Sweet aroma mix of caramel malts and crisp hops. Initial taste has a crispness that fades rapidly and then slowly builds a butter hop edge. Cleans the palate fairly well and leaves a slight lingering sweetness with a mix of malt, hops and yeast.
4.5 out of 5 stars.
It’s been years since I had this. I haven’t seen much from Dark Horse since they were bought by Roak, so I was excited to see a throwback. This was canned on 03/25/23, drank on 04/29/23.
Aroma has faint caramel malts with some sticky hop aroma. Taste starts clean with a slightly sharp hop bite, then slowly builds a thick hop bitterness mixed with some caramel malts. Finally finishes clean as all the flavors somehow disappear.
If you’re in the mood for a caramel-y IPA, this hits the spot.
4.5 out of 5 stars.
Says canned 11/15/22, tasted on 1/14/2023.
Fresh, bright hop aroma. Taste is slightly crisp, and builds a slight edge of hop bitterness slowly. Never a strong bitterness, and mellows and calms as mild caramel malt flavors come in. Finishes very soft and smooth, with a mild nutty flavor at the very end.
4.5 out of 5 stars.
Just bought today, 1/14/2023, they have no marking on cardboard box, but saw after opening this was canned on 2/10/22. Damn I hate buying old beer!
Very sticky sweet aroma of hops and caramel malts. Taste is mostly smooth with a little bit of a hop edge on the back end. Almost mediciny-like taste comes in, a mix of malt and yeast. Finishes with a dry palate and a slight edge of hop bitterness as the malt/yeast sweetness crescendos and then fades.
3 out of 5 stars.
Hop aroma is slightly pungent, but also green and fresh smelling. Slides onto the palate with a slight slipperiness, but immediately a hop bitterness edge comes cutting in. Hops fade, and then slowly a slightly sweet malt flavor starts to rise. Never gets too strong before subsiding and then gets mixed with hop flavor. Finishes very dry.
4 out of 5 stars.
From a mixed holiday pack. Canned 11/29/2022, drank on 1/5/2023.
Strong sweet aroma, almost smell a little alcohol heat. No bitterness bite, but a strong hop sweetness comes in quickly, which is then replaced by a yeast sweetness. Aftertaste is fairly mellow with some sweetness mix of hops, yeast, and malt. In the background you can tell there’s some alcohol waiting to catch up with you (9.5%).
4 out of 5 stars.
Rich, roast aroma, very nice. Flavorful, with no bitter bite, of dark malt. Very smooth with a good amount of dark malt flavor complexity. Finishes dry, with just hints of the dark malt lingering in the background.
5 out of 5 stars.
Strong sweet hop aroma that’s really thick like ripe fruit. Slightly crisp bite of hop bitterness immediately replaced by a fluffy smoothness. Leaves a slightly tart hop flavor on the palate, intended with flavors of mango.
4 out of 5 stars.
Smell of slightly dark, sweet malts. Taste is crisp and then malt sweetness rushes in. Finishes very dry, with hints of dark malts lingering in the back of the mouth.
3.5 out of 5 stars.
My last rating on this was from 9 years ago, so figured I’d do another review to see if the beer has changed, or my taste buds. This one was bottled on 9/7/2022, treated on 12/19/2022.
Strong sweet aroma slightly of dark malt, but mostly of bourbon barrel. Mouthfeel is fairly liquid-y, not thick or heavy. Gives me much more of an impression of drinking a bourbon rather than a beer. Slightly dark malt and candied sugar tasting. Bourbon flavor/aroma is present, but not overly strong. These are all tasting notes when beer is very cold, right out of the fridge. Will let it sit some and warm a bit.
4 out of 5 stars.