Dark Horse Thirsty Trout Porter - Dark Horse Brewing Company

xnicknj

Pennsylvania

3.55/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

on tap at revolution house - served in pint

Pours an opaque mahogany color with charred hues. Crop of toasted brown head slowly fades into patchy lacing on the glass.

Roasted dark malts, chocolate and a dash of smoke in the nose. Soft sweetness, nutty and a bite of warmth.

Waves of maltiness up front with soft, smooth sweetness driven by cocoa and dark chocolate. Coffee beans, roasted dark malts and caramel. Finishes with a touch of alcohol and dark sweetness.

Fuller medium body, decent carbonation, chewy and smooth on the tongue. Well-crafted, albeit fairly standard porter. I'd drink this again, but there's definitely some better ones out there.

Serving type: on-tap

12-29-2012 23:31:53 | More by xnicknj

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.5/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

If the trout is thirsty, you might want to put it back in the water- fish really, really, really like it there! But as a beer goes, the Baltic porter portrays a lot of porter-ish character but plays it safe on the sweeter, fruitier, and smoother character of classic Baltic options.

Thirsty Trout opens with the typical appearance of porter: Strong dark "bark" brown with a modest haze that strictly prohibits light from emitting. A creamy blanket of lace covers the beer with solid retention and spotty lace. Where I often look for bright clarity or a depth of clarity and rubyish highlights in Baltic versions, those seem to be omitted here.

Strong, masculine aromas of coffee, chocolate, roasted nuts, and black jelly beans play out in the nose with a deeply grounded malt scent of milkshake. The roast-heavy scent begins to resemble stout, but pulls away with more cocoa and fruit complexities.

Coffee lovers should feel right at home with this beer, as the taste of Colombian and breakfast blends rise in the most bold and delicate ways. The coffee focus is backed with the flavor of bittersweet chocolates, walnut, toffee sweetness, malted milk, and a tinge of grape-like fruitiness (I doubt that I would have picked up on much of the fruitiness if the beer hadn't been described as a Baltic porter- I would have likely chalked it up to a standard American porter). Coffee-like bitterness rises in the broad and earthy wood taste to close the beer.

Medium bodied throughout, the beer's early texture relies on its malt sweetness and creamy carbonation, but the slow fade into finish brings a tad of abrasion from alcohol, grain, and hops-again, fine for standard ales, but I'm looking for a smoother lager-like mouthfeel in the Baltic porters.

Where Thirsty Trout draws in inspiration from several porter sources, it doesn't really resonate with the palate as a Baltic porter any more as it does for American porters, robust porters, or English brown porters. But it is a pleasant flavor profile that makes it a joy to drink.

Serving type: on-tap

11-02-2012 05:13:15 | More by BEERchitect

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On tap @ HopCat. Served in pint glass.

A - Black with a small ring of white head.

S - Roast, chocolate, and light coffee. Fairly sweet overall nose.

T - Big roast profile, chocolate, some nutty flavours and a touch of coffee.

M - Medium body, moderate carbonation.

Serving type: on-tap

08-10-2012 20:25:39 | More by TheSevenDuffs

jmdrpi

Pennsylvania

3.68/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

served on tap at the Dark Horse brewery pub in Marshall, MI.

appears almost black, with off-white head. nice lacing as I drink the glass. milk chocolate in the aroma. slightly roasty taste. thicker body, lower carbonation. I'd say it's to style as a Baltic Porter. I'd drink it again.

Serving type: on-tap

06-20-2012 02:21:39 | More by jmdrpi

trxxpaxxs

New York

4.4/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at Dark Horse's Brew Pub in Marshall, MI...

A: Pours a super dark brown, almost black, with one full finger of mocha head that takes forever to settle down. There is minimal lacing as it drinks.

S: The nose is big chocolate, some coffee, some raisin, and a good amount of roast. The roast and chocolate seem to dominate, but the coffee and raisin aren't exactly second fiddle. It's just a good mix of all the scents.

T: This brew starts off sweet with the chocolate and coffee paving the way for some stone fruits (plums, dates, and raisin) to really shine through. It follows the nose, and all the flavors mix well.

