Buxton Battle Horse

Bottle and keg, occasionally in cask.

The 100th brew to come out of the new brewhouse. A celebration of beer. A Black IPA. It’s a bold, relentless beer wth huge character.

3.8

185 reviews

Buxton, England

Community reviews

3.6 33 cl. bottle @ Home. Aroma: quite intense aromas of pine, resin, citrus, grapefruit, fruits, tropical fruits. The malts and dark malts' aromas are hidden under all the hop aromas. Appearance: brown to dark brown color with tan to light brown foam. Very high head thickness, very creamy and with very high retention. Medium Brussels' lacing. Too dark to tell for sure but it seems it has low hazyness. Taste: low to medium sweetness, medium to high bitterness, low sourness. Flavors are mainly hoppy: grapefruit, fruits, tropical fruits, pine, resin. Hints of roasted malts (dark roasted coffee, dark chocolate) and cocoa in the background. Quite balanced but the hoppy bitterness is the prevailing character. The dark malts' flavors and aromas are quite hidden under all the hop charge. Light to medium sweet at the first moment, and increasingly bitter toward the finish. Some sourness from the dark malts, but no astringency is noticeable. Palate: medium body, oily-silky to creamy texture, low carbonation, very long dry finish with medium to high bitterness and flavors of grapefruit, pine, resin. The dark malts' flavors appear with flavors of roasted malts, coffee, dark chocolate and cocoa. The high alcohol level is only noticeable through its throat warming effect. Overall: very good appearance, aromas and flavors. A very good beer where all the dark malts and hoppy flavors are very well blended. I thought Black IPAs weren't my thing, but this one is quite tasty and enjoyable. Very good.

4.1 Bottle from Hops and Crafts Exeter. Pours very dark ruby,near black with a light beige head. Aroma of pine,raisin,polished leather & dark chocolate. Taste is bitter, with more pine ,bitter orange,mango,prune,polished leather ,grapefruit,raisin & dark chocolate. Medium bodied,slightly oily,nicely carbonated. The finish is bitter,with some dryness & morepine,orange,grapefruit,dark chocolate,raisin,prune & polished leather . Well made brew !

3.3 Fra fat på Kill the Cat, London 12 Okt 17. Svart. Filmskum med litt farge. Aroma av mørke druer. Smaken lær & mandler. Hint av røyk. Alkoholen godt kamuflert.

4.0 Opaque dark brown/black beer with a slight/medium beige head. Medium aroma with mostly roast and hops, but nothing more than that. Taste is wonderful however, with a load of fruit and hops flavours with only a slight trace of the roasted malts. Great soft and thick palate.

3.9 On Tap. @EurHop, Roma 07/10/2017 Color negro espuma beige, aromas herbales notas tostadas, sabor tostado herbal, resinosa final amargo.

3.8 Bottle @home (rating backlog). Pours black/brown, slight red tinge, tan head. Nose is grapefruit, malty, cheese hops, slight pine. Taste is chocolate, roasted malts, woody, licorice, slight pine.

3.9 Bottle 330ml. @ Chris and Ruth’s House, London. [ As Buxton Battle Horse ]. Clear dark red brown colour with a average, frothy, good lacing, mostly lasting, beige head. Aroma is moderate to heavy malty, roasted, moderate to heavy hoppy, pine, citrus, grapefruit, light wood. Flavor is moderate to heavy sweet and bitter with a long duration, licorice, wood, dark malt, grapefruit, hoppy, dry. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft. [20151012] 8-4-8-3-16

3.9 330 ml bottle from Cellarbrations Bowen Hills. Pours black with small tan head. Mild aroma of toasted malt. Big flavours of hops and roasted malt. Slightly bitter aftertaste.

3.4 Backlog, ocena przepisana z untappd, w ramach uzupełniania profilu na ratebeer.

3.3 bottle @ Party Source / Bellevue KY --- Bottled 04/Aug/15 --- Aroma of chocolate malt. Opaque black, deep tan two-finger head that lasts, lace cobwebs. Taste is dark chocolate malt with an edge that encounters medium carbonation on the swallow, followed by light hops and a burst of alcohol in a long finish. A big brew that fails the "terrific" test (for me) because it is so strong, not to mention, alcoholic. Good, not great.

3.5 11.2 oz bottle. Purchased at 7 Eleven in Kittery Maine. Not the fault of the beer manager but it is an old bottle. Dark brown in color, still some carbonation. Aroma is chocolate, charred grain and earthy, old hops. The flavor is an earthy pine, under coffee and charred grain. Mouthfeel is pretty good, creamy and full. Alcohol is really well hidden. To be honest, this is no longer a black IPA and standards of American brewing but it does work as a bitter stout. I wish I could have gotten a fresher sample.

3.6 11.2oz bottle from 08/04/15 shared by AirForceHops. Thanks, Chris. In the UK they think that these beers re good for a year or so... Pours dark brown with a light beige head. Aroma is caramel, toffee, brown bread and a hint of pine. Flavor is brown bread, a touch of pine. Probably not what it once was, but this is still fairly drinkable.

