Strong sticky sweet aroma. Thick taste with a tart twang when it first hits the palate, but then the dark malt comes in and smooths it out, leaving a clean dark malt taste. Slightly crisp hop bite helps clear the palate as well. Aftertaste is lingering complex flavor mix of clean dark malt and some clean yeast flavor. Fairly dry on the palate, not thick or cloying like a typical 10+% beer.
Canned 10/19/2022, drank on 12/21/2023
4.5 out of 5 stars.
Bright tangerine, fruity aroma. Smooth sweetness with no bitterness. Full flavor of hop sweetness with slight tang. Finishes very smooth with little aftertaste.
4.5 out of 5 stars.
Packaged 4/26/2023, tasted on 5/26/2023.
Fresh aroma of flowery hops and smooth caramel malts. Flavor of hop bitterness is quickly squashed by a full-palate fruit flavor, that finishes slightly thick and sticky with some dry hop flavor lingering in the background. Your mouth recognizes it just had a full flavored beer, but there’s surprisingly little to no heaviness left in the mouth.
4.5 out of 5 stars.
Packaged 2/15/2023, tasted 5/25/2023.
Aroma of sharp hops and a hint of yeast. Fairly crisp hop bite mixed with some malt sweetness and yeast tang. Leaves a mild aftertaste of hops, but overall quite clean.
4.5 out of 5 stars.
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.
Aroma of faint dark malt. Slightly thick sweet maltiness in first taste, which immediately translates to a dryness, with some hop flavor coming in on the backside. Leaves palate fairly clear with a hint of dark malt sweetness and some hop bitterness. Very tasty.
4.5 out of 5 stars.
Fresh, clean aroma with hints of dark malt, but not overly sweet like stout aromas can sometimes be. Taste starts very smooth, then surges in with malt taste complexity and light crisp hop support, then fades to a fresh, dry dark malt flavor. Finishes with a clean palate, but lingering memories of all the taste complexity that was hiding in the last sip.
4.5 out of 5 stars.
Bottled 7/21/2020, tasted on 10/15/2022.
Heavy sweet aroma, with hints of alcohol hiding in the background. Initial taste is slightly sweet, but crisp. Fades and blends into various heavy, smooth, dark malt tastes. Minor aftertaste of slightly sweet malt- but not dark or heavy. Surprisingly drinkable for 10% ABV.
4.5 out of 5 stars.