Dark Horse plans record 130-tap takeover at HopCat

Fire-roasted peach pale ale and a Belgian-style waffle beer are to be poured among 130 varieties from Dark Horse Brewing Co. in a massive HopCat takeover next month in Detroit.

The event is intended to out-do last year's grand opening of the Midtown gastropub, when 120 different Short's Brewing Co. beers were tapped.

"Setting another world record will make Detroit the center of the beer universe on Nov. 28 and help remind the world that Michigan craft breweries are some of the best and most innovative in the nation," Garry Boyd, HopCat director of food and beverage said in a news release.

Dubbed "Dark Saturday" and arriving one day after Black Friday, the event is to include 30 varieties of Dark Horse's Crooked Tree IPA among the many varieties. It starts at 11 a.m. at HopCat on Woodward and Canfield in Midtown Detroit. The announcement of the event was made at last weekend's Michigan Brewers Guild Detroit Fall Beer Festival in Eastern Market.

Dark Horse founder Aaron Morse said to expect a number of fruit-infused beers, beers already in production and plenty of experimental brews. The Belgian waffle beer is to include actual waffles and syrup among the ingredients, and a s'mores stout with marshmallow, caramel and graham cracker is also planned.

"There's going to be quite a few different stouts," he said, "one married with mint, another we marry with hot peppers."

Months of planning went into the event, which also includes live music starting at 7 p.m., Boyd said in the news release. Morse said the idea came about when he happened to be sitting next to someone from HopCat last February at the Michigan Brewers Guild Winter Beer Festival north of Grand Rapids.

The significance of Nov. 28?

"A lot of people around," said Morse, 40. "It seemed like a good time to let people who may be in town attend it."

The tap takeover occurs the weekend after Detroit hosts America's Thanksgiving Day Parade on Nov. 26, attracting many thousands of people to the city's core for the holiday event.

HopCat's Detroit location opened last December with what it described as a world-record 120 different beers from Short's Brewing. The gastropub was started in Grand Rapids and has expanded to seven locations, its most recent opening Oct. 24 in Lexington, Ky.

Dark Horse was established as a microbrewery in September 2000, having previously been started as a brew-pub in 1997, Morse said.

Rating some Dark Horse Brewing Co. beers

As reviewed by Spirits of Detroit columnist Robert Allen on the Untappd app. Profile: raDetroit

Crooked Tree IPA (6.5% ABV): "Piney, a little spicey with toffee and plenty of zip for an IPA." 3/5

Sapient Trip Ale (9.5% ABV): "Never really found a trippel I liked until this one. Really flavorful; ripe banana with light cloves, some apple, tough to believe 9.5 ABV." 4.25/5

Smells Like A Safety Meeting (8.5% ABV): "Glorious, grapefruity hops aroma, flavor pops with pine and amber malts. Goes down way too easy. One of the best." 5/5

Fore Smoked Stout (7%): 3.5/5

Raspberry Ale (5%): 3/5

Spirits of Detroit columnist Robert Allen covers alcohol for the Free Press. He can be reached at rallen@freepress.com or Untappd, raDetroit; Twitter, @rallenMI, Facebook, robertallen.news; and Periscope, @rallenMI.