32:06 | More by Duff27

Zuidman

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +5.1%

04-15-2013 03:12:17 | More by Zuidman

Atomicskis5

Connecticut

4.5/5  rDev +5.1%

04-11-2013 01:12:57 | More by Atomicskis5

roblund

California

3.75/5  rDev -12.4%

03-20-2013 14:23:57 | More by roblund

mdfb79

New York

3.75/5  rDev -12.4%

03-19-2013 14:58:34 | More by mdfb79

zachary80

Indiana

3.5/5  rDev -18.2%

03-13-2013 06:47:31 | More by zachary80

oldp0rt

Quebec (Canada)

4/5  rDev -6.5%

03-10-2013 18:17:15 | More by oldp0rt

thegerm87

Connecticut

4.5/5  rDev +5.1%

02-16-2013 18:18:26 | More by thegerm87

liamt07

Ontario (Canada)

4.5/5  rDev +5.1%

02-10-2013 17:34:36 | More by liamt07

davey101

Connecticut

4.59/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12 oz blue waxed bottle into a Founders 15th Anniversary glass. Bottle #275 of 888, Batch #3406. I can't thank steimie enough for this beer!

A - Pours a near black body. Holding it up to the light shows some ruby edging but this is one dark ass barleywine. No real head to speak of, just some thick khaki edging with large bubbles. A swirl coats the glass in a long lasting alcohol lace with bits of foam. This falls down the sides ever so slowly. For a normal barleywine this looks great, but for one that is somewhere around 17%....well, color me impressed.

S - Starts off with sweet raisins and burnt caramel, then comes a huge wave of savory something. Its not quite at the level of soy sauce, but its certainly savory. Leather, bitter dark chocolate, and candied peaches. Booze, booze, and more booze. The smell is overwhelming, confusing, and exciting.

T - Raisins, caramel, molasses, chocolate, leather and maple syrup. Very syrupy and rich with just a touch of savory on the end. This is like drinking bourbon soaked raisinets. Finishes with some mild alcohol warmth, kind of like what you'd find in a well put together barrel aged beer. 17%? This is just lost upon me. Very sweet, but never "too much" or "cloying". Just the perfect level of decadent richness. The taste is just....perfection really.

M - Thick and syrupy with a bit of spritz. It is on low end of carbonation. Despite this, I find myself drinking this far too quickly.

O - This is what I wish Raison D'extra was like. Its syrupy, sweet, and rich beyond belief....but its just so damn tasty. I really enjoy high abv, highly attenuated, overly sweet booze bomb. This beer nails every bit of that to a T. The barleywine equivalent of Black Tuesday.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2013 04:18:30 | More by davey101

Etan

Illinois

3.94/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle from the 4Elf party into a snifter.

A: Pours a blackish body, looks like a stout. Light tan head.

S: Figgy, mild dark chocolate, dates and raisins, some mild dark fruit-like oxidation character. Rich and pleasant.

T: Intense raisiny sweetness, sherry-like, vanilla, light roasted malt and dark chocolate, cinnamon.

M: Thick-bodied, light carbonation, a bit syrupy.

O: I liked this beer after sitting down with it for a few hours. The "13 malts and 10 fermentable sugars" make it a bit too sweet, but this is miles ahead of many other barleywines in the same ABV range in terms of complexity and body, and the alcohol is very well-hidden. I'm curious as to how it compares to the barrel-aged version.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2013 04:06:21 | More by Etan

4DAloveofSTOUT

Illinois

4.51/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Nate for picking me up a bottle from the most recent 4 Elves Party at Dark Horse!

poured into a tulip glass.

vintage 2012. bottle number 711 of 888. batch number 3406.

Appearance: Very dark brown almost black bodied beer with a thick cap of light khaki head. The cap stays around for a while, then slowely drops to a ring. Decent lacing on the glass. This beer definately stains the glass.

Smell: a sweeter nose dominates this beer. First detected smell was bitter cocoa and black licorice. Then the dark fruit notes mostly dates and fig notes. Followed by more sweetness like maple, brown sugar, and molasses. I get a touch of spiciness that reminds me alot of cinnamon. Astrigent booze note and a hint of pine and grapefruit hops on the backend of the nose.

