Three Floyds Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout

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

Rating #300 2006 botttle: trade from 1FastSTi Niose of coffee, malt, plums, and a little molasses; opaque ebony with a long lastng tan head; Flavor changing as it warmed; luckily I only had to share a couple of ounces to others, show of coffee. mo;asses, chocolate, and raisins. I will need to rate my Speedway Stout before coming to a conclusion as to my favorite.

[re-rate - note for 2006 version - much less balanced, and far more boozy - still damn tasty, though] Many thanks to zathrus13 for this one - this beer gives Speedway Stout a run for its money as my favorite Imperial Stout so far - this sucker pours a light-swallowing opaque, with a substantial brown head - burnt/roasty/carmelized aroma, with lots of oak, espresso, vanilla, vinous/red wine/port-like qualities - very oily mouthfeel - starts off very vinous, with sweet port character, some cherry, plum and figs - nice sweetness, but not cloying like most beers of this strength - then a strong, coffee bitterness shows itself, along with oak, some ashy/roastiness, boubon and enough alcohol to create a warmth, but not enough to burn - very long, lingering finish of cocoa and coffee, like eating chocolate-covered espresso beans - almost perfect.

Bottle. Dark colour allmost black. Lovely smooth aroma of roastedness, coffee and some oily like. Amazing tastful beer, with flavours of, sweetness roastedness, woody and coffee, it all ends up alcoholic and thick. A very speciel beer endeed.

(22 oz bottle: Obtained in trade with Eyedrinkale, thanks Mike!) 2005 vintage.

DarkElf vs. Dark Lord

I’ve been looking forward to trying this beer more than any other beer out there, except maybe a Westy 12. And finally, the fateful evening has arrived when I confidently enter the realm of the all-powerful Dark Lord. Evil abounds in this eerie world, and in the distance, I hear his chilling snarl, but I am unafraid for he is surely no match for the mighty DarkElf! I catch him dozing, and with amazing steath, I cockily attempt to open the bottle, but he quickly awakens and is not beaten easily. The draping orange wax isn’t wax at all, but a tough plastic shell that requires a meticulous battle plan to pry off the cap without destroying the orange seal. But I eventually am victorious, vanquishing my haughty foe with unparalleled brilliance and skill. I have won the opening skirmish, but apparently the war has just begun -- as I pour the beer, I can smell the alcohol before I even take a sip. I make a feeble attempt to savor the nose, but with the alcoholic aroma calling me like the Sirens’ Song, impatience overcomes me as I rush into the next battle, taking my first sip, unprepared for the assault on my taste buds. This is simply a massive, over the top beer in every respect. In the Dark Lord’s lair, nothing is subtle. Whatever I taste, I taste in great quantities. Dark, bitter, burnt roastiness, chocolaty, with sweet cherries juxtaposed by a strong grapefruit hoppiness. And oh, the cursed alcohol! The tide has turned in this battle as I’m beginning to feel a bit light headed after just a few sips. I swing my sword, flailing wildly, missing my target as the Dark Lord taunts me with his deep, evil laugh. Strong roast, chocolate, cherry and alcohol dominate the nose, the massive aromas extending his dominion. Big, thick, rich, full bodied palate, somewhat syrupy, fully coating the mouth with a dense viscosity as thick as his breastplate. Black-as-night color is as evil and sinister as the Dark Lord himself, as dark in color as his demonic shadow. A touch of mahogany at the edges gives me some hope for victory, but with another sip, he silences me with a mighty roar. Light brown head quickly fades to a moderate ring, but he is unphased by this minor weakness. As I finish the glass (which is still only half the bottle), my senses are fogging. I fear I am beaten. Damn the Dark Lord, damn him to hell. I bow before greatness. He is Lord. The mighty Dark Lord, my eternal master.

