Dark Horse Boffo Brown Ale - Dark Horse Brewing Company

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Dark Horse : Boffo

Pours a very dark amber, small off white head. Aroma of caramel and earthy hops. In the taste, mellow, burnt caramel, toasted malt, even bitterness with tea like hops. Nutty, with light coffee flavor in the finish with some residual, chalky yeast. Medium bodied brew. Nice full, rich malty body. Hop presence is mild. A very nice brown ale overall, quite impressive.

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2011 04:24:25 | More by Stinkypuss

abraxel

Michigan

3.45/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A - Quite dark for a brown ale, almost black. The head is a very light tan, and sticks to the glass nicely, but doesn't leave lasting lacing.

S - Sweet, slightly chocolatey malts. Just the tiniest touch of roastiness. No sign of hops. Tasty.

T - Some of the same malts as in the nose, but there's not much depth of flavor. When chilled, it's a bit boring, with some out-of-place bitterness and a metallic bite... but it improves dramatically as it warms up. A bit more chocolatey sweetness and some nutty flavors come out. It's nice, but not fantastic.

M - Rather thin, with perhaps slightly too much of a carbonation bite.

Overall, it's all right. I'm happy to finish the glass, but I won't go out of my way to drink this again.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2011 21:42:31 | More by abraxel

TheGordianKnot

Tennessee

2.35/5  rDev -38.2%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured into nonic pint...

A- Pours deep dark reddish brown. Absolutely no head on a generous pour. Sits in the glass murky and lifeless.

S- Has a sweet, carmelly, and nutty aroma. All of this is slightly shadowed by a sour, acetic smell...

T/M- Whoa. Wtf?! Starts very nutty and bready, then just gets excessively hot and full of ethanol. The aftertaste is just hard to swallow. I feel like there is a solid base beer behind the fusels. Could be a great, sweet, malty brown... Also a ton of roast/coffee flavor for a brown, again drowned out though. The feel is just slimy and stings the tongue.

O- As the beer warmed it got better. When I first opened this and took a drink, it screamed infection. Though it wasnt infected, it did have intense flaws that unfortunately overtook the majority of the drinking experience.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2011 19:50:48 | More by TheGordianKnot

DrinkingDrake

Massachusetts

3.78/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Brown body with a thin layer of tan head. Nose is nutty bread and some unsweetened chocolate. Flavor is a mix of roasted malts and a sharp caramel sweetness. There is a sharp roasted bitterness on the finish that is metallic and has a hint of floral hops. Beer has a light body and overall the flavor was alright but the finish was off.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2011 03:39:37 | More by DrinkingDrake

SolipsismalCat

Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev 0%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a pint glass.

Appearance: Hazy brown with moderate carbonation. One-finger, off-white head that diminished after a few minutes. Little in the way of lacing.

Smell: Toasted malts. Chocolate, caramel, and nutty.

Taste: Lots of toasted malts, chocolate and nutty flavors. Solid earthy hop bitterness with a slightly sweet finish.

Mouthfeel: Light to medium body that was dry and a bit watery. The carbonation was very fizzy.

Overall: The aroma and taste was pretty solid. I'll have to give this one another try.

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2011 16:31:48 | More by SolipsismalCat

jondeelee

Massachusetts

4.33/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Boffo smells sweet and malty, like yeasty marble-rye bread drizzled in molasses and honey, with a side bowl of apricots. Small white grape aromas filter through, as well as a barely-perceptible touch of grapefruity hops.

On the tongue, the beer is immediately chocolaty, both in the sugary milk chocolate sense, and in the chocolate malt sense, though the latter's smoky burnt flavors are less obvious. The sugars in the first part of the mouthful are deep and rich, caramelized and full-bodied. Dark fruit esters such as black cherry and fig play at the edges. Toward the end of the mouthful the sugars peel back to reveal a darker chocolate malt base, rich with just-slightly-over-toasted grains and minute hints of ash. The aftertase is the only area where the hops are overly discernible, though even here only as light grapefruit flavors overlaid with heavier ash. Mouthfeel is medium, and carbonation is medium.

Overall, this is an excellent brown ale, replete with finely nuanced and well-crafted flavors that burst delightfully on the tongue.

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2011 17:31:34 | More by jondeelee

nrbw23

Ohio

4/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- Pours a dark brown color with a nice creamy tan head. Not too bad on retention and some spotty lacing.

S- Smell is pretty solid. Toasted malts, quite a bit of nuts, toffee and molasses.

T- Taste for the most part follows the nose. Lots of toasted malts, nuts, toffee, sweetness and touch of Earthy hops.

M- Medium in body and good amount of carbonation.

