I have had the pleasure of drinking all 5 of Dark Horse's stouts together about 2 years ago at Stub & Herb's and drinking the barrel aged Plead the Fifth at Heritage Liquor a few months back. I reviewed the -bal Plead the Fifth but never reviewed the other versions. Today I cracked open IV & V with a friend to do a side by side. Here are the reviews:
Fore
Smoked Stout12 oz. bottle with no information and BAD artwork poured into a snifter.
Phenomenal looks, just as good as any other stout out there: Fore poured real dark, in an almost black stream with a big, dark mocha hued creamy head. The head retention was good too. The lacing? Not so much, but still there.
Roasted coffee beans, sugars, and faint smoke form the backbone of this beer. Hints of chocolate. The first whiff was quite smoky but it went downhill from there, and I am a little disappointed; I was hoping for a smoked monster, but it's just ok.
Roasty bitter with subtle smokiness should describe this one pretty well. Feels mildly fruity at the beginnings because of the acidity and the slight sweetness. Largely bitter with a roasty finish and a long aftertaste that is more coffee than smoke, I am underwhelmed. The alcohol creeps in with warmth but is never distracting.
Medium bodied with medium carbonation, high acidity, and medium finish. Overall not bad, but not exactly what I was in for.
Plead the Fifth
Imperial Stout12 oz. bottle, 2009 vintage, with just as bad artwork as other Dark Horse beers poured into a snifter.
Inky black with a tiny head that left even before it formed completely! A tiny dark dark brown ring persisted. Forgivable for a 12% ABV beer.
Aroma is sweet chocolate and vanilla; I would have thought this came out of barrels. Hint of alcohol. I like it.
Intense and delicious, bitter, sweet, roasty and chocolaty. Quite complex, but not over the top. Some acidity. Quite warming. I made the mistake of considering it ordinary once and I was wrong. Palate coating until it finishes with kiss of alcohol and kick of roast. Only downside is that it still feels rough and not-well-integrated.
The mouthfeel of this beer, however, is not up to the taste. Hell no! Thin and harsh instead of being silky, this beer could be in BCS territory with its taste it has but its body seems short of supporting it. Overall very good in spite of a few shortcomings here and there.
| Scores | Fore smoked stout | Plead the Fifth |
| Appearance | 4.5 | 4 |
| Aroma | 3.5 | 4 |
| Taste | 3.5 | 4 |
| Mouthfeel | 3.5 | 2 |
| Overall | 4 | 4 |
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