Three Floyds Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout

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

Black Wax - 2008. The pour was dark and thick in appearance with little head to speak of. Armoma of malt, vanilla, fruity molasses. Taste was awesome and full of complex flavor - mouthfeel was very thick. Awesome beer that hides the ABV very well. I tried this with BIGBANG along with the Abyss. very comparable but I liked the sweetness of this beer best.

First of all, my church pastor drank half of this with out my permission on Christmas Eve....lucky for him I was feeling generous. This is probably the thickest beer I have ever sampled, both in the pour and mouthfeel. Aroma is a blast of coffee, dark chocolate, and roasted malt. Alcohol presence is subtle at first. Mouthfeel is like drinking motor oil. Flavor explodes on the palate with a complexity of coffee, dark chocolate, dark fruits, dark sugars and roasted malts. Not so much in your face, and not really that complex, but flavorful nonetheless. Finish is not that bitter. the only disappointment with this beer is that I found it too be not as complex as other Imp Stouts, and I don’t necessarily agree with the hype of the beer.

This was my 2nd bottle of the 2008 batch (my first was in July of this year). This beer absolutely gets better with age. I’m a huge fan of the russian (especially during the winter months), so pulling this out at Christmas time was perfect. This poured out dark as anything I’ve ever seen and looked similar to oil. Hints of cherry and coffee. One of the most complex and full mouthed beers I’ve ever had..... I’ve never been to Dark Lord day, but extremely happy a family member made the trip this year.

On tap at 2008 Stong Ale Festival. Pours a viscous motor oil with modest head. Aroma of dark roast malts with chocolate and coffee. I was actually a little surprised at the overall sweetness of this stout. There are hints of dark fruit and brown sugar. Pretty solid stout.

Thanks to Beerlando for sending me this one. Pour was pitch black with almost no carbonation. Aroma was very enticing, vanilla, coffee and chocolate jumped right out at me. Flavor was just as good as the smell, rich chocolate flavor, sweet maltiness and just melted on the palate. Although a Surly lover, I have to admit this stuff is just as good as Darkness.

OK, does it count if I’ve only tasted this as part of a recipe? Birreria Paradiso in Georgetown made a chocolate sauce for an ice cream Sunday out of this beer, and paired it with a Moloko Stout during a Three Floyd’s tasting given by two f the brewers. Great combo, and delicious sauce. Thumbs up for beer-food pairings, and the use of beer in recipes.

2008 bottle, thanks to mar and bhops, black greasy pour with light crema head and lace, nose of soy, stewed fruits and dark chocolate and coffee, vinous flavors of pot roast, roasted chestnuts, strong motor oil finish

Very small sample at EBF 2008, Copenhagen. Unfortunately, I did not make a note of the year. Very dark ruby colouration. Great aroma and flavours of figs, raisins and liquorice. Very little hoppiness but overall it feels very balanced and it is certainly very enjoyable!