O- One of the better Brown Ales I've had. If this is your style I'd say pick this one up for sure.

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2011 23:46:52 | More by nrbw23

drizzam

Wisconsin

3.95/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - An opaque brown body is topped by a one finger, light tan head. Good head retention with spotty lacing left down the inside of my pint glass.

S - Big toasted malt aroma with dark chocolate and hints of caramel.

T & M - Very bold taste. Roasted toasty malts lead the way, followed by that same dark chocolate I smelled in the aroma. To me, the caramel takes a bit of a backseat to the chocolate, but it is still well represented. There is a slight earthy hop bitterness toward the end that follows after the swallow. Medium bodied with a drying finish.

D - I've been very impressed with a lot of Dark Horse's offerings, and this one certainly did not let me down. A relatively low ABV, yet packed with bold flavor. I would recommend this to my craft beer drinking friends any day of the week.

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2011 18:45:27 | More by drizzam

AgentZero

Illinois

3.15/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A - Chocolate brown colored beer with a decent head that left a little bit of stick on the sides.

S - Smells like caramel, little toffee, brown sugar, chocolate malts. Standard.

T - Taste is about like the nose. Some chocolate malts as well as some light toffee and caramel. Not a whole lot going on here.

M - Slightly over carbonated, but nothing to throw a fit about. Medium bodied.

O - This beer is pretty boring, but it's non-offensive, something you can pretty much drink and not notice. Not going to try to find this again.

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2011 17:42:26 | More by AgentZero

NEhophead

Massachusetts

3.98/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 fl oz brown bottle, served in a tumbler.

Pours a deep caramel, thin maple in color beneath a carbonation-filled, short-lived off-white head. Minimal lasting lace.

Moderately sweet brown sugar, caramel, and molasses. A really pleasant butter toasted malt character that is quite clean; unencumbered by artificial sweetness or mustiness.

Semi-sweet caramel and molasses that fade to a dry, hazelnut and mild chocolate flavor. Toasted malt based with a touch of diacetyl. Pleasant, yet subtle brown sugar and coffee spices. A bit thin towards the end after the mild bitterness subsides from the clean, floral hops.

A somewhat light, medium in body. Slightly creamy, clean, and a bit dry. A very nice balance.

Nothing that will excite the tastebuds, but pleasant and well balanced for the style.

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2011 01:08:57 | More by NEhophead

DrJay

Massachusetts

3.63/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Dark brown and a little murky with some reddish highlights. A thin tan collar formed during the pour -- the beer looked a little flat as it was filling the glass. A bit of spotty lacing. Malty aroma, bread and brown sugar with some roast, caramel and a hint of dark chocolate. Leafy bitterness with sweet malts up front, caramel and bread, dry roastiness in the finish, nutty. Fairly astringent, medium bodied with lowish carbonation. I enjoyed it, but the 6.5% abv is a little high and keeps it from being a good session beer for me, which is how I tend to like my brown ales.

Serving type: bottle

06-25-2011 18:46:31 | More by DrJay

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

3.68/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - Wow this is a dark one. Most brown ales being brown this one only has slight light escape it with a touch of orange color. The head was only a half an inch but lacing is pretty nice.

S - Smells of plenty of toffee, bit of hazelnut (like the coffee creamer) and a bit of brown malt giving a bit of herbal tea and coffee smells.

T - Not didn't expect to be blown away but got a nice bit of nuttiness, touch of cocoa and coffee and of course a ton of brown malt giving it an almost herbal or "english" tone to it.

M - Light to medium, pretty impressive for a beer almost 7%

Overall ehh I pretty much had this since I had most of Dark Horses other offerings and it's clear that its a well made brown ale but something I wouldn't get again. Will stick with their stouts since I love em.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2011 03:43:12 | More by DrDemento456

zoso1967

Michigan

4.05/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Boffo pours a fairly cloudy brown that has some orange highlights when held up to the light. The head is light tan and very tightly packed. It possesses great retention but leaves hardly any lace.

The aroma is classic brown ale with plenty of toffee, nuttiness and a pleasantly sweet fruity quality. Hints of chocolate and herbal aromas are also present more in the background, but this brown ale does not have a very intense nose.

The flavor is an extension of the aroma. It has a very nice malt character with plenty of sweet toffee, chocolate, nuts, a touch of medium roast coffee and a nice fruitiness. It is very well balanced with the hops fairly buried, but their bitterness delicately balances the sweetness of this brew.

The mouthfeel is on the lighter side of medium with a very nice creaminess to it. Carbonation is low and probably helps add to the smoothness, but I suspect some wizardry with the malts is also responsible. The finish is slightly sweet with some bitter cocoa and nuttiness lingering.