M: Full bodied beer. It's incredibly creamy, with just the perfect amount of carbonation. I get a lingering mix of sweetness and bitterness.

O: I like this a good deal. Dark Horse seems to make stouts and porters that are geared to my taste-buds. I'd drink this again in a heartbeat.

Serving type: on-tap

05-20-2012 01:19:19 | More by trxxpaxxs

TMoney2591

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in a tumbler at The Tribes.

Memories of somehow drug-free arguments about Spongebob episodes come to mind here: How can a trout be "thirsty"? Anyway, this stuff pours a straight obsidian topped by a finger of dusty tan foam. The nose comprises chocolate (both dark and syrup), molasses, and roasted malts. This stuff smells damn fine, I tell you what! The taste holds notes of dark chocolate powder, roasted malts, light coffee, very light molasses, and a kiss of maple syrup. The body is a sorta-light-medium, with a light moderate carbonation, a generally smooth feel, and a kinda dry finish. Overall, a very nice porter, one I wish I could find regularly in bottles out here. Let's go, Dark Horse!

Serving type: on-tap

12-11-2011 18:44:32 | More by TMoney2591

FightingEntropy

Minnesota

3.85/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

First draft on site at Dark Horse, and it's a pretty good start. Poured in a pint glass right up to the rim with very little head, yet it lingers a bit. Solid coffee and malty roast in the nose with a bit of light hop as well. Very easy drinking, even in the heat of the summer swelter--mouthfeel is chewy and light at the same time--malt, coffee and roast settle and linger in the mouth--same hop spice on the tongue. Nice beer that would be better on a cooler day or with a bit more AC in the bar. This pitch black 7% porter is more than worth the effort but moved on for the next pint.

Serving type: on-tap

07-28-2011 17:51:34 | More by FightingEntropy

Bung

North Carolina

4.1/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Hop Cat in G.R. Very murky dark brown pour. Not a substantial off white head. Sticks to the glass ever so slightly. Rich malt aroma with quite a bit of chocolate, less roast. Taste does kind of match that, with some earthy peat and tobacco, but quite a bit of molasses and chocolate. Barely enough bitterness in the finish. Just medium bodied, with adequate carbonation. The only thing preventing an excepetional in drinkability is the slight over sweetness. Otherwise, well worth trying. This had a tough road to hoe following a Founders KBS, so another good brew from Dark Horse.

Serving type: on-tap

09-09-2009 18:55:25 | More by Bung

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.65/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

More of a porter slash brown than a baltic porter, on tap at Hopcat. Brown with carbonation bubbles. Average mouthfeel. Malty. Licorice brown taste. A little roast, more licorice than chocolate, and a tad coffee. Much better at the brewery, better mouthfeel..

Serving type: on-tap

08-09-2009 18:43:17 | More by northyorksammy

shivtim

Georgia

3.85/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This is probably the only "fish-themed" beer I've ever had that was actually good. Just so you know, avoid any beer named after a muskie.
Anyway, it's a nice black with slight ruby hints and a thin brown head. Nose is malty molasses with almond, vanilla, and maybe even slight cardamom. Quite delicious! The taste is mild malts, some hops. Nowhere near the complexity of the nose. Mouthfeel is a tad thin, but drinkability is pretty good. Nice brew.

Serving type: on-tap

01-08-2009 22:16:16 | More by shivtim

weeare138

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appears a brown/black with a fluffy tan head that retains nicely. Lots of spotty lacing left on the glass.
Smell is of roasted malt with crystal malt and creamy sweetness evident.
Taste is sweet, roasty, dark fruits, creamy vanilla.
Mouthfeel is chewy, creamy, sweet, balanced, and getting the job done.

Serving type: on-tap

12-02-2005 23:08:38 | More by weeare138

Andrew61923

Connecticut

3.59/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from 12 oz bottle into my Sierra Nevada tulip. Bought as a single as I've enjoyed some of Dark Horse's offerings in the past.

