Three Floyds Oak Aged Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout

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

Draught at the brewpub. Poured a deep black with a half finger of foamy, brown head. The aroma was roasted malt, chocolate, dark fruit, smoke, oak and vanilla. The flavor was malty with coffee, oak, vanilla, bourbon and chocolate. This was an excellent beer. The bourbon was a little bit over the top, but overall, this was excellent.

(Draught) Pours a murky deep mahogany body with a small beige head. Aroma of light smoke, roasted malt, wood, bourbon, brown sugar, chocolate, caramel, and some dark fruit notes. Flavor has loads of malt (caramel, roasted), chocolate, oak, coffee, bourbon, and brown sugar. Excellent!

Great Taste ’08. Last of the Dark Lords on deck and well worth the wate. Thick and viscous with a brownish black color that reminded me of properly mixed wasabi & soy sauce. Which in my book is just thin enough to prevent you from being able to use a fork to eat it and no thinner. Which is exactly how thick this beer was. Unlike most bourbon aged beers, this one was perfectly balanced. The earthiness of the oak completely took over the beer while the dark lord’s original flavor seems to have muted the bourbon’s typically buscuit-like flavor. Easily the thickest beer I’ve ever drank.

Forgot to rate this one after Dark Lord Day. Draft in a plastic cup at the brewpub. Poured like motor oil. It looked like pancake syrup, and had the same thickness. Had small brownish ead, that did not dissapate. Instant great taste of bourbon and malts. Delicious lingering taste of coffee and chololate. Alcohol is apparant, and damned delish too. Finishes, with thick sludgy goodness. To sum it up, if you soaked a piece of wood in bourbon and then sucked on it, you’d get the same effect.

Great Taste ’08. 2007, aged for a year. Finally! Pours a thick sludgy viscous, glass coating oil brown, with debris in it! The nose is big sweet sticky Dark Lord, completely going one on one with the oak. Tannins are heavy, but no heavier than the sweet alcohol, chocolate, vanilla, alcohol, and roast. The mouthfeel is as thick as a solution can be. The flavors are as to be expected, insane. Basically just like I imagined, only with more oak, and not as screwed up as I thought it would be. This is an actual improvement to Dark Lord! Splendid.

Draft on tap at Taste of the Midwest. Unbelievably thick beer, more like chocolate syrup. Completely opaque and solid. Flavor is rich chocolate, vanilla, bourbon, oak. Left my glass looking like it had been dipped in chocolate. Very good.

Oily black pour with a thin tan head. Aroma of oak, light toasted coconut, vinous fruits, roasted, bready malt and bakers chocolate. Flavor was rich roasted malts, dark chocolate, vanilla notes, sticky caramel, hints of bourbon. Rich/thick body, soft/no carbonation sweet/vinous/woody with a roasty/oaky/sticky-sweet finish. The barrel didn’t tame nor subdue this beast of a beer...really just upped it another level. It also helps that it started with the 07 vintage which was one of my favorite years to begin with. Really goddamn awesome, it gets my first 5.

If you’re in the mindset of a liqueur and not a "beer" then this is one of the most complex and beautiful drinks you’ll find. ALl I’ll add is that I actually enjoy drinking the bottled 08 more than the aged 07. But this is an amazing experience. I’ll be retunring every year I can just to get this stuff.