Overall I found this to be a great brown ale. It has the classic brown ale taste and is well balanced with a very nice texture. This is very drinkable and would make a good beer to have with friends while chatting about old times.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2011 20:07:50 | More by zoso1967

SWMeyer4141

Texas

2.35/5  rDev -38.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Odd artwork on this one...First Dark Horse brew to consume

Appearance-Dark brown with some amber hues. 2 finger beige head that quickly dissipates to almost nothing. No lacing whatsoever. Lots of carbonation initially, then becomes flat looking.

Smell-Light nuttiness and coffee. The more I smell this the more it kind of smells like a flat coke.

Taste-Follows the smell. Flat Coke, not very pleasant. Still some light nuttiness and bitterness.

Mouthfeel-Watery. not too pleasant.

Overall-First few sips weren't all that bad, but started tasting pretty awful. Look and Taste is pretty unimpressive. I'll pass on this for now on.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2011 18:11:30 | More by SWMeyer4141

gfreed

Massachusetts

3.68/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Brown ale is a style I approach with hesitancy because there are so many terrible brown ales on the market today: mostly watery, bitter pale ales with brown coloring. Fortunately, this beer comes across with some muscle but not so much that it terrifies the children or causes old women to pass out on the sidewalk. The aroma and taste both approach UK-stout territory: quite fruity with an emphasis on oranges, yet with a dry finish; plenty of charcoal and roasted whatever-it-is provide enough complexity without much intellectual hooey. A fine accompaniment to a big plate of pancakes.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2011 20:35:12 | More by gfreed

albern

Massachusetts

3.98/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This is a good, solid, traditional Brown Ale that is worth seeking out. It pours a dark mahogany with some light able to peek through. The head is very good, nice and creamy, light tan, lots of good lacing going on. The nose is delightful. There are loads of roasted dark malts, some coffee and chocolate notes, just lots of malty sweetness.

The beer is very creamy and very smooth. This is a medium to full bodied beer. The taste has all the great characteristics for the style, but there is a hoppy bite in the finish that may be warranted, perhaps no. I'm just really enjoying the creamy, roasted notes, and the bittering cooking chocolates, and then bam, this really leafy bittering hop and drying punch hits you in the finish. It's okay, but I'm marking it down as a flaw in the beer, although some folks may like it. The punch lasts well into the finish and is just more than i wanted. The beer is quite good, I just wish the finish were lest impactful.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2011 21:54:45 | More by albern

DannyDan

Michigan

3.48/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A. Pours out a dark brown body with minimal lacing and retention, and some carbonation.
S. Get some coffee, caramel, molasses and sweet sugary malts.
T. Taste some coffee first followed by some molasses and caramel with hints of chocolate in the back.
M. The mouthfeel is a soft smooth watery feel that is easy to drink.
O. Not a bad drink, but nothing great either. This is probably my least favorite Dark Horse Beer. While Dark Horse is one of my favorite breweries, I think I'll stick with Bell's Best Brown Ale, or Michigan BC's Nut Brown Ale when it comes to drinking an English Brown Ale.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2011 04:27:10 | More by DannyDan

BeerLover99

New Jersey

3.73/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: deep coal/brown, zint head,

S: toffee, malt, hint of roasted nuts

T: sweet nut, toffee, earthy middle, smooth dry finish

M: med/light body, nice carbonation feel, dry finish

O: FINALLY, found a Dark Horse beer that I enjoy. For some reason, Brown Ales are just not that common and especially English Browns. This is fine beer, perfect for your Fat Tire-lovin' newbies and also could be a sweet sipping brew by the fire.

NICE BEER, WORTH TRYING!

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2011 15:09:19 | More by BeerLover99

tubacharlie

Michigan

4.25/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Fruity esters emanate from the khaki colored head, which is smallish but velvety and sticky. The brew is a dense, cloudy, dark red-brown color revealed by a light held to the half liter mug.

Full flavored, this ale almost approaches a stout in consistency, with coffee and hazelnut up front, a malty mid-palate accentuated by mellow hops and carried over the tongue with creamy smooth carbonation. A good recipe in the grain bill yields a well-developed depth of flavor.

Halfway through, the substantial sediment in the bottle is swirled around with the dregs of the ale and added to the glass. While most remains firmly stuck to the bottom of the bottle, enough is dislodged to add a little more tangy zest to the aftertaste.

Boffo indeed.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2011 03:36:34 | More by tubacharlie

oline73

Maryland

2.53/5  rDev -33.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Poured from a bottle into a standard pint glass.

Appearance: Pours a cloudy dark brown with a red tint. There is a three finger dark tan head that goes away very quickly.

