Three Floyds Oak Aged Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout

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

’07 Dark Lord Day. Pours an opaque black with a slight brown head. Aroma is malty, woody, molasses. Flavor is malty, caramel, molasses, coffee, with a bitter finish.

Rating #500!!!! On tap at DLD 07. First off I had this beer after Stille Nacht 00, BA Speedway, and Sexual Chocolate, exactly in a row. Four absolutely amazing beers in a row. And this my friends topped them all. ........ Pours a thick thick black clinging to the glass with thin brown head. Nose of cherries, red fruit, chocolate, roast, oak, bourbon, molasses, and so many other rich scents. So complex and rich. Full bodied, viscious like pudding, creamy smooth. Chocolate, fruit, coffee, molasses, espresso, all the notes in the nose but bursting now on my tongue. This beer is so alive and intense on my tongue the thick black espresso to red and ripe fruit. Why did I not drink this until I could no longer stand. That is my only regret of that day. The best beer I have ever had to date.

Draught split with Tronraner during my Dark Lord excursion. How do I approach something with this much hype? I excitedly received my glass of this ambrosia and marveled at how solid and black this stuff is. I’ve seen only a handful of imperial stouts approach a level of this opacity and viscosity. Even standing out in the sun light, there is not even a real red hue to speak of. The aroma is powerful, just huge of molasses, vanilla, espresso, hickory, chocolate. Yes, it’s very obviously barrel aged, but when the original characteristics of the brew are so bold, it’s hard for this to be too mellow or too much like just sipping bourbon. So, excellent balance in this blast to my nose is achieved. Taking a sip of this is almost like sipping paste, but the most delicious paste I’ve ever tasted. There are things that really appeal to me in a beer and it’s as if 3F brewed this specifically for people like me. Roasty espresso hits the mouth with rich molasses, madelines, chocolate, hickory, soil, and some light piny hops buried in the wave of rich, heavier flavors. This is a damn fine example of hiding the flavor of alcohol. It just warms up my sinuses a little bit, only adding to the experience. The most impressive thing about this beer is that despite the sheer magnitude of aroma and flavor, perfect balance is accomplished and nothing becomes cloying. Some people say that it’s just too rich, but for me, it’s the perfect threshold of intensity.

Draft at DLD. Served dark as night with only a slight ring of head around the perimeter of the glass. Smell is absolutley luxurious. Deep roasted malts, chocolate, and bourbon are the front runners. This is a big beer, no doubt, the alcohol is there and warming. This beer is mellowed a bit by the oak aging. Not the brute that the DL bottle is. This is a great beer, but not huge and robust as say a GI BCS. The guys at FFF have taken barrel aging to a whole n’other level. Other brewers could take notes from them.

Draught at 3F at Dark Lord Day. Pours pitch black with an orange-brown head and intense lacing. The aroma is unbelievably appetizing. Molasses and bourbon dominate, but there are plenty of espresso and smoke notes as well, some dark honey, and maybe chocolate and vanilla. The flavor is intense molasses, espresso, and roasted nuts. Bourbon barrel char comes through, but it has to work to compete with all the other strong flavors. Tons of earthy hops, earth in general (peat?), and super-smooth whisky come out in the finish, which leaves an aftertaste that doesn’t ever seem to go away. A nice vanilla smoothness rounds off the edges. It’s very impressive that all these strong, potentially overwhelming flavors can be brought together so harmoniously. While there is nothing subtle about this beer, the balance is dead on. Smooth, rich, great beer.

This was my first time DLD and it was amazing. The aroma on this was incredible. It had an beautiful balance bourbon, wood ester, vanilla, chocolate, expresso, black currant, some cherries, and a smooth roundness i cannot describe. Taste is just the same, balanced, full and oily. It has a finish length you would expect from a great scotch or cognac. Flat out awesome stuff and absolutely lives up to the hype.

Tap at DLD. This was incredible and is my first 10 overall for flavor. Aroma had some vanilla, bourbon, chocolate, and rich malts. The flavor is indescribable. I need to come to DLD again just to be able to try this beer again.Tied at the top.

On tap at 2007 DLD. Thick, rich and smooth. Almost black with a thin tan head. Aroma of cocoa, vanilla, malt and smoke. Immediately taste the flavors of dark chocolate, bourbon and oak. Perfectly balanced. Extremely easy to drink. Nice semi sweet finish. Incredible brew!