Three Floyds Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout

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

2008 bottle from Solan, tasted at the DTS in Bunnik. Almost black and opague. Creamy dark chocolate aroma with Kahlua liquor. Thick syrupy malt soup with dark chocolate, coffee, toffee, plums and port. Hint of maraschino cherries. Hint of salt. Sweet but complex and divine brew. 2007 bottle @ EBF 2008. Licorice, roast, cream and maple syrup in the aroma. Creamy, velvety flavor with roast, licorice, lots of chocolate, raisin and plums. Still a good complexity,but more alcoholic as the fresh 2008 version. (9 4 8 4 16 = 4.1) 2009 bottle, tasted @ RBESG Grand Tasting 2009. Black and opague. Thick viscous, very sweet flavor with mago, malt sugars, overpowering all roasted flavors. Grapes and molasses in the aroma. Very young, still needs a lot of time to develop. (7 4 8 3 16 = 3.8)

Dutch tasting session Bunnik. Bottled. Opaque, brown head. Very complex nose, malts, chocolate, coffee. Initially sweet, but the complex flavour develops to be more bitter towards the end. Thick mouthfeel. Very good.

Bottle of 2007! I hope this lives up to the hype and the price I paid on ebay! Pours a brownish-black fluid with a dark tan, coffee-like, head that grows out of the bowels of the beer. The Dark Lord rising from the bowels of hell? Methinks so! The aroma is very strong of fermented raisins, sugar, port, sweet chocolate with touches of black licorice and coffee roastiness. The mouthfeel is unlike ANYTHING I have ever had!!! It clings to the side of your mouth like whole milk would but with a little more guts like I was drinking motor oil. Un-f---ing-believable! It is almost like syrup. There is little to no carbonation. The flavor is highly complex with notes of currants, port wine, molasses, black licorice with hints of coffee and a burnt quality. Add a sweet underlying flavor (tempation itself), and you get a somewhat sad description of a beer that is indescribable! Adding to the reaper list: Go to Dark Lord Day!!

2008 - Just getting around to rating this! Out of 05-08, this is one of my favorites. This is called Dark Lord for a reason-- it pours black as oil and it does have sort of a demonic, syrupy presence. Aroma tickles the nostrils with alcohol, molasses, dark fruit, and tobacco. Flavor coats the palate with deeply roasted and lingering chocolate malt, coffee, vanilla, and a complex sweetness that is simply one of a kind.

Have just run through a three year vertical 06-08 and none will dissapoint. Good thing we took notes! The 07 was midnight dark, looks almost black. Pour slow and extremely aromatic with pronounced tones of everything dark in grain, molasses,and malt. This beer is got allot going on especially present when it’s temperature gets to 20+ C. Becomes pretty boozy and the caramel, coffee tones are more pronounced. This beer is a big home run in the Imperial Stout world and will not disappoint even the most discerning critic.

Bar none, this is the best brew I’ve ever had. This is my third bottle from the 2008 release and every time I open one i can’t believe what I’m drinking. The part that sold me on this is the viscosity/mouthfeel of the beer. It’s unbelievable. Nothing more needs to be said about this beer, its ranking speaks for itself...and yes it’s the real deal. In my book, this is the #1 beer in the world.

leaves a nice ring of sediment at the bottom of the glass. tastes of chocolate mocha with a hint of campfire cooked cherries. This is the fourth beer i have had from three floyds. My first rating!

Courtesy of Tony @ OTH. Silver wax. Pours pitch black, very thick. Aroma is of molasses and touch of coffee malts. This beer is up there with the best of Imperial Stouts. Too bad it is so hard to get.