A: Pours a very dark brown with almost no light getting through along the sides of the glass. Even with an aggressive pour, I was left with half a finger's worth of light khaki head that faded relatively quickly to a thin film.

S: I'm getting much more roastiness than anything else with a bit of baker's chocolate mixed in there as well. Not a very exciting nose really.

T: More pleasant than the aroma. The chocolate asserts itself a lot more, but I'm still not getting much more beyond it. A bit too one-dimensional for my liking.

M: The carbonation is about spot-on and this drinks very well, but I'm a bit confused by the designation as a Baltic porter in that sense. I would expect a more viscous beer in that category, where are this seems like a standard American porter to me.

O: There's nothing groundbreaking about this beer at all, but that doesn't make it bad by any means. I could see myself going back to it if I saw it on draft (which I never will), but I doubt I would buy it again in bottle form.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2013 01:20:07 | More by Andrew61923

ncketchum

Wisconsin

4.21/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Served cellar temp in a chimay chalice

A - pours a dark, clear brown with a ring of head

S - sweet biscuit breadiness, malt, chocolate

T - taste is primarily chocolate malt, a hint of hops in the finish

M - very smooth, no sign of alcohol, medium bodied

O - great Baltic porter, dark horse continues to impress me with all they put out

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2013 02:16:19 | More by ncketchum

wedge

North Carolina

4.18/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Very dark chestnut color with only a slender, creamy line of a head. Aromas of salted dark chocolate, caramel, nuts, and berries. Rich, malty flavor transitioning to dark fruitiness. Sweetened coffee, tobacco, molasses, faint licorice, caramelized sugar, and vanilla bean. Dry in the finish and creamy, but thinner than expected. A very tasty, big-ish porter and yet another malty success from Dark Horse.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2013 01:54:38 | More by wedge

horshack7

Massachusetts

4.41/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Appearance: It's very dark very much opaque in color. On top is a head beige in color and one finger in height.

Aroma: Sweet dark fruits in the front with tones of brown bread and molasses. Black licorice, yeasty, mint.

Taste: Chocolate malts, dark coffee, traces of milk sugar. Dark bread, licorice, molasses. The mouthfeel has a malty bite but finishes smooth.

Notes: Despite this one being seven percent it's very drinkable. Cheers.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2013 01:51:37 | More by horshack7

KYGunner

Kentucky

4.03/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

I can't say I see any evidence that this is a porter but that said it holds several aspects of a good stout.

The color is jet black with no rubiness. The head was stiff and creamy it was also long lasting.

The scent it mostly burnt malt with hints of chocolate and char. The taste does not follow as strong charred malts and coffee sit on the tongue. The feel it very smooth and a touch dry, its light but charismatic.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2013 01:56:08 | More by KYGunner

Flounder57

Massachusetts

3.83/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

12 oz bottle was poured into a pint glass.

Appearance: This beer poured a one finger mocha head that reduced to a thin layer. It is a pitch black color with no clarity or vision of bubbles coming up through the glass.

Smell: roasted coffee, chocolate, malty sweetness, and some molasses.

Taste: All of the above with some mild bitterness and burn in the end.

Mouthfeel: Creamy smooth, medium to full bodied, low to medium carbonation, and extremely drinkable.

Overall: A nice BP in my opinion. It good to see more breweries try this style out as compared with the Eastern European breweries.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2013 06:43:00 | More by Flounder57

tdm168

North Carolina

3.95/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - dark brownish black with reddish hues and a soft, thin layer of quickly dissipating brown head

S - fruit, chocolate, faint coffee

T - big roasted malts, coffee, intense dark fruit, some faint black licorice, very mild bitterness

M - medium bodied, some warming alcohol, well carbonated

This is a nice porter. It has a nice flavor profile that is intricate but simple. The body offers great drinkability. Overall, a good, well-rounded porter. It probably won't please everybody, but for me this is a porter I would go back to.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2013 15:22:14 | More by tdm168

Stevedore

Wisconsin

3.8/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle poured into a Bell's tulip and quaffed today 3/26/2013

Aroma: Nose is mostly roast malt. Some chocolate, a little bit of dark fruit. Not a particularly strong nose but it's definitely there. (3)

