Three Floyds Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout

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

Vintage 07 on tap at DLD08. Big and thick. Very very dark, very viscous, coats the glass permanently with a brown layer. Some thick head. Smooth complex aroma: chocolate, roast, coffee, some sweetness, some fruitiness. Brilliantly big and also somehow balanced. Sweet, roasty, lightly alcoholic. Coffee and chocolate. Dates or raisins. Thick but amazingly not too cloying.

2007 on tap @ Dark Lord Day 2008. Poured motor oil black with thick lacing, even on the plastic cup. Aroma of molasses, coffee, toffee, dark chocolate, and even some fruits. Taste extends the aroma with rich blend of fruit, malts, coffee and chocolate with an extremely surprising clean finish. Even though it was a heavy bodied, it was dangerously drinkable. I’m trying to rate this by memory, so I’m looking forward to my first 2008 bottle.

It is worth the trip and time in line to get... It is not something I would drink every day (even if I could). The mouthfeel is what really stands out about this beer, it is very coating and penetrating, a very different sensation from most other beers. The taste and smell are all wonderful, as I could remember the taste and smell for hours after drinking the beer. (that or it dried up on my nose and no one told me). Put simply if you get a chance to drink a beer like this you should.

2007 bottle thanks to CaptainCougar. Pours thick as motor oil and dark with very small brown head. Nose of prunes, raisins with toasted coffee. Flavor is much the same, so much happening from each drink. Thick as thick can be on the texture. Finish is molassess and very much dried dark fruit. What a wonderful thing to share thanks!

DLD ’08. My first impression was an intense roasted malt built on top of coffee and molasses, BUT it’s the high level of hops that creates its character. The quality is very suspect from bottle to bottle and batch to batch.

On tap DLD 08. Pours black and oily with a thick brown head. Aroma is filled with coffee, molasses, chocolate, and some dark fruits. Taste is much of the same, coffee, molasses, chocolate, and some dark fruits all playing nicely off of one another with some alcohol for good measure. Mouthfeel is thick, heavy, and a lot of alcohol warmth. Overall it is a good imperial, but it definitely didn’t live up to the hype around it.

2007 on tap at DLD. Don’t get me wrong - this is an awesome IRS. Full of coffee, toffee, and molasses flavors. Excellent stuff. But is it worth the hype? I’ve had others that were better, ones that are available year round, and in four packs. Still, its a great Impy Stout. Pours black with minimal head. Goes down very smooth and very quickly - dangerous too because it will hit you. After sharing a 2008 - the new recipe is better, more dry, less sweet. ON SECOND ANALYSIS: They changed the recipe for 2008. It’s much better, less sweet, more coffee, more dry. In short, yummier. It’s still not worth the hype, but it’s better than 2007. 2009 - Much more bitter than I remember it. Lots of coffee, cherry, currant and oak notes. Ends on that coffee note.

DLD 2008, 22 oz bomber 2008 vintage. Saved a few for aging. Pours the blackest of blacks, like motor oil with little head. What little head disappears very quickly. Aroma is burnt, chocolate, coffee, plums, raisons, cherries, molasses, other dark fruits. Taste is everything you could imagine: chocolate, coffee, molasses, tobacco, plums, dark fruit, cherries, cinnamon, spice, with a well-hidden alcohol burn. Mouthfeel is thick like the pour with little carbonation. Incredibly smooth. Yes, this is my first dark lord. Yes, this is the best beer I’ve ever had.