Day Seven Assessment - Dark Horse Brewing Company, Marshall
Dark Horse. Wow. Among all the breweries we’ve visited to this point, Dark Horse Brewery stands alone as the most unique and extraordinary location to date. From the thousands of personal beer mugs lining the ceiling and the hunting lodge atmosphere to the bold & flavorful brew selections and the rough and rowdy crowd of patrons, this brewery is one-of-a-kind.
Upon arrival, I was nearly overwhelmed by the number of people packed into this place. I had to scratch and claw my way to the bar like an angry honey badger just to get a drink. Once I secured my spot at the bar I could finally take stock of all that there was around me. My thought as I looked around at the crowd was that, Jesus chose to eat with tax collectors and prostitutes and I had chosen to have a couple beers with them. Don’t let that statement mislead you. All are welcome here. This was a diverse and peaceful crowd of joyful friendly people. All ages, all walks of life, all rungs on the social ladder were gathered together in this one place to enjoy a relaxing Saturday evening. Dark Horse was just such a welcoming place that, after only a short time there, you felt it had become your very own hometown bar that you’d been going to for years and years.
Neil arrived not too long after I did and joined me at the bar for the evening. Shortly thereafter we spotted one of Dark Horse’s head brewers that we had seen at Corner Brewery on Octave day two. In Lord of the Rings terms, he was a delightful mix of Gimli and Legolas with a dash of Saruman. After we explained our Octave journey to him, he raised a glass in toast to us and joined us for a picture which I intend to have framed and hung on my wall.
The other notable character of the evening was Brian. Brian was a self-described redneck former marine who was a regular at Dark Horse. He joined Neil and I at the bar as we watched the Louisville-Wichita State Final Four game sharing stories, clueing us in to the better food and beer choices, and showing us videos of stuff blowing up. After Neil left, I continued to hang out with Brian as he shared stories of his time overseas as a Marine, his battle injuries, his love of country music, and guns. It was during our discussion of guns that Brian took me out to his pickup truck and showed me his Taurus pistol which was tucked underneath his cooler of beer and his shotgun. The pistol was impressive, although a bit heavy due to it’s hammer-forged steel frame which I noticed as I took aim with it in the parking lot of the brewery. Hanging out with Brian was a lot of fun and is just one example of what can happen in such an unconventional place as Dark Horse Brewery.
Then, of course, there was the beer itself.
I arrived eager to sample their Plead the 5th Imperial Stout but this once-a-year brew had sold out only a few days before we arrived. Despite this little let down, there were still plenty of other brews to please the palate. I especially enjoyed the Double Crooked Tree, which is the same as their delicious Crooked Tree but with double the ingredients, and Whatsupwiththemonkey Blueberry Ale, which was perfectly smooth and refreshing and genuinely tasted as though there were fresh blueberries in it. The most unique brew was the Salmiakki Olut Porter with the flavor of black licorice. At first I wanted nothing to do with it, but after I tasted it I realized I knew nothing of beer and should just shut up and drink it.
Dark Horse Brewery was full of surprises. Whether it was meeting interesting people like Brian, sampling the bold and refreshing brew flavors, or enjoying the peaceful sounds of a babbling brook being broadcast in the men’s room, this place was, for me at least, the best blend of all things brewery in my new favorite local bar far away.
