Dark Horse Brewing Company

Dark Horse Brewing CompanyDark Horse Brewing Company
Dark Horse Brewing CompanyDark Horse Brewing Company
Brewery, Bar, Eatery, Homebrew, Beer-to-go

511 South Kalamazoo Street
Marshall, Michigan, 49068
United States

(269) 781-9940 | map
darkhorsebrewery.com

General Store: 269-781-9741
BEER STATS
Average:
3.89
Beers:
99
Ratings:
31,416
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.23
Reviews:
122
Ratings:
371
pDev:
11.58%
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by mgbickel:
Photo of mgbickel
Reviewed by mgbickel from Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +0.5%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
Dark Horse was the grand finale on my MI tour. Managed to get in here just in time for lunch on a weekday. From the outside, you would think you were going into a neighborhood garage rather than a first class brewpub.

The first thing you notice as you enter is the mugs. The mugs...wow...they cover the ceiling, the walls, almost everything. The wall space remaining is rustic wood (along with the floor...might even be dirt?).

I ventured outside while my food was cooking...it looks like they are constructing a really sweet outdoor seating area complete with bar. You can watch the employees pick hops right off the vine...how cool is that!!

They have a really cool ceiling mounted tap system which, from what a mug club member told me, is relatively new. The tap handles are awesome...be sure to take notice if you are there...

The bartender/waitress was helpful and friendly. They had around a dozen or so taps with most of their seasonal offerings available.

If you are driving through MI, be sure to do yourself a favor and stop here...very unique and worth going out of the way for!
May 20, 2010
More User Ratings:
Photo of mpruden
Reviewed by mpruden from Ohio

3.65/5  rDev -13.7%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 3.25
Extremely informal setting and decor: the most interesting aspect is the ceiling and some of the wall space covered by literally thousands of handmade and individually owned mugs. This is almost worth a visit by itself. There is an outside dog-friendly area.

Service was fast and efficient.

The food was okay. We ordered the Parmesan-Garlic chicken wings. The wings themselves were HUGE, the flavor was not — they need some kind of additional seasoning — maybe some brining? Even just some salt and pepper. Dipping them in the blue cheese sauce helped. We also had salads, which were large for the small price, and the greens were fresh and crisp.

The beers also were just okay. The pale ale and Czech Pils need some work. The darker and maltier beers had better attack. We picked up, though — and this significantly detracted from the beer experience — an astringent aftertaste in all five beers in our flight.
Jun 30, 2023
 
Rated: 4.32 by dd53grif from Michigan

Jun 19, 2023
 
Rated: 4.5 by atlbravsrno1 from Maine

May 03, 2023
Photo of PapaGoose03
Reviewed by PapaGoose03 from Michigan

4.28/5  rDev +1.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.25 | food: 4.25
I originally rated this place in 2016 but deleted it so that I could provide info on place updates that have occurred. Recent reviews do a good job describing the original Dark Horse Brewing, so I won't dwell on those details. However, with Roak Brewing owning Dark Horse their presence is now more visible.

The original Dark Horse pub remains unchanged, although they now have a mixture of DH and Roak beers, but the beer garden is where Roak has become very visible. Roak Beer Garden has been created inside the large pole barn structure that is situated behind he DH pub and adjacent to the parking lot. A large bar with seating has been constructed there and a kitchen was installed so that a different experience exists out there. Plenty of picnic tables provide adequate seating.

Beer is available in the DH pub, at the bar in he beer garden behind the pub during busy days, and now in the Roak Beer Garden building. However, the tap lists can vary a bit so check all of them if you're looking for something specific and don't see it. The Dark Horse and the Roak food menus differ too.

I don't know if the Roak Beer Garden will stay open during the cold months (the building has one side completely open to the weather) so the Dark Horse pub may be the extent of your visit during the winter.
Aug 13, 2022
Photo of flagmantho
Reviewed by flagmantho from Washington

3.95/5  rDev -6.6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 3.75 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 3.75
I visited Dark Horse recently while passing through that part of Michigan. I actually made a special effort to stop in, because they have one of the most-reviewed tripels on this site. On my visit, they had 14 beers on tap including pilsner, a couple IPAs, a few fruit beers, and a couple Belgians (including, of course, the tripel). Overall my favorite was the pilsner; the other things I sampled were decent enough, if nothing special.