Taste: Yeah, it pretty sweet just like the nose. A truck load of raisins and prunes. Brown sugar, molasses, a touch of smoke, caramels, milk chocolates, and toffee. Leathery and molasses notes in the middle. You get just a hint of earthy hops in the backend of the beer, the beers malt profile is just so big... that the hops are fairely muted. Finishes with even more raisins and prunes. Nice complex big and bold beer!

Mouthfeel: Full bodied beer with low carbonation levels. Creamy, silky, oily, rich, and coats the entire surface area of your mouth. You can just tell this beer is huge... just a massive beer. I honestly think that this beer has a way thicker mouthfeel than Dark Lord. TRUE STORY! And where the heck is the 17% abv? I honestly get no booze from this beer. This is insane!

Overall: It honestly reminds me of a DFH World Wide Stout with a little influence of an American Barleywine, Old Ale, and a Quad all rolled into one beer. This is a really nice beer and I was really glad to try it out. Just cant believe how easy this drinks for 17% abv. Honestly speakless about this fact. I easily drank the entire 12oz bottle myself. Probably my favorite Dark Horse beer that i have drank to date!

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2013 05:36:20 | More by 4DAloveofSTOUT

ROBSTARR

Michigan

5/5  rDev +16.8%

01-13-2013 15:34:15 | More by ROBSTARR

jonbeer89

Nebraska

4.5/5  rDev +5.1%

01-10-2013 14:42:22 | More by jonbeer89

hannydawg

Illinois

3.25/5  rDev -24.1%

01-10-2013 02:08:43 | More by hannydawg

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.13/5  rDev -26.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Served in a Sweetwater mini-snifter.

I love how Gordon Lightfoot pronounces "Detroit"... Anyway, this stuff pours a deep sunset garnet-amber topped by a half-finger of khaki foam. The nose comprises boozy molasses and candied orange peel. The taste brings in more of the same, though now the orange peel seems like the stronger component. The body is a light-leaning medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a fairly smooth feel. Overall, this is a decent b-wine, but one that seems like it's resting on the laurel of its strength more than anything.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2013 23:02:57 | More by TMoney2591

Florida9

Illinois

3.28/5  rDev -23.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Dark dark brown. Not quite black. No head. Appears flat in the glass. Doesn't look much like a barley wine. Aroma is a mixture sweetness and roastiness. Molasses, raisin, and something like toast. Taste is like fermented molasses and nothing else. Well nothing else other than an unpleasant dry, astringent, oddly green chlorophyll-vanilla taste that is entirely out of place. Mouthfeel is sweet, thick, viscous, and syrupy. Mild bitterness, but dry and astringent on the finish.
This beer isn't right and I am at a loss to explain the high rating. This is barely even a BW, but even ignoring that, this just isn't a very good beer. It is one note, overly sweet, and has a punishing aftertaste.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2013 01:48:10 | More by Florida9

homebrew311

Illinois

3.13/5  rDev -26.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance is very dark for a barleywine with no head or lacing. Nose features molasses, light maple, heavy caramel, and vanilla. Taste is very sweet with plenty of molasses, maple, and a bit of off flavor in the middle. By mid palate, this brew is a train wreck and the finish is hard to swallow. This one is cloyingly sweet. Mouthfeel is syrupy and mildly carbonation. Overall, a messy barleywine.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2013 01:46:02 | More by homebrew311

Gonzoillini

Illinois

5/5  rDev +16.8%

01-06-2013 01:36:51 | More by Gonzoillini

egrace84

Illinois

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

Bottle poured into Duvel snifter. Didnt think I'd get the chance to try this but thanks to TATURBO for the hookup!

A: Poured vigorously into the glass, has a cola like appearance and left about a half inch of khaki colored head.

S: Dark fruits galore! Plums, dates, raisins, candied sugar, caramel, toffee, you name it, its all there.

T: identical to the nose, but also super intensified. everything carries over to the taste and then some. Absolutely can not believe this beer weighs in at 17.5%! An amazing sipper to enjoy on this cold winter night, but one could drink this dangerously fast if not careful.

M: Lower side of medium and completely works for this one.

O: outstanding high abv beer, bursting with flavor and meant to be sipped and savored... and I have no problem doing so. Would love to enjoy one.. or two of these every winter. Phenominal and definately worth seeking out or trying if given the oppurtunity.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2012 02:46:46 | More by egrace84