Dark Horse 4 Elf Winter Ale

A spiced Winter Warmer brewed with

nutmeg, clove, allspice and other holiday

flavors.

3.5

439 reviews

Marshall, United States

Community reviews

3.5 Bottle, 355 ml from Beergium, shared with JFK10000, Max and Domagoj. Pours brown with small off-white head. Malty, caramel, spicy, clove, cinnamon, dried fruit. Moderate sweetness. Medium bodied.

4.4 bottle @ home clear dark brown, minimal cappuccino brown head ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, "vin brulé", vanilla, cocoa beer version of vin brulè. Spicy warming with chocolate hint

3.7 @ Budapest, Csakajosor. // Big spices on the nose but glad they don’t over power the taste. Cinnamon, and general spices with some light roastiness. Solid brew.

3.8 brownish ruby colour, medium sized dense beige head; aroma of christmas spices like nutmeg, clove, maybe some cinnamon, too, some cocoa and herbal notes; taste is the same with syrupy sweetness and some sourish-dried fruity notes; good beer

3.8 Really nice colour dark reddish brown with foamy head in beige. Nose is sweet with spicy herbal notes. Taste rich malty and sweet. Agreeable overall.

3.2 An ok winter warmer. Pours a nice deep reddish black with a tan head. Smells great, cinnamon, ginger, dark fruit. Taste is very malty, with some cinnamon and ginger and a bit of marshmallow in the finish. Had on tap at the brewery.

3.8 35 cl bottle. Colour is black with a small off-white head. Aroma has that typical DH "base" of chocolate and dark malt, but with Christmas spices, cardamom and cloying sweetness at the forefront. Taste follows the same, but with a stronger presence from the chocolate with spices and sweetness. Quite full-bodied and low-carbonated. Not generally a big fan of spiced ales. Good stuff.

3.3 2015 bottle, tasted 12/22/16. There is definitely a nice holiday spice nose from the cap to the pour. A whiff of phenol from aged malt, but it dissipates in a minute. The color is a deep brown, just a little light showing through. The head pours out tan and very thin, but stays in place for several minutes. If you noticed from the description: yes, this is pumpkin pie spice. But it lacks any oher pretensions of a "pumpkin pie" beer, and just lets the spices stand for themselves. The malt slips in just a little bit with a notes of brown sugar, and a slight suggestion of smoky peat. The bitterness as low, as befits a spicy beer like this. And the higher alcohol is barely noticed, and goes down quickly. I call this one for cheese trays, chips ’n’ dips, or dessert.

3.6 12 oz bottle pours amber with a off white head. Aroma of caramel , nutmeg and cloves. Taste is the spices and some fruit

3.5 12 oz bottle. Pours dark brown with some reddish highlights. Small beige head. Aroma features spices, along with some roast and chocolate, molasses, light fruitiness.

3.8 12oz bottle picked up at Total Wine & Spirits in Bloomington. Pint glass as consumption vessel. Aromatic from the beginning with a heavy dose of cloves, nutmeg, and a hint of cinnamon. Resembles a murky, cola brown with a quarter finger of tan head. Taste continues the holiday spirit with spices maintaining the expectations set through the aroma. It really brings to mind pie spices and sweetness throughout the sip. Towards the end there is a malty, almost roasty, finish that rounds out the beer well. Feels like the spice increases as it warms up. It’s a pretty good beer for this time of year. Worth purchasing/ordering when you have the opportunity.

3.5 A strong, highly spiced dark ale. Deep ruby color. Aroma and taste is holiday spices and dark fruit and some caramel. Warming and full bodied. A lot of nutmeg would go well with holiday pie

3.0 Kicsi, hamar elolvadó hab, fekete szín. Illata enyhén édeskés, csokis, fűszeres. Íze pörkölt malátás, fűszeres, amiből inkább a szegfűszeget érezni, a fahéj szinte teljesen elveszik, csak egy pici fás keserűt érezni. Közepesen testes, közepesen szénsavas, enyhén keserű. Nem sikerült megteremteni az összhangot, felejthető.

3.6 Czarne, nieprzejrzyste. Piana niska, ale utrzymuje się do końca na powierzchni. W aromacie ciemne słody, ciemne owoce i słodki przyprawowy powiew (cynamon oraz inne świąteczne przyprawy). W smaku dominują ciemne słody i owoce. Przyprawy dodają charakteru, ładnie się komponują. Alkohol jest dobrze ukryty, wyczuwalne jedynie delikatne grzanie w przełyku. Mimo dość słodkiego aromatu w smaku jest dobrze zbalansowane, na finiszu utrzymuje się wytrawny posmak czekolady. Dobre piwo na zimowy wieczór

3.1 Bottle from Total Wine & More, McLean. Dark brown body with lasting mocha head. Nose is spices, roasty, nutmeg, chocolate. Taste is similar of malts, spices, caramel, some vanilla and nutmeg for sure. Warming in the finish.

