Three Floyds Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout

Disappointing aroma, i was expecting more on the nose. That being said, it more than makes up for it in flavor and mouthfeel. The delicate notes are amazing, something you pick up after the fact. Like heavy oil on the palate, this is great, but maybe overrated.

2008 Vintage. I’m not a huge DL fan. I think it’s a bit muddled and too much, but it certainly is a spectacular beer in its own right. Lots of vanilla, coffee, a bit of roast, a little too much sweetness. Incredibly thick, not too much carbonation, but also not too little. Nice aroma. I’m completely confident this beer wouldn’t garner the ratings it gets without the rarity factor. It’s a fantastic beer in its own right, but even if it were widely available there are other stouts I’d grab off the shelf.

2008 vintage. Pour makes dark lord seem like a wise choice for a name. Black, oily, thick, minimal tan head. Smells very sweet an caramel with background hints of fruit, coffee, and chocolate. Tastes different than any other stout I have had.. The candy sweetness is out front and in the aftertaste, and coffee and fruit hits in the middle. Very complex and the flavor changes as the drink progresses. Mouth is thick, coating, and nearly flat, which is how I like my ris. What a fantastic stout, the only shame is the difficulty in getting any more.

Bottle@Omhpers place (thanks for once again sharing your home with us beergeeks!) Apperance: Dark, dark, brown with a very small head. Aroma: Molasses, Chocolate, Roasted Malts, Soy, Hint of vanilla. Flavor: Cocoa, Roasted Malts, Ripe fruit, Molasses, Port wine, Coffee. Palate: Very complex brew and very very thick. This is a sipping beer if there ever was one. This is a great brew but not as great as the hype suggests. Still, it’s among the 10 best imperial stouts i’ve ever had.

Thanks baggio for charing a bottle. Small head. Huge complex aromatic aroma with vanilla and soy. Full body with a big sweet taste that is balanced with a good bitterness. An almost perfect sipping beer.

Sampled @ GTMW ’09 - Well, well, well...I finally get to sample the great Dark Lord. I have to say, this was the most disappointing beer at the festival for me (though the vanilla bean version rocked). Pours black as night, with no head at all. The dude at FFF was pouring out of a pitcher very slowly, however, so that might have had something to do with it. The smell is--whoa--sweet and boozy. I’ve heard about how well Dark Lord hides the 13%, but there it was, assaulting my nose with its harshness. Once you get past it, there are some nice notes of coffee, bourbon, and sweet malt. But it’s just too overpowering. Taste is more of the same, a sugary, boozy mess that just falls apart. I’d love to re-rate this sometime down the road, but I’m not sure I want to go through the trouble of Dark Lord day now.

For me this was the most anticipated beer of the Pittsburgh Ratebeer gathering. Sampled from a 22 oz brown bottle this beer poured a black color with a large dark brown head that lingered. The aroma was strong floral hops with a touch of coffee and chocolate. The flavor was strongly florally hoppy with a very malty toasty base and notes of dry chocolate, port wine, cherry and coffee. The finish was long and the body was thick and smooth. A bit drier than I would have preferred. A fine beer but not up to the hype.

Big thanks goes out to mtoast for this special brew! Had the pleasure of sampling this at the 7/9/2009 Pittsburgh RB tasting extravaganza (PGHRBEXT) at the Sharp Edge Creekhouse. It will be a long time, if ever I see a spread of bottles like I did there. I am not good enough for the beers that were that we served! For example, how about this beer; the notorious dark lord. I know I’ll get beermail about this rating. Big black oily pour with a staining glass effect. Looks like used Harley shovelhead motor oil. Volatile choco aroma. Perhaps some lactose in the aroma? Lots of complexity in this beer that I cannot identify; fruit, licorice, roasty sweetness of some sort. Very heavy on the volatile alkiness. No carbonation what so ever. Dude crude and over the top, right on style, heheh. Keep in mind I rate as I like em, not by style. Terrible, nasty, mouth coating and lingering experience. Thanks Hart for ruining my taste buds.