Review: Dark Horse Brewing Company - Marshall, MI
January 2, 2008
Guest post by: John Nasers
Our latest trip to Dark Horse Brewing Company was on Christmas Eve. There were a number of places we could have tried to stop at, heading out of the Detroit Metro area on the way to Battle Creek: Ashley’s in Ann Arbor (some friends were planning on being there), Arcadia Brewing in Battle Creek or even Bell’s Eccentric Cafe (it’s not that far out of the way). All these places were closed - but not Dark Horse! Dark Horse was open for their customers - and they were busy. They seem to love their customers as much as we love Dark Horse. In truth, it would have been the place we stopped even if the others had been open.
The interior of Dark Horse is a wonder to behold. It’s kinda like restaurant flare but gone a different direction. The words “sick” and”twisted” come to mind, but that’s not quite right. This seems perfect, like something done by the cool people that you want to be more like. In addition to the “stuff” on the wall there are hundreds of mug club mugs. All different shapes and sizes. Some from back when they were a Brew Pub (they are now a Micro-Brewery) some, like mine, very new.
Several breweries make due with merely a cool location, but Dark Horse’s beer is so good it would be popular in a leaky tent in the middle of nowhere. They have a line of Stouts that people wait for every year, an IPA that puts most others to shame and a Belgian Triple that is complex enough to stun unsuspecting beer geeks that taste it for the first time. Something new for us this trip was a beer made from the second runnings of their (2007 GABF award winning) Barley Wine. I expected this to be like a watered down barley wine, but it was something I’m not able to describe well. It was some combination of complex, drinkable, fruity, malty, spicy and some things I can’t quite pin down.
The best part about our trip to Dark Horse was that the tap-room manager, Michelle, was working. We always get good service at Dark Horse, regardless of who is working, but Michelle is something special. I’ve seen her work the brewery single handedly (like on Christmas Eve) when it was near capacity - working the bar, making all the food (pizza, sandwiches, snacks, salads, and calzones) and make it look easy. We once stopped by with a group of about a dozen beer nerds and ordered food and beer. Michelle was able to determine who was with who and who was paying for what without missing a beat or asking how to divide the bill. It was truly incredible.
I haven’t even had a chance to talk about the beer garden, the bands they get (including Scotty Karate), the nail game, beer taps made out of or into a motorcycle engine…. Dark Horse is one of my very favorite places to be!
Posted in Brewery/Brewpub
January 3rd, 2008 at 12:24 am
Well said sir. Darkhorse beer was one of my favorites prior to even visiting the place. After I stopped in there, I was hooked. A friendly warm atmosphere had me coming back as often as I could.
Here are some links to pictures I took the few times I was there. If you get a chance, each year they have a crawfish boil - I went for the first time last year, and I’ll for sure be back next year, we had a blast.
beer - the plastic cup isn’t a usual thing, this was at the crawfish boil.
cave - kind of reminds me of a dark cave with beer mugs hanging all over the place
crawfish!- they were yum
more crawfish
table - the door/table is one of the classic features at darkhorse.
stage - the beer garden is awesome, complete with a stage where bands play most weekends.
January 4th, 2008 at 4:57 pm
Totally agree about Michelle! She is a Dark Horse treasure. I was there the day she split our large group’s bills up. To be able to drink great beer AND see Michelle is a double treat. Wish they were closer.
January 4th, 2008 at 5:49 pm
Darkhorse rocks……about 90 min from my house but well worth on a saturday morning in the summer for a cruise….Love thier Scotty Karate Ale
January 5th, 2008 at 6:31 pm
Dark Horse is consistently in my top 4 favorite Michigan breweries. And when you say “cool,” it’s not cool in the “Is what I’m wearing OK/trendy enough to wear to this place?” It’s cool in that it’s friendly & unique. Whether you’re 21 or 70, as long as you like good beer & good food, you’ll feel welcome at Dark Horse. Thanks mostly to their wonderful staff like Michelle, but also thanks to their regulars. And the beer? There’s not a wimpy watery one to be had. All of their beers are big-mouthed and full of character. Truly well-crafted. Great place! We drive over an hour to get there — Dark Horses’s only downfall is that it isn’t closer to our home!
January 5th, 2008 at 8:27 pm
Yes it’s one of my favorite places too. It has everything, great beer, good food, great staff, real comfortable atmosphere. Check out their summer concerts and special events. The crawfish broil was fantastic!
January 6th, 2008 at 9:22 pm
I agree! Dark Horse is one of my favorite places to drink beer. Michelle is awesome and I love the atmosphere in the tap room (not to mention the great beer). I only wish it were closer…
January 6th, 2008 at 11:24 pm
I can’t argue at all. I just wish that I could get there a little more often. One of the most awesome things about Dark Horse besides the beer is that as a mug club member you can take your mug out to the beer garden. Not too many other places let you do that.
January 7th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
Easily makes the top five in Michigan for me year after year. The Crooked Tree and its heavy weight brother Double are hophead dreams. The stout line-up and barley wine are also favorites for me. I live many miles away but I am also a member of the Mug Club. I try to plan my business trips to allow for a visit and always take a growler home or with me whatever my destination. I definitely wish I lived closer but the distance makes each visit a treat. I must say I agree 100% with the comments about Michelle, she adds quite a bit to the charm of the place as she multi-tasks to levels hard to imagine without witnessing. She has the ability to make everyone feel like a regular even on the busy Growler Wednesdays. The recent addition of home brewing supplies in the general store also speaks to the true home brewing spirit and passion of the brewery. Take a minute and speak to any of the employees and you gain a sense of their genuine love of their products as well as their altruistic promotion of the process of creating great beer.
The food is pretty darn good too; the Johnny Boy rocks! Now I’m really thinking I need to schedule a trip…..
Cheers!
January 16th, 2008 at 2:29 pm
Great place to go. Pizza is very good and the beer is great. Michelle is the best. My only regret is that I don’t live closer.
February 25th, 2008 at 6:07 pm
Mary and I briefly spoke to Aaron at the Winter Beer Fest. He said something about not having the Beer Garden Opening Night Festivities. I thought he said that expansion of the brewing area took over 3/4 of the beer garden.
I’m speculating that this could also end the music and the Crawfish boil.
We are going over there mid-March to get the full lowdown.
March 24th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
Here is the scoop:
Brewery expansion is ongoing, It has taken over most of the beer garden. When construction is done and the bottling line is moved to the new area, the fence will be taken down and the beer garden will expand to the east of where it was. The old stage will remain as shaded seating.
I’m guessing Aaron is shooting for June 14th - Crawfish Boil
Also be aware that the taproom does not have Double Crooked Tree on tap