Three Floyds Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout

Brewed by Three Floyds Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Munster, Indiana USA

Bottled sample, big, and I mean BIG, thanks to andersand who surprised me (and us) with this bottle. Didn’t expect this! Pours a pitch black color with a dying head. Aroma is really interesting with liquorice, fudge, chocolate and roasted coffee. A bit vinous too, this was the 2007 edition. Flavour was big with lots of bitter dark chocolate, some fudge, liquorice, coffee and some sweet milk chocolate (lots of different chocolates, I wrote down). Very fullbodied, thick, almost chewy mouthfeel. Quite insane.

Poured draft on DLD ’09 (Munster, IN) several times with the free pours from my tickets. Pours a dark blackish pour with brown edges, thick and opaque, with a brownish head that eventually settles down and clings. Aromas are heavy on some roasted malt and coffee dominant, as chocolate and caramel round out the top. Coffee takes a leading role, but is kept contained by the others. Initial is rich and a touch sweet, pushing heavy dark malts of coffee and chocolate with some good roast. Light bitterness from coffee and hopping comes into the fold further in, helping to balance the finish. Roast and coffee take the stage, linger on the palate, and aftertaste. Thick and very good mouthfeel. You definitely know you are drinking this. The alcohol doesn’t come in as strong as one would think, hides well among the strong flavors this brew preaches. Cheers to a great DLD ’09!

I had the 2008 tonight. It became more sweet with a year on it. Its still very thick and coats the glass whiuch takes like 3 glass rinses to get it all out. Its a little to sweet to enjoy fully. This beer was better fresh. The 2006 aged better. Cannot wait to try the 2009

sample from a 2009 white wax. molasses, rich malt, brown sugar, and plenty of overall sweetness. this bottle was nicer than the 2008 and was plenty thick and chewy but did not have as much sediment fallout.

bottle 2008 with black wax poured a dark earthy brown color with a light brown head. aroma has molasses sweetness, licorice, dark chocolate, lightly roasted coffee, underlying dark cherry, and some earth. definitely sweet with some alcohol. mouth feel is thick with low carbonation. the flavor really blasts out the sweetness. molasses, dark chocolate, raisin, burnt coffee, tobacco, and earth. I cracked this one open on dark lord day thinking of everyone there. it seemed to get thicker as the bottle poured becoming oat like and some what cloying. definitely the biggest imperial stout I have tried so far.

Have been lucky enough to have a few times. This sample was an 09 on tap at DLD. Wonderfull looking beer; black with thin brown head. Aroma is huge malt, molasses, some floral notes, cherry, wood, tobacco and a mild chemical aroma. Flavor is very nice: sweet, chewy malt, tobacco, dried fruits, wood, and a nice floral background. A litle bit fractured right now but still amazing.

[Vintage 2007] Bottle... Poured deep brown, almost black, with a brown head. Aroma of roasted grains and oats. Extremely smooth, tasted like a dessert pastry. Rich cocoa and coffee notes that blended with malts and oats. A whiskey-alcohol character in the finish.

(2008 bottle, black wax) 22 oz bottle shared with General66 (thanks Bobby!). A special one for number 100, aged a year, and was extremely excited to try this. Pours a thick completely opaque black color, with a half-finger high chocolate-y tan head. Really no words can describe how thick and gorgeous it is. Smells of so many things: chocolate, roasted nut, dried fruit (comes out more when warmer), coffee, vanilla, a bit of alcohol, and some bourbon (and maybe even more). The taste is similar to the smell, but is amazing because it layers the flavors so it is multi-tiered, first tasting one flavor, then slowly flowing to another. Covers the mouth, and feels sticky like molasses, with the vanilla coming in on the aftertaste. Truly an amazing beer, and I’m very glad to have experienced it, and makes me can’t wait for DLD 09. Strongly suggest aging it though, from everything I heard

A few ounces of a 2008 bottle while at a friend’s wedding. Zero head when the groom poured. It’s not as thick as molasses but is as close as I’ve seen a beer get. Strong scent of alcohol and chocolate. For such a strong ABV, this was surprisingly smooth. Nutty and very rich and complex flavor worthy of the hype.