Three Floyds Vanilla Bean Barrel Aged Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout

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

On draft at the brewpub, on DLD ’08; courtesy of csbosox. Pours jet black with virtually no head and an oily surface. The aroma is of big vanilla bean and moderate bourbon up front with chocolate, roast and alcohol behind. Full-bodied and chewy with a syrupy sweet finish and some alcohol warming in your chest. Sweet, roasted, chocolaty malt dances with a nice mellowing vanilla note that ties everything together. Again, it’s quite "warming" but in a great way. This is a very nice variation on the original.

Poured into a plastic cup at DLD. Pitch black again, and a rich smell of vanilla and chocolate and sweet malt. Fresh scraped vanilla bean flavor in this one. Creamy, chocolately decadent flavor. Very light carbonation, but enough. Like dessert in a cup, but still somewhat balanced. Less soy sauce like character in this one, which I liked. My favorite version of DL.

Draft... DLD ‘08... This beer rocks!... Pitch black ale with a small, creamy, light brown head. The aroma is a splendid intermingling of warm bourbon, luxurious vanilla, dark chocolate, light molasses and tobacco. Ultra full-bodied and velvety with a mineral oil mouthfeel and tingly carbonation. The flavor provides hearty gobs of sticky-sweet chocolate, vanilla and bourbon with a calming bitterness and woodsy undertone. The lengthy finish is rich, bittersweet and smooth. Even better than the original and oak barrel aged versions of Dark Lord... it’s the vanilla beans!... not the mirrors (whining little bitch)!

Had a bunch of this at DLD because, besides my glass, a number of generous folk didn’t want me to miss it, so I thankfully drank some more. Very thick dark brown (in bright sunlight) body with a few stray bubbles in lieu of a head, this had an aroma of dark-doughed chocolate chip cookies with a generous splashing of vanilla extract, dark roasted malt & barley, anise, oak, alcohol, dark dried fruit, and hard nuts. Very creamy in the mouth. The flavor was thicker than the nose and chewy with tastes echoed from same. Tasty, sweet, complex - - - It gave me the urge to chase it with a strong Stout.

<font size=-4><a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/events-detail.asp?eve Lord Day 2008 at Three Floyds, Munster, IN, 4/26/2008.<font size=-1>

Draft obviously; very dark in color, not much head. Aroma and flavor were both complex and balanced. Roasted malt, chocolate, oak, alcohol, vanilla and dark fruit. Solid palate; alcohol well hidden. Great beer.

Draft @ 3F. Pours an intensely dark chocolate color; viscous and thick appearance like its siblings; medium brown head with excellent, fine-bubbled lacing (much greater head formation that either of the others); a beautiful pour. Intense dried dark fruits and sweet vanilla and gooey chocolate in the aroma; sweet, viscous, and very pleasant. Full, viscous mouthfeel: tons of dried dark fruits, toasty vanilla, oily chocolate and coffee. Intense, smooth, generous beer; a softer, sweeter version of the original and the barrel-aged; essentially dessert. Lengthy finish, showing boozy dried fruits, coffee, and chocolate.

Well, this was my first experience with dark lord. Poured black with no head. Smelled delicious, warm and inviting like fresh baked cookies, caramel and roast. Taste was guilt at first, like I was eating my dessert before my meal, chocolate, honey, caramel. This was as smooth as smooth can get. Yeah, it’s sweet, but it’s outstanding in small quantities.

got a sample on dark lord day 2008. brown color, almost no head, slight lacing. choclate, vanilla, honey in the nose. creamy, sweet extremely smooth flavors. full bodied. didn’t catch any alcohol (which is surprising since abv is so high). a relaxing beer to drink in the hot tub, except for the fact that you would immediately sink to the bottom and drown it is so smooth.