Three Floyds Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout

At long last the Lord has entered my life; the Dark Lord, that is. MrFacto brought a bottle of the 2008 to the Carolina crew gathering and boy was I stoked to try it out. Sludgy motor oil pour, a devilish looking concoction with a jolting coffee nose that was just the ticket at this point in the evening. Viscous and bitter, with not just roasted malts pounding away at the palate but also some anise, mild vegetal flavors (Bells 7K-ish), and some bitter chocolate in there too. So good that Turd and Blackie and I had to go out and toss the frisbee in the midnight air. I’m not sure, given all the factors involved (like price and rarity), that it’s necessarily better than, say, Expedition. But it’s a helluva beer, and I thank you, Matt.

2007 bottle courtesy of Quake1028 and 2008 bottle courtesy of tpd975. Both bottles pour an oily black with a one finger tan head that fades. Upon swirling the glass the beer coates the side of the glass with a tint of orange. 07 - Aroma is roasted malt, licorice, coffee, dark fruit, and a hint of alcohol. Taste is dark fruit, roasted malt, coffee, licorice, and caramel. Full oily mouthfeel with a moderate amount of bitterness and well hidden alcohol. 08 - Aroma of roasted malt, smoke, coffee, licorice, and dark fruit. Taste is the same as aroma but more prominent. Full oily mouthfeel with a moderate amount of bitterness and well hidden alcohol. The 07 bottle was a smoother and more well balanced but the 08 will smooth out and be just as good in a year. Damn good brew.

Thanks to MaltOMeal for this silver 07 bottle. My first taste of this trade demon. Stone cold black with no head. Nose is alcoholy, soy, chocolates. Taste of chocolates, cough syrup, dates, thickness, molasses, and completely different than any other beer I’ve ever had. I’m not sure I can rate this properly on one tasting so someone send me another.This is why they stand in line.

Thanks to Skyview for sharing two ’08 bottles!! The beer was opaque black with motor oil viscosity, oily legs, and thin brown foam. In the aroma I got coffee, sweet chocolate, alcohol, and faint dark fruit. In the flavor I mostly got burnt malt, some sweet molasses, and maybe a faint hint of oak. The alcohol was hidden. Burnt malt finish. Palate-wise it was VERY thick and even a little gritty. The empty cups looked like we drank chocolate metamucil! Thanks again Skyview!

From a 22-oz bomber, shared during Cellar’s Wine & Spirits’ Wednesday evening beer tasting in St Paul, Minnesota, this pours a thick dark brown motor oil texture beer with a thin tan head that really stick to the glass. Aroma is complex with so many scents including raisin, dark pitted fruits, molasses, chocolate, coffee and some white pepper. Flavor is thick and fork-wise chewy with no carbonation and has flavors of molasses, raisin, dark chocolate, toffee, vanilla and caramel. Finish is thick and syrupy with a mild bitterness and a lingering molasses and raisin aftertaste. Five hours in line for this? A little over-hyped but still memorable for rate # 2400.

[Bottle ’08, huge thanks go to Skyview for bringing this back!] Pours black with a dark tan head--really nice appearance, even if it does leave kind of a sludge on the side of the glass when you swirl it. Aroma is chocolate, light raisin, caramel and a little vanilla. Taste is somewhat sweet, I imagine from the molasses, with light hops, a bit of peppery spice and a fairly harsh roasted malt. Ridiculously thick mouthfeel--thickest I have ever seen. I love a really thick beer, and I’m giving the palate a 5, but this is almost too thick. Overall, this beer was good, but not spectacular. The memorable thing about it is the syrupy mouthfeel, which I think I could grow to dislike with a larger sample.

Vintage 2007- Beautiful coloring, a rich dark brown/black. No carbonation at all. Heavy nose of whiskey and coffee. This stuff is THICK. I really didn’t enjoy the taste of this vintage, the whiskey character was completely overwhelming to me especially coupled with the viscosity of the brew.

Thanks to MaltOMeal for this silver 07 bottle. Super dark black with no head. Nose of soy sauce and rich dark chocolate. Flavor was very rich dark chocolate and drank like it was 10W-40. This is the thickest beer I’ve ever had the pleasure of drinking. Didn’t know if I should drink it or chew it. Wonderful. Thanks Bill!