3.7 This draft brew from the brewery poured a small sized head of foamy light brown colored bubbles that were mostly diminishing and left behind a no visible carbonation opaque black brown colored body and a good lacing. The mild aroma was medicinal and malty. The mouth feel was weakly tingly at the start mediumly tingly at the finish with a lingering malty aftertaste. The mild flavor contained notes of black malt roasted malt brown malt and malt. A decent one that I would consider drinking again.

2.1 Bottle. String smell of cinnamon and cloves. Pours dark brown with thin white head that dissipates quickly. Lightly carbonated. Thin.

3.4 Draft. Pours a dark brown. Aroma and taste are spices, dark fruits, and some figs.

2.7 This one smells terrific, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and maybe some toffee or caramel. Looks very nice, a murky reddish brown with a small beige head that fades quickly. The flavor was too "spicy", the flavors just didn’t mix for me. I was hoping for more, Dark Horse usually gets it right, but not this time.

3.5 A good spiced ale for the winter / holiday season. Taste of nutmeg, cinnamon, coffee, toasted malts, molasses, and yeast. Stays pretty dry despite the moderately high ABV.

4.4 Pours opaque dark mahogany with a thin tan head that dissipates quickly and leaves minor lacing in the glass. Aroma is nutmeg and cinnamon. Taste is strong, spicy with loads of nutmeg and a pinch of cinnamon, some cloves and a hint of caramel. The warmer it gets the spicier it is. Finally a beer from Dark Horse I can get behind. I like this one.

3.8 Rated on 02-17-2016 (Bottle) This beer’s appearance is a very small creamy, smooth tan head that is mostly lasting, opaque dark brown body and a fair amount of lacing. The aroma presents spicy, nutmeg, some clove, cinnamon, caramel, and roasted malt. The flavor presents nutmeg, cinnamon, spicy, roasted malt, and a dry finish. The mouthfeel is smooth with light carbonation. This beer is light-medium bodied. A quaffable beer that is moderately spicy tasting and is worth trying.

2.2 This is a strong malty spiced ale with a weird sweaty note from either one of the spices or autolysis. It is dark brown and pretty much headless. This is decidedly on the heavy side and low carbonation makes it seem lifeless and a bit slimy. This is just not a great beer overall. I’m not into it.

3.5 OK but not great. A little things overall. Caramel and sweet. Brown color and no head

3.6 On tap at Ellyn’s Tap & Grill in Glen Ellyn, IL., and full sampler served, displaying a bright & clear, darkest brown color, with ruby highlighting, a fluffy layer of tan head foam, and frothy spray as lacing. The nose was toasted, moderately roasted, with a touch of caramel sweetness, and holiday spices that highlighted ginger, clove, & nutmeg to me. The taste was as a dark, holiday loaf, with maybe a hint of dark fruit, slightly earthy & herbal bitterness, spices toward the back, in a medium body, with average carbonation. Decently warming.

3.4 Dark brown pour with a one finger, creamy tan head. Aroma is allspice heavy pie spice, cooked apple, toasty cinnamon, dark caramel, crusty bread, nutty notes and earthy hops. Flavor is cinnamon, allspice, roast, chocolate, cooked apple and plum, potpourri floral notes, nutty, woody and pine notes. Medium body, slightly syrupy feel, heavy and sharp carbonation. Pretty good overall, but way over carbonated.

3.2 Poured from a bottle. Pours a dark brown with a thin tan ring. Looks like Coke. Sweet winter spice aroma with some dark fruits. Fairly smooth with hints of figs, nutmeg, & cinnamon. Flavor isn’t too bold and doesn’t linger very long. Has a warm dry finish with emphasis on the cinnamon. OK but not great.

3.2 Pours almost black. Large Brown head with some lacing. Spicy aroma. Spicy flavor. A bit of dark chocolate bitterness.

3.5 Dark with slight red hue. Light head. Aroma is brown sugar caramel, and light spices. Slight chocolate maybe a slight/faint roast. Taste is smooth with some mild malty smoothness and some blended dark malts, dark fruits, and dark chocolate character. Spices are somewhat subdued, which I like, and this seems on the lines of a porter/ strong ale almost as well.

3.0 Aroma of all spice and gingerbread pours a dark brown color without a head. Taste like gingerbread cookies with a hint of rum. Watery feel with a mild rum finish.