Three Floyds Oak Aged Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout

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

Hand bottle provided by gunhaver. A: Pours as dark as night, flat pitch black with only a bubble or two for a head. The beer is thick, dense, it literally coats the glass. S: Huge vanilla aromas, from the wood I guess. Nothing artifical about the vanilla though, it is like creamy buttery vanilla. The wood component is huge as well. Like fresh cut oak. Strong roasty notes are there along with hints of molasses and chocolate. T: Holy Hell! There is nothing like this beer. It is the king of barrel aged beers in my mind without a doubt. Fudge like chocolate up front along with a big blast of roast. The oak component is huge and so enjoyable. Vanilla manages to push through with hints of bourbon. A slight milky coco puffs flavor can be picked up as well. Simple flavors that seem to just meld together perfectly. Really is a perfect beer. M: Full bodied, lacks carbonation from the hand bottling, but it really don’t suffer. I like lower levels of carbonation on RIS’ anyway. D: Wonderful, would love to drink all night until I pass out. Reason enough to make a trip to Dark Lord Day.

#500!!!!!! Courtesy of Gunhaver! Pours a staining black with huge glass ruining lacing. This beer literally ruined the glass. Throw it away because you will smell nothing but insane pungent vanilla extract, fresh crushed vanilla bean, intense wood, vanillan, bourbon, hot hot booze, dark ripe fruit, rich coffee, more vanilla, nuttiness, burnt roast. Flavor is giant smooth vanilla roasty, chocolate, toffee, what the fuck, holy shit, OMGness. This beer nearly knocked Geiger out of is seat. I can still taste it. How the hell do you get that flavor from barrels? What kind of barrels did they use? Nestle barrels? Holy F! Amazing!!! Great job FFF!!!

Handbottle, courtesy StFun. Pours pitch black, completely flat. But looks amazing. Nose is an inssaaaaaaannneee amount of vanilla, bourbon, intense wood, chocolate, and a dash of heat in there, too. Flavor is tons of bourbon, oak, vanilla, chocolate, and very sticky and fantastic. Incredible. Ridiculous.

Wow. Incredible aroma. Black. Mildly sweet. Nice buttery oaky aroma. Mellow. Brown sugar molasses. Alcohol noticable, but at a perfect level. Very easy to drink. Coats your mouth with rich flavor. Caramels.

Tap GTMW - Poured pitch oily black with small tan head. Aroma - chocolate, bourbon, dark fruits, oak and some coffee. Really amazing scent, very intoxicating!!! Flavor - the initial taste is coconut bourbon along with some oak, rich chocolate and hint of coffee. Probably one of the best beers at this festival!!! Palate - Heavy almost syrup like mouthfeel with little carbonation. Finish is somewhat sweet with slight alcohol burn. Great aftertaste of chocolate and rum!! Overall - I prefer this over regular DL but is realy close to the Vanilla Bean. I will have to make it for DLD and try this again!

On tap at GTMW ’09: Pours an opache black with a small dissipating tan head. Aroma is strong oak, fruity sweet (plums and raisins) and very rich. Flavor is strong oak yet very sweet with dark fruit, rich chocolate, coffee and a nice undertone of flower, herbs and grapefruit. Finish is very long and warm with molasses and dark fruit. Large bodied, quite a bit more alcohol apparent than the non oak version. Still one of the best beers I have ever tasted.

On tap @ DLD ’09. Pours black with a brown head with nice lacing along the cup. Smell is amazing, you just want to eat it! Chocolate, malts, oak, roasted nuts. Very rich on the nose, I was excited what it’s going to taste like! Taste is just as good. Very rich, sweet, and epic. Mouthfeel is think/rich, perfect for a RIS.

Dark, oily, resiny, velvety imperial stout. Aroma is heavy with burnt caramel, raisins, and molasses. Taste was heavy on the molasses and booze. Mouthfeel was amazing - carbonation hit the roof of the mouth but smoothed out and coated the mouth with a warming boozy molasses effect. Aftertaste was sweet, alcoholic, strong, and amazing. Highly recommended for the experience alone, and fully lives up to its reputation.