Three Floyds Vanilla Bean Barrel Aged Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout

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

Handbottle. Clear dark brown black color with virtually none head. Aroma is moderate malty, chocolate, alcohol - bourbon, moderate to heavy, wood - barral, sweet vanilla. Flavor is moderate to heavy sweet and bitter with a long long duration. Body is medium to full, texture is oily, carbonation is flat. [20090505]

Name: Vanilla Bean Dark Lord
Date: 08/09/2008
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewfest, Great Taste

Appearance: black, wispy brown head,
Aroma: sweet chocolate and vanilla aroma with lots of bourbon,
Body: huge sticky body,
Flavor: rich chocolate flavor, lots of vanilla sweetness, molasses, touch of roasted,

Aroma: 8/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 9/10; Palate: 10/10; Overall: 18/20
Rating: 4.4/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: ***4

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)!

(Draught) Pours an opaque black body with a small brown head. Aroma of vanilla, coffee, oak, chocolate, bourbon, and roastiness. Flavor of vanilla, toffee, roasted malt, chocolate, nuts, and molasses. Yummy!

On tap at the Great Taste of the Midwest (8/9/08): Pours a viscous opaque oily black with a thin-lacing dark tan head. Aroma of rich sweet dark caramel and vanilla with some fresh oaky notes. Body starts extremely thick and viscous with good dark caramel maltiness, rich raisiny complexity, and a slightly drier full vanilla and dark chocolate finish. A great dessert beer.

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>

DLD 2008: Opaque with a small lasting frothy head and some lace, very oily legs as well. The aroma has notes of sweet chocolate, vanilla, fig, prune, molasses, and some alcoholic vapours. The taste starts very tangy and surprisingly fruity before the chocolate, roast and vanilla kicks in. There is a mild herbal and resiny bitterness as well as some espresso on the finish. The mouth feel is huge and rich, oily and very sticky. Noticeable warming on the aftertaste. Well A very good monster beer, I prefer regular DL over this, got to be a touch too sweet and syrupy for it’s own good. Let the bitching commence for it will likely be another top 50 Imperial Stout now.

plastic cup hampton hotel DLD 09, thick still deepest black,sweet roast loads of vanilla, rich sweet roast malts with quite a lot of spirit burn,huge ammount of vanilla, little smokey, and quite a bit of bourbon? bit too vanilla toffee heavy 3.8 ... Hand bottle at home ... deep motor oil black ... nice smooth deep roast nose... quite sweet ... lots of vanilla but well balanced with the malts ... defintly seems like a little bourbon but far less than the Oak aged 3.7