Colour: Looks great. Pours with a dark cola body, almost black. Illuminates cola brown. Comes with a lush 2cm tan head that dissipates within a minute or so, leaving a thick, light tan collar. Lacing is thick and grainy, falling back into the collar quickly. (4)

Flavour: I like it. Roast, malt are pretty dominant which I enjoy very much in my porters. There's a little bit of dark fruit, like dates. And there's a chunk of the dark chocolate bitterness on the back end. Pretty great tasting porter! (4)

Mouthfeel: A bit on the thinner side of medium body. Carbonation is quite solid. Aftertaste reminds me of eating dark chocolate a bit too quickly, with the bitter aspect being rather dominant. Don't get a ton of heat at all from this beer despite its 7%. Very, very drinkable despite its being on the thin side. (4)

Overall: I enjoyed drinking this porter. I like getting tons of roast malt in the flavours and nose of the porters I drink, and this delivers in that regard. For the most part it's a good solid porter, nothing to write home about. If it was a bit creamier and thicker, I'd consider putting it up there with some of the better porters like Eddy Fitz (even though they are in different beer styles) (4)

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2013 20:43:32 | More by Stevedore

drpimento

Wisconsin

3.9/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 4

Goot schtuf! Served at a good temperature with modest head that soon settles to a light cover that lasts forever and good lacing. Color is an opaque black brown. Aroma is malt, roast, dark ripe fruit, molasses, cocoa. Flavor's like nose with all the above characteristics amplified plus the integration of sweet, carbonic tang, and bitter. Body is good but carbonation seems a little light. Finish is like flavor, longish, and a touch boozy.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2013 05:56:12 | More by drpimento

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

At this point I've had enough baltic porters (from both sides of the pond) to know the difference. This one is thick as it should be. That someone berry kind of robust sweetness is there. Smooth feel. Minimal carbonation. An easy drinker and a good example of the style.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2013 02:03:37 | More by RblWthACoz

jlindros

Massachusetts

3.85/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Snowed in, time to break out the baltic porters.

Pours a very light fizzy bubbly but darker head covering that fades pretty quickly, more like a 9-10% abv beer like head, touch of lacing, pitch black beer.

Nose brings loads of chocolate, creamy milk chocolate, hot cocoa, a little expensive Belgian or Swiss creamy lush chocolate, little bakers even, etc. Some vanilla, light caramel and even a little syrupy sweetness. I think there is a hint of lactose sugar in there since it brings quite a bit of creaminess.

Taste starts with creamy flavors again, almost sure there is lactose sugar in here with the creamy milky flavor almost like a milk stout. Then chocolate but not as complex, more like milk chocolate and a little creamy Godiva chocolate filling flavor. Light caramel and sweetness, a little stout like bitterness, light vanilla too, and faint bitter hops. Finish is quite dry, bitter slightly earthy hops and stout malt bitterness, more creamy lactose and chocolate lingering.

Mouth is quite creamy and milky but feels a bit thin, esp for a 7% baltic porter... then again a baltic porter is typically has lots of malt and flavor with lesser overall beefiness to the beer, so I can't fault it for that, lighter carb though.

Overall not bad, more like a milk stout than baltic porter, but still fairly tasty and drinkable, nice robustness, just a bit light overall feel and carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2013 22:29:18 | More by jlindros

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

After being turned down for Plead the Fifth everywhere I am glad to come home and drink a this new Dark Horse beer. Got it from Vintage Estate for $1.99 a single.
A - Fairly dark for a porter it does have some ruby hues with a 1/4 inch of silky mocha head atop. As most of their dark brews the lacing is excellent.
S - Smell is very roasty with tones of lactose sugars, some mocha, and a touch of sweet chocolates.
T - Has everything I expected, moderate bittering hops, some coffee and burnt sugars, and a bit of milk chocolate to boot. Finish is also on par with the style slightly drying finish.
M - Quite creamy much more than the Reserve Special Black Ale. Liked the medium slick body.
Overall another great beer from Dark Horse. In a way if made me remember how good the series of the "four" beers are.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2013 04:22:08 | More by DrDemento456

