Three Floyds Oak Aged Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout

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

Serve in Snifter

Reviewed from notes the day after DLD ’11. I actually enjoyed this beer today at the brewpub. They still had one keg left when they opened this morning. The menu said that it was 2010 DL aged for one year in Heaven Hill bourbon barrels. The nose was of sweet chocolate, vanilla, and light bourbon. The vanilla and bourbon were predominant but neither was overpowering. The flavors were nice and superbly well meshed. The chocolate and bourbon finished quite well together. It was exceptionally smooth, perfect in body. This beer was fantastic.

On tap at GTMW 2011, pours black with a thin head and spotty lacing, aroma is pretty similar to the regular Dark Lord with just a touch of bourbon on the nose, the flavor has a decent amount of chocolate on the front end with a bourbon kick in the finish, still a little too sweet for me just like the other variations I’ve had, good, but not my favorite Imperial Stout by far.

Heaven Hill version poured at GTMW. Light bourbon and vanilla, background roasted malt, sweet cream, and mild fruitiness. Light barrel flavors, roasted malt background, sweet maltiness and sugar. Velvet on the palate. Prefer about as much as the original with just a slight edge to the addition of barrel flavors.

On tap. Very dark black pour, little carbonation and a noticeable (but not overpowering) bourbon nose. Flavor was similar to some of the recent years of Dark Lord, very slick and sweet chocolate and a nice bourbon aftertaste which really finished off the aftertaste nicely. Good beer, but there are other BB RIS out there which can come close to this(and are more readily available).

8/13/11. On tap at the GTMW. Hugely sweet bourbon barrel aroma with some fudge, sour, and coconut. Overly sweet bourbon barrel flavor with coconut vanilla, and lingering roast. Good, but you can definitely taste the rare. Overly sweet.

So i got this at Three Floyds last year at DLD, man that wait to get in was forever. Worth the drive though. My snifter arrived and i was excited, the bourbon added a depth to darklord i didn’t know was possible, integrated and warming on top of an already rich chocolate and coffee stout massacre.

UPDATED: DEC 10, 2011 Joan Jett black pour with a chocolate head. Huge bourbon aromas. This version, like the ’10 DL in my opinion, is not thick and motor oil like as previous years. The taste was very sweet with lots of molasses, chocolate malts, vanilla, and very very muted bourbon flavors.

UPDATED: JUL 31, 2011 PVW Bottle from DLD 2011. I’ve been waiting to have this since DLD weekend. Poured dark black with darker tan head than the original dark lord. This is a much different beer. Much more oak and bourbon notes. Much less coffee notes than the original. Very good beer.