The taproom is super cool, funky and lived in. There are thousands of member mugs hanging from the ceiling and walls, and stickers adorn every surface. It's basically a dive bar, with tons of character and clearly a long history; I really like it.

The bar service is good, and there's definitely a lot of locals who patronize the place. They have a small kitchen and i got a turkey sandwich for lunch; nothing revolutionary but no complaints.
May 19, 2022
Photo of Pivopijak
Reviewed by Pivopijak from Washington

4.15/5  rDev -1.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4 | selection: 4.25
Near the interstate, on the edge of a tiny town. A fairly small informal roadhouse style establishment with a few small rooms. The ceiling is low for a reason. There are hundreds of handmade pottery steins with numbers cut into the bottoms, filling the ceiling and the walls. Each one belongs to a regular customer, some from outside Michigan. Tall, old, wooden tables and stools, make up the seating area. They have an extensive canning facility on premises, to boot. They were playing an unusually good mix of '70's hard rock such as Montrose and Rick Derringer. The beers are nearly all quite good or even better.
Oct 30, 2021
 
Rated: 4.13 by emmasrue1 from Michigan

Jan 03, 2020
Photo of NCSapiens
Reviewed by NCSapiens from Indiana

4.38/5  rDev +3.5%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.25 | food: 4.25
Awesome place. Totally welcome on a winter evening. 12 great beers on tap. Fantastic atmosphere like a village tavern. Wood fired pizza was good. It’s worth a stop.
Jan 26, 2019
 
Rated: 3.85 by Ssitron from Michigan

Nov 03, 2018
Photo of edward_boumil
Reviewed by edward_boumil from New York

3.84/5  rDev -9.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.75 | food: 4.25
Cool place. Pretty crowded when I went but got seats somewhat quickly. "Vibe" was cool, dark wooden, feels like an old drinking hall with tons of steins hanging from the roof. All the beer was good and the food was great, pretty good selection. Bar tenders were friendly but seemed to be spread a bit thin.
Overall worth a visit and I'll certainly be back.
Oct 16, 2018
 
Rated: 4.49 by rossracing from Illinois

Sep 15, 2018
Photo of Lazhal
Reviewed by Lazhal from Michigan

4/5  rDev -5.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
Lets start with 4-Elf...

Great beer shares, great people, great (free) food, and such a great time. Best bottle share in Michigan. 2nd place would be such a distant 2nd its not even worth mentioning.

Onto a regular night...

Came here for lunch once and dinner once. Our group of four had a couple beers and some decent food at lunch. For the dinner, we actually conned another group into letting two of us crash their table for dinner. Given how many laughs were had, I'll say we all had a great time.

Only complaint would be the service. A bit slow, but nothing too bad. Food was pretty good, but I'm not raving about it. I however haven't had the pizza. Each time I come I end up talking to someone who raves about the pizza. That will be next on my list.

Definitely worth a stop. These days they end up with leftover special release bottles, so make sure you go to the general store next door and ask about bottles.
Aug 05, 2018
 
Rated: 4.48 by Hallbrauhaus from Mississippi

Jun 29, 2018
Photo of croush
Reviewed by croush from Illinois

3.29/5  rDev -22.2%
vibe: 3.25 | quality: 3 | service: 3.75 | selection: 3 | food: 3.75
Did not care for the vibe here at all. I think it's an old trailer that it's built in, and it feels claustrophobic in there. I really didn't care for the beers I had either. The food was just ok. I've had this on my list to go to for awhile on my trips from Chicago to Detroit, and I won't be going back. Service was decent - people seemed nice.
Jun 26, 2018
 
Rated: 3.59 by SWChi from Illinois

May 02, 2018
Photo of Jim67
Rated by Jim67 from Michigan

4.09/5  rDev -3.3%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.25 | food: 4.5
Great place in Marshall. Great beers and food with some Polish specialties.
Dec 27, 2017
Photo of lochraneg
Reviewed by lochraneg from New Hampshire