3.7 Bottle from Whole Foods PM. Pours dark brown; ruby through direct light, with 3-finger tan head. Nose is huge resiny hops, caramel malt, cacao. Tastes very caramel malty, with resiny hops, vinous fruit, and a barleywiney finish.

3.6 Solid Black IPA. Nose is full of hops, but also toasted malt and coffee. A nice mix of sweet dark malts and bitter hop during the tasting. Finish leans a bit more toward the bitter, hoppy side.

4.3 170616. Bottle from Beer Cartel. Possibly the best black IPA that I have had and certainly the strongest. The alcohol is very upfront in this beer and while you think that it is going to beat you over the head it is actually quite subtle. This beer looks the goods in the glass with a shiny black colour that reflects the light and a cloud of inventory foam. Malty with some hop characteristics and a finish that wouldn’t look out of place in a Russian Imperial Stout. Great beer for winter.

3.9 American hops meet imperial stout. Rich, creamy, pine and coffee. Intense brew.

3.6 330ml bottle. Average pour, not much head. But aromas are bold and Brave as a battle horse should be. Taste is super malty with the right balance of fruit from the hops. It's hyped on alcohol, which comes through the nose. Big beer.

3.9 Very pleasantly surprised by this. Maybe my expectation was too low. Plenty of coffee and chocolate from the malt competing with piney, citrusey bitterness that lasts. Sharp and fresh with very little booziness. Reminds me why I love black IPA.

3.8 Bottle from Redmonds. Pours black with off white head. Pine, chocolate, coffee, toast, roasted malt notes. Flavour is dark chocolate, nut, lactose with piney bitter finish. Sipper but good beer. No sign of abv.

3.9 Bottle. Poured dark brown color with an average to large frothy tan head that was mostly lasting with very good lacing. Solid roasted dark malt and earthy hop aroma. Medium to full body with a dry smooth texture and soft carbonation. Medium to heavy roasted dark bittersweet flavor with a medium to heavy bittersweet finish of moderate to long duration. This is a solid beer.

3.9 11.2 oz bottle from Party Source. Pours dark brown to black in color with a medium sized beige head. The aroma and flavor have citrus, resiny and earthy hops, caramel, chocolate, some coffee notes, this is a black IPA/American barley wine hybrid that has a bunch of character, I would love to try this on cask, flavorful, but doesn’t really present as 10.5%.

4.2 Pours a deep brown with a nice light tan head. Piney, dried fruit, orange, chocolate aromas. Taste is roasty, cocoa, pine, bitter orange. Drinke very well - does not seem like a 10.5% at all. Great beer

3.6 Bottle from SB. Dark reddish brown with a medium tan head. Fruity and malty tones. Fruit, malt, coffee and bitterness. Full body with a bitter / fruity finish.

3.6 Bottle at home from Systembolaget. Black with a brown head. Aroma medium+ malty (caramel, roasted, burnt, licorice). Flavor medium sweet, heavy bitter. Medium to full body.

4.2 Smallish soft head blackest of pours mild carbonation aromas floral pine caramel stone fruit citrus the flavours pineapple strong bitter grapefruit caramel toffee treacle peach apricot sweet floral mix of malt and pine so tasty on the palate resin knocks the alcohol content to hell there seems a creamy note as well the finish a pleasure to drink a big black IPA creamy sweet crisp sharp hops and malts balanced lasting pine bitter goodness superb body

1.7 Semi lasting light brown head. Dark red-brown color. Roasted malty aroma with a tuch of resiny hops. Huge and hard bitternes that blends with the hard roasted dark malts to give a one sided beer. Big body that doesn’t balance the bitterness. Not my kind of tea.

3.7 Bottle from some SB cons 2015-11-28 Göteborg AR: chocolate and tropical marmalade, mandarine AP: dark ruby, stouty creamy brown foam steady F: milk chocolate, roasted malt, tropical fruit marmalade, bitter coffee

3.7 Bottle (33 cl) from Systembolaget. Clear chestnut, medium beige head. Nutty, caramelly, slightly roasted malt aroma with plenty of citric and piney hops, a whiff of alcohol. Full bodied, medium ccarrbonation. Semi dry, medium to high bitterness.

3.5 Bottled@AIH53. Deep copper colour, mediumsized beige head. Aroma is fruity, raisins, some alcohol, mild toffee and slight wood to it. Very sweet still. Flavour is quite similar, and actually flavourwise more of a barley wine than a black (imperial) ipa.

3.6 Bottle 330ml (AIH53, from SB) Dark brown color, steady beige head. Citrus hoppy, toasted and bready nose. Also some alcohol. Full-bodied. Liquorice, citrusy hops, toffee, toasted malts and then coffee in the finish. Lingering toasty malty, hoppy aftertaste. Yes, it’s bold.