Smell: The smell is very faint. There is some roasty malt with a hint of nuttyness, perhaps a bit of sweetness.

Taste: There is some nutty roast from the malt. Not very sweet at all. My complaint here is that the taste is a bit watery and not super interesting. Mildly bitter in the finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with a high amount of carbonation. The finish is very dry, and perhaps a bit chalky.

Overall: This is a very underwhelming beer for me. I thought it was a bit watery. Not my favorite from this brewery.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2011 02:44:05 | More by oline73

StoutHunter

Michigan

3.95/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I bought a single of Boffo Brown Ale for $1.89 at the Lager Mill. I haven't had a Dark Horse brew in a while so I figured I would try one of their year round offerings. I have seen this around before but have always went with their stout series instead so lets see what what I have been missing. No visible bottling date. Poured from a 12oz brown bottle into an imperial pint glass.

A- I like the pop art style cat on the label, Dark Horse does a pretty good job at making sure their labels stick out from the rest of the crowd. This beer poured a deep dark brown color with three fingers worth of nice fluffy tan head that died down to a thick ring that stayed the rest of the time and it left some spotty lacing.

S- Caramel malts are the big player in the aroma here, along with a nice amount of roasted malts, there is a good balance between the two. I pick up some sweet dark fruits and some light grassy hops at the end. Pretty on par for a brown ale.

T- The flavor mirrors the aroma nicely. The caramel malts make for a nice backbone for this beer and the roast grains meld together pretty nicely. In the middle there are lots of sweet dark fruits, the sweetness is just right and it helps balance out some of that roastyness. I pick up a little nutty flavor that I didn't get in the aroma. There was some grassy hops on the finish that imparted a nice slight bitterness that helped round everything out.

M- Creamy and medium light bodied, could be just a little bit thicker. The carbonation was perfect.

Overall this was a pretty good brown ale that I enjoyed drinking. It had just about everything I look for in a brown ale and its one of the better ones I have tried. It had a heavier roast then most brown ales but I thought it worked well in this brew and I liked it. It went down smooth, if I had another one I would drink it, I would for sure buy this again. I recommend this to anyone who likes this style, Dark Horse has one solid brown ale on their hands.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2011 02:46:57 | More by StoutHunter

KarlHungus

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer pours a dark brown color. The head is one inch in height, and recedes slowly into a thin cap of lacing. The aroma is of lots of caramel, some toffee, and a hint of chocolate. The taste is similar to the aroma. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with low carbonation, and a smooth texture. Overall, this is a good beer that I would happily drink again.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2011 23:59:30 | More by KarlHungus

JamnesCameron

Illinois

3.95/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a New Holland Pint Glass.

Pours a deep garnet brown with a light tan head that drops rather quickly.

Aromas of caramel malt. light roasted grains. dark fruit. faint licorise.

Flavors of dark fruit, raisins, caramel malt, light roast. Hint of licorise, just like the aroma. finish is rather short, with the licorise and raisins lingering.

Mouthfeel "feels" thin but has a little body to it, smooth.

Overall a decent brown ale. easy drinking, nothing aggressive or out of place.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2011 01:50:01 | More by JamnesCameron

bsp77

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Serving glass: Poured from bottle into Nonic Imperial Pint. No dating, but it is a relatively new beer in their portfolio, so can't be too old.

Appearance: Very dark reddish-brown with thin tan cap.

Smell: Caramel and chocolate galore. Some dark fruit; very little hop aroma.

Taste: Once again, very chocolaty with a nice underlying caramel backbone. Fairly fruity and somewhat sweet, with some drying notes at the end from nuts and English hops.

Feel: Moderate carbonation (a titch too much), relatively full body for the style. Very smooth with a semi-dry snap at the finish.

Overall: This is a very smooth Brown Ale that seems a little more heavily roasted than typical for the style. Quite delicious and one of the better English Brown Ales I have had.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2011 23:08:01 | More by bsp77

EgadBananas

Louisiana

3.9/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Big thanks to JM03 for the Dark Horse hookup!

Nice dark brown color, largely opaque, with a light tan head of about a finger that dissipates quickly.

Aroma is very nice, with lots of roasted malts, nuttiness, cocoa, sweetness and a touch of coffee.

Taste is good too. Nutty, some milk chocolate, roasted, toasted malts and pleasant sweetness.

Feel is a bit crisp and bubbly, not really slick and lightly creamy. Feel was lighter.

Drinkability was pretty good. Nice smelling and tasting pretty good, but the bubbly quality takes it down a hair. Still, its a mighty fine brown.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2011 04:02:26 | More by EgadBananas