4.74/5  rDev +12.1%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.25 | selection: 5 | food: 4.25
Went for the 4 Elf Event last December... such a fun time with the bottle share. The staff was great for how busy it was. Really good beer, both on tap, and available for sale.
Nov 11, 2017
Photo of 94rocker1
Rated by 94rocker1 from Michigan

4.44/5  rDev +5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.25 | food: 4.5
Good food,Good beer and alot going on at the place often. fun to go to!
Nov 04, 2017
Photo of Penguins66
Reviewed by Penguins66 from Illinois

3.61/5  rDev -14.7%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 3.75 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3
Dark Horse occupies several somewhat rundown looking buildings, but only one houses the tap room...and that is my first criticism. As one of Michigan's premier breweries, why haven't they invested in a larger tap room? This one is old, dingy, full of mismatched tables and chairs, with seemingly every available inch of ceiling/wall space covered with mugs. The bar has maybe 6 stools. (What is the deal with Michigan breweries and tiny bars???) My wife and I ended up sharing a table with another couple because there wasn't anywhere else to sit early on a Sunday afternoon.

We only had time for one beer apiece, but they were both good. We also took home a sampler pack from the shop across the parking lot. Food was a little disappointing. My 9-in. pizza bore more than a passing resemblance to a Tombstone pizza but my wife's turkey sandwich was tasty. Prices were reasonable. Service was OK if not a bit rushed.

It's a shame that our experience fell short because I had been wanting to visit Dark Horse for a long time. Fortunately, there are many other breweries to try.
Oct 31, 2017
 
Rated: 3.32 by West_Chester_Ale_Tester from Ohio

Sep 02, 2017
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Rated by firkingroovin from Illinois

4.33/5  rDev +2.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.25
Seems small and unassuming which is a good thing. Great comfortable place for lunch.
Jul 25, 2017
 
Rated: 4.14 by Gagnonsux from Texas

Jul 08, 2017
 
Rated: 4.13 by Feldpausch from Michigan

Jun 11, 2017
 
Rated: 4.36 by MKrauss from Pennsylvania

Jun 06, 2017
 
Rated: 4.5 by heddar33 from Pennsylvania

May 23, 2017
 
Rated: 4.13 by JDizzle from Indiana

Mar 26, 2017
 
Rated: 4.23 by King_Charles from Michigan

Mar 02, 2017
 
Rated: 3.75 by CPAles from Illinois

Dec 29, 2016
 
Rated: 4.41 by Cwill24 from Michigan

Dec 16, 2016
 
Rated: 4.33 by kbarnes9 from Michigan

Dec 13, 2016
Photo of JohnKristan
Reviewed by JohnKristan from Ohio

4.71/5  rDev +11.3%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.75 | food: 4.75
Lacking in corporate sterility, this brewery is what you love about DIY beer making. Stage featuring roots music and beer that hasn't acquiesced to offering only "safe" beer. Will raise the bar for every other tasting room you ever settle into.
Dec 11, 2016
 
Rated: 4.26 by MI_beerdrinker from Texas

Nov 30, 2016
 
Rated: 4.28 by mcrawford from Michigan

Sep 12, 2016
 
Rated: 4.18 by TAisaBAlla from Michigan

Sep 07, 2016
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Reviewed by Trainman4beer from Michigan

4.23/5  rDev 0%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5
Members of the mug club for years, several superb brews. Weakness clearly has been food. Need bigger better kitchen (almost done we hear) . Owners are sincere long term brewers not late players to the game. Enjoy!
Aug 12, 2016
 
Rated: 3.94 by BeerOps from Illinois

Jul 28, 2016
 
Rated: 4.25 by Jaszucs from Indiana

Jun 07, 2016
 
Rated: 3.75 by Muss42 from Michigan

Jun 04, 2016
 
Rated: 4.85 by Loudog1411 from Michigan

May 29, 2016
Dark Horse Brewing Company in Marshall, MI
Brewery rating: 3.89 out of 5 with 31416 ratings