Three Floyds Oak Aged Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout

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

The best brew I have ever had - I nursed this all nigth but could not stop sipping! Had this at Dark Lord Day in 2009 - brew was 2008 Oak Aged. Yum!

Tap at DLD for rating #600. Rating a bit out of order, but so what, wanna fight about it? Heard a lot about the oak aging in this one taking over and detracting from the other flavors and I’ll be the first to admit that happens all too frequently with BA beers, but I think this one is truly divine. Black pour with a medium light brown head. Aroma of vanilla, oak, alcohol, chocolate, coffee and licorice. Chocolate flavor with molasses, licorice, vanilla and a dry coffee and booze finish. Everything I love about Dark Lord is still there with some added flavors. Well deserving of my first perfect score.

On tap @ DLD 09 Appearance: black with a very dark brown head. Aroma: chocolate bourbon, coffee. Balanced. Flavor: Balanced. Nice chocolate and coffee, bourbon is noticeable but not overwhelming.

Finally getting a chance to try this, with my drinking buddy Wetherel. Pours brownish black with a bubbly bit of carbonation. Nose is sweet bourbonny, with hints of vanilla and chocolate. Taste is sweet and chocolaty and rich with a big boozy punch. Last time I had regular Dark Lord was Friday and it was an improperly aged and tasted like molasses and wasn’t very good. This on the other hand is excellent, very sweet, very rich and really big. Gotta say I like this. Yum

On tap at DLD 09. Pour to a jet black with just a hint of brown, a thin dark brown skim of head that lingers well and okay lacing. But it ain’t about appearances. Nose was a very potent and pleasant mix of aged wood, pourbon, chocolate, toffee and caramel, and as it warmed, the alcohol snuck in as well. Mouthfeel was full, a tad biting and oily. Taste was the highlight, as it took all the scents of the nose and blended them into a very complex taste where every sip seemed to accentuate a different aspect. Finish was log, smooth and warming. FFF served this in small cups, which was a good thing, given the various beers to be tasted and the 14% abv.

On tap at DLD ’09. Pours a black body with virtually no head. Just a slight brown lacing on the edge with some nice, soapy lacing on the glass. Aroma is quite similar to the regular DL, but with much more of a bourbon woodiness than vanilla. The vanilla is still clearly evident, but its much more subdued. Some silky chocolate and woody hops with a mild citrus bite. The flavor is very mellow from the barrel aging. Nice, smooth wood-bourbon, rich chocolate (although not nearly as rich as the regular DL), some mild background roastiness, and a light to moderate amount of bittering hops balance this out nicely. Never gets extremely bitter. Good amount of molasses, but not nearly as big of a flavor compared to the regular DL. I also found the fig stood out a little more in this one. The flavors stay bold and balanced without approaching an over-the-top status. Full bodied with a slow, drying finish. Much softer than the other two DL’s. Lingering aftertaste of very rich wood, bourbon, and vanilla-cocoa. Overall, a very solid beer. The oak and bourbon are pretty big, but IMO work nicely with this monster and accompany the complex assortment of flavors quite well.

blacker than black with no head.as i swill the snifter around the beer creates some nice legs on the sides.the aroma is a thick and complex blend of molasses,chocolate,slight bourbon,and alcohol heat.the flavor is even more complex with everything described above.plus some gram crackers,oak,vanilla,and roasted malts.i was surprised at how soft the palate was.the mouthfeel was oily and slick.this is just awesome stuff.

Opaque, no head. Aroma is oak, alcohol, bourbon, caramel, mollases. Taste is caramel, chocolate, raspberry, alcohol, light bourbon. A bit hot, but good.