Three Floyds Oak Aged Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout

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

On tap at DL day ’06: Pours a very viscous motor oil opaque with a nice, thin-lacing dark tan head. Rich, sweet, toasty complex dark caramel aroma has lots of dark fruity and chocolate bourbon oaky balance. Body starts incredibly full, thick, and viscous with lots of sweet sticky dark caramel and chocolate malts. Hints of vanilla and plenty of bourbon oaky balance and complexity. Finishes sticky, sweet and lingering with some warmth, dark chocolate, and coffee. Barrel-aged just the right amount of time. I think this is officially my new favorite beer of all time, but I don’t know if I could drink more than 12oz of it at one sitting.

Pour is opaque black with almost no head...tight tiny bubbles drift to the top of the snifter...smell is sweet with vanilla, bourbon, alcohol, cocoa,...lots of bourbon...taste is very sweet with vanilla, cocoa, coffee, bourbon, more bourbon, vanilla, alcohol...finish is sticky and sweet...this is damn good...

Sampled at 3F on Dark Lord Day. Small tan head that mostly diminished with lacing, opaque, no visible carbonation, and a black hue. Nose was bourbon, dark chocolate, vanilla, coffee, and some dark fruits. Flavor was dark chocolate, bourbon, vanilla, and thick. Smooth mouthfeel.

Huge thanks to Springslicker (and Facto) for the opportunity to sample this. Pours black and totally opaque. First whiff is prunes, cognac, and vanilla, with an underlying presence of dark chocolate and strong coffee. Smooth, rich palate. Dark choclate is the most noticeable flavor at first, with hints of coffee, then blending into vanilla and bourbon flavors, then a surprisingly winey finish. As it warms, notes of raisin and prune emerge, and the bourbon becomes a bigger player in the flavor. Very tasty, very impressive.

Suppose I should finally put my rating in. Sampled at the brewpub on DL Day. Served in a small maybe 5.5oz plastic cup. Color was an obvious pitch black, almost nothing getting through. Head was a small dark brown one I’d expect on a nice cup of coffee. Aroma is huge chocolate and coffee, then come the bourbon, molasses and caramel/vanilla things. Flavor is like a dark chocolate stout milkshake. Thick and filling. Bourbon adds a bite to a smooth and well made imperial stout. Good stuff!

Thanks to MrFacto for taking all the S*T that he got for being generous enough to send this to a few folks who couldn’t make it to FFF. On top of that, he only asked that I send him some good homebrews for the trade! One of the better barrel beers that I’ve had. I don’t give out perfect scores, and the only detractor was that a small fleeting head would have fit the style better. Undoubtedly this was from the re-bottle so figure my appearance score upwards in your head if you choose to. Black, oily and coating the glass as it’s swirled. Rich alcoholic yet restrained bourbon aroma. Notes of licorice and raisins come easily. This is one that can be enjoyed for the aroma alone. I don’t like bourbon, but there is plenty of good Imperial Stout aroma so that the bourbon doesn’t take this one over. Thick, sweet, smooth and very well balanced by roasty bitterness. Again, very well done and one of the better attempts to meld a Big Imperial Stout and a barrel that I’ve had. Thanks Matt for the chance to share and try this one!

Draft @ 3F on DL06: This beer lives up to the hype. Poured thick and black with a perfectly creamy brown head. The aroma had a strong but just the right amount of bourbon mixed with dark chocolate, dark fruit and dark roast. This is the Dark Lord. The flavor was very nice. Vanilla, chocolate and bourbon with coffee and fruit underneath. This was full bodied and creamy. Nice and warming on a damp day. The pour had run over the sides of the glass and it was so thick and sticky that my skin was stuck to the glass. I could have let go and it never would have left my hand. When the glass was empty I sadly had to pry it from my fingers.

Poured old motor oil black with a small brown lace. Sweet oak, bourbon, and dark baker’s chocolate on the nose. The flavors were sweet bourbon, vanilla, and dark chocolate with an oaky undertone and a little bit of cough drop coming through in the finish. Everything seemed to meld together really well until the cough drop thing. Still a very good beer overall. Since I couldn’t give the palate a 6 I had to bump up the overall to make up for it.