 Ernest (4217), Boulder, Colorado, USA
Jan 9, 2003 Updated: Jun 17, 2005
2005 bottle.
Head is initially small, frothy, dark brown, mostly diminishing.
Body is opaque black (flashlight tested).
Aroma is moderately malty (roasted grain, dark chocolate), lightly hoppy (resin, apricot), with notes of alcohol and licorice.
Flavor is heavily sweet, lightly acidic, moderately bitter.
Finish is moderately sweet, moderately acidic, heavily bitter.
Full body, syrupy/creamy texture, soft/lively carbonation, moderately alcoholic.
Much better than the [IMHO] ruined 2004 bottled batch (which had hardly any aroma [and what was there wasn’t that pleasant], was cloyingly/syrupy sweet, and had a disturbing mouthfeel like split-pea soup), which I dumped down the drain after several months of resting and an hour of sampling deliberation, but I still can’t say this one is quite in my top five Impy stouts. Very good overall, no doubt, but...the aroma just isn’t that powerful, complex, or exciting. It’s pretty extreme, decadent, and very well-balanced, flavor-wise, and is unusually thick and rich in the mouth, but the aroma is surpisingly ordinary for the style. Whereas some beers are more exciting to smell than drink (Unibroue), this is the reverse.
March 2004 bomber. Virtually no head. Body is absolutely opaque black. Aroma is lightly malty (chocolate, molasses), lightly hoppy (resin, apricot), with a light note of soy sauce. Flavor is heavily sweet, lightly acidic, lightly bitter. Finish is moderately sweet, lightly acidic, lightly bitter. FULL body, syrupy/pea-soup texture, soft carbonation, lightly alcoholic. What I want to know is, what the hell happened (see review of previous year’s batch below) to screw this up so badly? The aroma is extremely faint and uninteresting, for starters (even in my usual brandy snifter sampling glass, still almost nothing there to smell). Literally the consistency of split-pea soup (and that’s before we get down to the bottom of the bottle where Lovecraftian horror awaits)...I used to think the thicker the better, but this is beyond the limits of enjoyment...it’s downright disconcerting and unpleasant to "drink". Just too many suspended solids. The flavor balance is mostly as before, virtually all sweetness with little to balance. Of course it’s opaque which makes the appearance score high, but damn, this is an absolute catastrophe, to the tune of Drain Pour Blues. This is one of the worst years for Imperial Stouts, I must say! Avery, Brooklyn, and now this one fail to live up to past batches, but this one is by far the most disappointing. (4/4/5/2/9 = 2.4)
12 oz bottle filled from a growler (Jan/03). Head is initially small, frothy, brown, mostly diminishing. Body is absolutely opaque black. Aroma is heavily malty (milk & dark chocolate, caramel, molasses, nutty, mild coffee), with notes of ruby port, raisin, toffee, vanilla, maple syrup, etc., hint of alcohol. Flavor is heavily sweet, lightly acidic, lightly bitter. Finish is moderately sweet, lightly acidic, lightly bitter. Medium to full body, oily texture, soft carbonation, lightly alcoholic. (10/5/6/4/16 = 4.1)
garthicus (550), Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Aug 27, 2008 Shared with HogTownHarry, GregClow, Tupalev,Jerc & Blankboy -- courtesy of HogTownHarry - sweet jebus. 2008 bottle. Appearance - Pitch black, like a charred corpse, scummy brown head. Aroma: Spicy, whiskey, chocolate cake and fudge. Flavour: Alcohol, Alcohol! Chocolate and Baileys, tia maria, thick and dense, long and tingly finish. I was sweating afterward, I got me some Dark Lord sweats! Slainte Harry.
BeerBunker (39), Burbank, Illinois, USA
Aug 24, 2008 22oz bottle from 2008. Drank this bottle right after Dark Lord Day ’08, but forgot to rate it. Poured black with a tan head. Surprisingly, the alcohol was not very present in the aroma. Had an ass-kickingly delicious aroma of chocolate, toasty malts, and syrup. Heavy mouthfeel of chocolate, and malts. Lingering taste of coffee. No taste of the alcohol, since it is masked behind all the heavy flavors. Is it worth the hype? Not if you drink it immediately. This evil bastard needs time to prepare for your eventual face-raping of oily chocolate and coffee goodness. It’s a waste to drink it too soon.
dogfish120love (45), west hartford, Connecticut, USA
Aug 20, 2008 I hope that what im drinking wasn’t ruined in transit to me it being summer and all. It pours black with a brown burnt sugar carmel colored head. aroma is alcohol, malt, with a heavy carmel scent. it tastes of bitter chocolate toasty malt and burnt caramel. this beer is punishing me at the moment. for the first time ever I think I can say that my stomach is in pain, but my mouth is in love. at first I thought that i coudn’t handle this beer but its growing on me. I still in my honest opinion enjoy stone’s imperial stout a little more because its something i can drink easily. Please take into note that it is august and this beer was shipped via ups
Beershine (1214), Miami Beach, Florida, USA
Aug 20, 2008 At Vero, kisses to whoever shared it! Thick, viscous pour of pure blackness. Really intense nose packed with coffee and chocolate purity. Smooth, smooth, incredible. Raisins dancing. Complex, gorgeous, and viscous. A superlative brew, fully deserving of the hype.
PeterLikesBeer (103), Berwyn Heights, Maryland, USA
Aug 19, 2008 Rating number 100:
Had the 2008 Dark lord and figured it would make a good 100’s rating. The beer poured very thick and looked much like motor oil does that has not been changed for a long time. There was a small off white head. The aroma was very strong, a little fruity and sweet. There was also a subtle note of coffee. The flavor was a little sweet for my taste but was well balanced between dark fruits chocolate and coffee. This is one fine beer. Cheers!
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