Dark Horse Tres Blueberry Stout

I've been trying a lot of beers from Dark Horse Brewing out of Michigan.  I used to see their minimalist labels at Marty's in West Newton a lot, but kept on passing them by.  Well, with the wonderful ability to do a mix six-pack (both Marty's & Craft Beer Cellar allow this) I have since tried a handful of Dark Horse's beers...and they're pretty solid! 

Most recently I purchased a bottle of the Tres Blueberry Stout and the Too Cream Stout.  For this review I am focusing on the Blueberry Stout.  Now, let's get this out of the way quickly - I am not a big fan of fruit styled beers.  However, adding a fruit to a solid base beer is completely different.  This is a stout, that happens to have some blueberry...not a blueberry beer that happens to have some stout.  Ok, let's continue.  

I poured the 12oz bottle one into my Portsmouth Brewery goblet nice and slow.  Immediately there was a nice 1/4 inch caramel colored head on the pitch black stout.  On the nose, this one was unmistakably blueberry.  But, once I took a sip most of that smell was just that.  The taste was of chocolate, roasted malt, and a dash of blueberry.  I enjoyed this one way more than I thought I would.  If you don't love stouts, but like fruit beers I think you'll like this one as the stout is a bit muted and not as bitter as you'd think.  Or if you like stouts a lot and loathe fruit beers, you may like it as well - the fruit addition is subtle enough that it wont ruin your stout profile.  Definitely worth the price of admission!

Kev Rating: B+
Style: American Stout
ABV: 7.50%

IBUs: ?
Availability:  Fall/Winter Release each year
Had: part of mix 6pack @ Craft Beer Cellar
Region: Marshall, MI