Three Floyds Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout

2007 edition at thewolf November 24. Pitch black with a disappearing light brown head. Chocolate, caramel, alcohol, tar and bacon in the aroma. Sweet flavour, some smoked herring(!) Syrupy sweet and thick. The last quarter pint of the bottle wasn’t just thick, but porridge thick...
2007 bottle in 2009: Much the same notes and numbers. This time I rolled the bottle a little before opening, and the porridge was better mixed with the liquid.

Sampled during Manhattan Blind IS Tasting: OK so it does stick out. I wasn’t quite sure at first but I knew it was good. Very powerful aroma and taste. More complex than others. Some dark roasted fruits and nuts along with the caramel and coffee and chocolate. Sampled many times at this point. So viscous and amazing every time including an 04 samples in 09. Rich and delicious.

Updated Rating (12/31/08): 22 oz. bottle - 2008 vintage; thanks to fiver29 for the trade back in may; ouch, the mighty falls with this new rating of a previous top 5 beer for me; not much pleasant here at all besides the appearance i guess; aromas of bourbon, bitter coffee and wood; drinks so much sweeter than i remember and it is basically too much; also got a ton of goo in the bottom as others mentioned; quite disgusting actually; new rating is a 2.7 overall, but i’ll still respect my original by averaging the two; hope for something better in next year’s batch

Original Rating (11/27/07 - 4.5 overall): 22 oz. bottle (tasting hosted by after4ever) - 2007 vintage; had heard and read the hype, but now tasting for myself; just wow...will sum this one up by saying it’s like drinking velvet; thanks after4ever!!

2007 bottle @ thewolf tasting. Great label! Pours pitch black engine oil with a small light brown head. Aroma is a smoky and fishy (hering), with lots of roasted malt, tar, alcohol, chocolate and liquorice. Thick sticky oily mouthfeel. Very roasty siruppy flavour with dark bitter chocolate, tar, wood, bitter hops, smoke and lots of sweetness. One heck of sweet engine oil roasty brew, which fill you up. Too sweet.

Bottle @ tasting at my place.
[thank you, drmatt]
2007 edition
Pours a thich motor oil pitch-black with a very small beige film head. Aroma is smoky, light roasted, very complex roastiness and a little rubber. Oily tar-like mouthfeel. Flavour is roasted, cocoa, rye bread, sweetness. Very sticky. Some seaweed (!?), raisins and naturally very vinious. Well... This is the nr. 5 highest rated beer - and it surely shouldn’t be. This IS a great beer, but not a stunning beer. Not at all! Far to sticky sweet in my opinion - and it feels like no ’direction’ has been chosen - too many tones end up being less than the whole.

Black. No head. Like motor oil when poured. Aroma of alcohol and sweetness. Body is think and like oil. Creamy and port like. Hangs around. Oaty, smooth, unique. Intriguing and grainy, motor oil. v.2007

Silver wax - 2007 vintage. Pours inky black with very little head. This one is the first time I’ve seen a beer that is literally like motor oil. It’s beautiful and befitting of the name "Dark Lord" on the label! Aroma is a touch more subtle than I would have expected, but did have pleasant fruity notes and a touch of chocolate and caramel. I got some very mild diac aromas as well. The taste is incredibly well balanced for a beer this complex - just a bit of fruity sweetness on the front of the palate and mild coffee-like bitterness to finish. I’m thrilled to have finally tried this one. Thank goodness for eBay. An excellent beer.

Rerate for 2008 bottle. I have had them all except 2004. 2007 was good and got my highest rating, but new bottling is crap once again. Cloying and toothache inducing. Overated candy water.