Three Floyds Oak Aged Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout

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

Got this treat while waiting in line on DL release day....I was paying $6/cup to drink this while waiting 2 hours in line to buy $15/bottle beer....and I drove several hours to do it! And everything was so good I can’t wait to do it again!

Rating #666. 2006 GTMW. Black, opaque body with large, tan head that is long lasting. The aroma is bourbon, vanilla, chocolate and molases. The flavor is coffee, chocolate, molases, burnt with a touch of citrus. Full bodied, soft and creamy.

This brew from from the brewery on Dark Lord Release Day poured a medium sized head of foam with a frothy top, fine to medium sized very dark brown colored bubbles that were mostly lasting and left behind an opaque dark black colored body with no visible carbonation. The strong bourbon aroma was hoppy malty and did I mention bourbon? The thick malty mouth feel was tingly at the start and at the finish with a strong malty bourbon flavored aftertaste. The sweet vinous flavor contained notes of bourbon and dark malt. Delicious and one I would certainly love to have again. All Hail The Dark Lord for he shall return!

Dark Lord Day 2006, draft. Deep black with a creamy tan head. Aroma has lots of complexity, roast, bourbon, oak, coffee. Flavor is just as complex....very smooth, nice mix of flavors. Full body, creamy. Overall, fantastic RIS....significantly better than the 2006. Oak not only adds complexity, but smooths out the beer. Excellent.

When every one lined up to get their bottles, I headed straight to the bar to get a little low-ball of a terrific beer. This beer came a mirrored obsidian with a small collar of tan and copper head. There were also a few mysterious wisps of head swirling about the surface. Smelled of gentle fruity bourbon, dark creamy chocolate, maple syrup, chocolate pudding and a warm, aromatic alcohol that hid behind the bourbon and an oak dryness. As it warmed, the alcohol became very (overly?) prominent, but carried with it a sweet vanilla. Tasted of pasty, rich chocolate pudding that took root in my tongue and turned it brown (seriously, I checked). Through this floated an electric tingly sting of flowing woody bourbon, fresh cut oak and a Jagermeister-like herbiness. I also got some sweet marachino cherry and creamy oak burps! Never had a stout do that before! Sadly, the alcohol was hot to the point of becoming distracting. The mouth feel was heavy as hell with a thick creamy viscosity added by a micro-fine carbonation giving this the feel of pudding. Where’s my spoon! This one’s just a trip. The alcohol was a little much and could stand to be aged for a while. Hopefully, FFF has a keg of this sitting somewhere waiting to be cracked in a year or so. A cool version of this would be off the charts!

Pours a black deep ruby highlights- with the head consisting of just an oily film. Oak barrel, bourbon, vanilla, earthy and dirty with some yeastiness, intense chocolate and roasted malts with hints of coffee and a bit of alcohol towards the end. Chewy and sweet with tons of caramel flavor and raw sugary sweetness, fruity, bourbon, oak, light on the chocolate and coffee. Very full and thick mouthfeel, chewy and syrupy. Sticky finish with some intense alcohol. Overall it is a bit hot and all the flavors become a bit muddled, but still complex and a very nice beer.

Truly a king among Imperial Stouts. Tried it at Great Tast of the Midwest.

On tap at Great Taste of the Midwest into my DL-worthy mini snifter. Pour initially consisted of turbulent beige foam, evolving to a most beautiful viscous black pool with a well-retained (expecially for such a huge stout) cap of dense beige head. The nose on this was pure Heaven... deep, dark, and remarkably evil Heaven... rich espresso, baker’s chocolate, vanilla, oaky woodiness, sweet bourbon sugars, and wisps of dried cherry skins... couldn’t have asked for any more. The flavor was carried by rich and expertly-blended dark malts (the aforementioned baker’s chocolate and burnt espresso, prunes, figs, and cherries), older oak, sweet vanilla, and hints of bourbon. Fiendishly smooth on the palate with waves of its underlying power accenting during the drink and warming through the finish. Compared with DLD reviews, the heat seemed to mellow out, which made this even better! Much obliged to the Floyds for the opportunity!