superspak

Michigan

3.9/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12 ounce bottle into tulip glass, bottled on 1/3/2013. Pours fairly pitch black color with a nice 1-2 finger dense khaki head with great retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Nice dense soapy lacing clings on the glass. Aromas of big chocolate, roasted malt, caramel, coffee, toast, light char, molasses, light raisin, floral, and hop earthiness. Very nice aromas with good balance, strength, and complexity of dark malt notes. Taste of dark chocolate, roasted malt, caramel, coffee, toast, toffee, molasses, light char, light raisin, floral, and hop earthiness. Light earthy coffee bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of dark chocolate, roasted malt, caramel, light coffee, toast, toffee, light raisin, floral, and earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice balance and robustness of flavor with good complexity; and zero cloying flavors present after the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a creamy and smooth mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is well hidden with only a slight warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is a very nice porter. Very nice flavor balance and robustness; and very smooth to sip on. A very enjoyable offering.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2013 06:47:46 | More by superspak

StoutHunter

Michigan

4.39/5  rDev +14%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I picked up a bottle of Dark Horse's Thirsty Trout Porter last week for $1.89 at The Lager Mill. I have always wanted to try this beer but I've never made the trip down to Dark Horse, so i'm happy they decided to bottle it, so lets see how it goes. No visible bottling date, but I know it's fairly fresh. Poured from a brown 12oz bottle into an imperial pint glass.

A- The label looks nice, it's pretty different looking and for some reason it reminds me of the band Phish. It poured a dark black color that didn't let any light come through with two fingers worth of dark tan head that died down to a thin ring that stayed till the end and left some great sheets of lacing. This is a good looking beer, I have no complaints at all.

S- The aroma starts off with lots of roasted malts which have a higher amount of sweetness to them and impart some nice coffee, chocolate, and roasted malt aromas, the chocolate and roast seem to stick out the most. After that comes a slight bit of dark fruits with raisins seeming to stick out the most and there was also a nice and light smokey aroma with a light amount of earthy hops towards the end. This beer had a good aroma that was really true to style, nothing is out of place.

T- The taste seems to be pretty similar to the aroma and it starts off the same with loads of roasted malts that have a medium amount of sweetness to it and imparts some nice coffee, chocolate, and roasted flavors with the coffee sticking out the most this time. Up next comes a light dark fruit flavor with no one fruit really sticking out and it's followed by a nice slightly smokey and slightly charred taste on the finish with just a little bit of earthy hops that impart a surprisingly low amount of bitterness with a roasted and chocolate like aftertaste, This beer tasted very good and was very true to style, again I have no complaints.

M- Very smooth, pretty creamy, on the full side of being medium bodied with a good amount of medium carbonation. The mouthfeel was very good and it worked really well with this beer.

All in all I thought this was a very good beer and a very good example of the style, it had everything that I look for in the style, it call came together nicely with this beer and it's just how a good Baltic Porter should be. This beer had great drinkability, it was very smooth, with lots of nice roasted flavors that really held my attention and the alcohol was hardly noticeable, I wouldn't mind drinking a couple of these, it would make for a nice beer to have by the campfire, one of the most drinkable Baltic Porters I have tried. What I liked the most about this beer was how true to style it was and how drinkable it was, those aspects really made this a nice beer. What I liked the least about this beer was nothing, there was nothing that I thought was out of place or needed to be improved on. I would for sure buy this beer again when looking for a nice and roasty beer, I consider it a bargain for $1,89 and you can be sure that I will be stocking up on some in the near future, I highly recommend this to anyone who likes Porters and Stouts. All in all I was pretty impressed with this beer, it's one damn good Baltic Porter and I would put it right up there with Bridge Brew Works Baltic Porter as my favorite of the style, they are both very good but this one is a little more drinkable. Dark Horse can make some pretty damn good beers and this is no exception, I'm glad they finally decided to bottle this, it's a great addition to their lineup and it will be a great addition to my fridge, great works guys, this one's a winner.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2013 04:44:35 | More by StoutHunter