2006 version. Big thanks to notalush for bringing this to the gathering at CL. This beer is huge. Motor oil jet black pour, with a thick lasting brown head which becomes lacing. This is the first beer I ever saw to change the hue of the glass that it’s poured in. The aroma is enormous choclateyness, peppery pumpernickel, (cucumberish?), tart fruityness, herbal notes, vanilla extract and too much else. Just get your hands on it to try and identify all the aromas. Viscous, thick and sweet. And it’s more balanced than expected. Gritty chocolateyness, subtle tart fruityness, herbal notes (maybe sage), peppery, big roasty mocha middle, prolonged smooth kilned notes, molasses, vanilla oakeyness, pumpernickel like dryness and a long beautiful mocha dry finish which balances the sweeter flavors in the earlier flavor profile. Quite a beer experience.

Finally, some dark lord! 2006 gold wax bottle from JCap. Pours a deep, deep black with the darkest brown head I’ve ever seen. Rich and fluffy. Bittersweet aroma of bloody black molasses, bourbon, marshmellow, white chocolate vanilla fluff. But where this really shines is the taste. Starts off sweet and rich and transitions into a bouquet of chocolate and cream, vanilla and mousse. A nice sweetness underlies all of it yet still finishes rather dry. Flavor sticks in your mouth forever. Frighteningly complex. A truly fantastic beer. 9/5/10/5/4.7

2007 bottle, on June 30th 2007: No direct notes, and drank this in a social situation. This was a fantastic beer, but perhaps not as amazing as I remembered it. Fantastically thick body, almost unbelievably so. Almost no head on the pour, and a ton of yeast and other sediment. Absolutely ruined the side of my glass with muck. Rich and powerful, quite bitter, rich and roasty. Still a monster of a beer, but I wasn’t as impressed this time as when I drank the 2006. Perhaps I’m crazy, or perhaps I should’ve drank it a bit warmer in a non-social place. 9/4/9/5/4.5.

Release 2004

What the hell can I say about this magnificent creation that hasn’t already been said? This was to be my 6000th beer, but I decided to take it to Papago and as we often bring special beers to sample, this was my choice.

The beer as it slowly oozes out of the 22 ounce brown bottle pours as thick as molasses in January in Maine, it literally makes a glugging sound as it excavates itself from its container. Onyx in color, the head a deep chocolate brown that is creamy as whipped chocolate icing and portly in size, the lace a coat of brown to obscure the glass. Nose is rich bitter sweet chocolate, burnt coffee, sweet malt, a treat for both the olfactory and ocular senses, a beer you must sniff to understand its complexity, start is thick and chewy, ambrosial and the top as full as any beer I’ve ever tasted. Finish is pleasing in its acidity, hops are powerful in their spiciness, the alcohol quite noticeable and the rich sweet chocolate and burnt coffee flavors continue to the parched desert dry aftertaste, also a quite noticeable tummy warming sensation, “Just one fantastic beer”, but a word of warning not meant for the weak of palate or people not into strong over the top beers, so if you fall into these categories and you have a “Dark Lord” sitting around, send it to me immediately if not sooner. lol

Thank you Scott (austinpowers) for going through so much to get me this rare beer and sending it all the way to Denmark!

My first observation when the beer is poured is a very thick almost oil-like consistency and a tar black body with a nice brown head - definately worth a 5 for appearance. A dark and strong aroma hits instantly with obvious notes of dark malts, chocolate, smoke, coffee, spices and some citrus. But also a quite strong and penetrating alcohol note - actually too strong for my liking and in my opinion too evident for a beer this caliber!!
After taking the first sip I feel the heaviest tasting beer flowing down my throat and into my stomach creating a warm feeling inside! If such a thing as beer concentrate exist this must be it! The flavor is strong and spicy - dark roasted malt, bitter chocolate, espresso and smoke with an underlying sourness and plenty of hops in the finish. Very extreme!
All in all a very special beer experience. It's a good stout but in my opinion a little too thick and cloying and not as complex as I could have hoped for! Not as good as Speedway Stout that I tasted later the same evening and Victory Storm King I had a while ago! And definately not a TOP 3 beer!