Three Floyds Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout

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

#1400! 2009 vintage. Pitch black pour. No light escapes this dark hole of a beer. Yum, lots of darkness in the pour. Heavy malty notes. Some chemical sour but nothing distasteful. Taste has loads of chocolate. Flavor has bit of astringent notes that fade quickly. This will be much better with years on it. Some sharp flavors need to fade and it will be fantastic. That being said, well freaken done!

[08 Bottle - fresh for later comparison - rated 5.7.2008] Pours thick black, a tint of brown, and small brown head, velvety. The aroma screams complexity coffee, molasses, alcohol, varnish, bitter dark chocolate. Wow is that thick and chunky! Its like Hershey’s syrup in the mouth. I have no idea what to make of this body... nearly set pudding. First taste is coffee and bitter chocolate, quickly overwhelmed by the rich extremely sweet Swiss chocolate flavor, with hints of raisins / dark fruits, burnt wood and caramel. Finishes a little bit hot, but the sweetness really takes care of that, licorice / dark chocolate aftertaste, strangely tannic. A brown sticky ring is forming around my lips. All I can think of is Augustus Gloop. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [07 Bottle courtesy of Davinci 6/13/08 - ] Awesome!!! what a difference a year makes! notes to follow...9.4.9.5.18 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [rating is a combination of both bottles. ] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [08 bottle tried march 2009] - cardboard... bleh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [09 draft DLD April 09] - green banana, thinner than usual, less hoppy, okay, banana chocolate milkshake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [08 bottle tried September 09] - soy sauce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [09 bottled tried November 09] - not terrible, a bit oxidized, cardboard

Bottle sample at a tasting. 2008 bottle. Huge thanks to archmik for giving me this one! Completely black color with a dark brown head. Aroma of tons of dark bitter chocolate and lots of roasted coffee. Bittersweet chocolatey flavor with some herbal notes, espresso, cocoa, some raisins, a bit of other dark fruits, light spicy hints, some alcohol, and some hops in the finish. A really thick mouthfeel - so full-bodied! Pretty amazing. I was waiting to be disappointed by this one, but now I just want more of it!

Sampled at the DC/MD/VA/WV/PA Ratebeer Gathering 11/20/04. Eyedrinkale, is GOD for allowing us to sample this. Pours jet black, no head. Taste/aroma is a beautiful, intense mix of chocolate, coffee, vanilla, dark fruit, whiskey, molasses, hops and pipe tobacco. Just an awesome explosion of flavors. The palate is extremely full, round and creamy as hell. By far, the best stout I’ve ever had. Incredible.

Supreme courtesy boboski. 2007 bottle. Poured opaque black with latent wisps of extreme dark tan head welling up from the depths. Coffee and roast aromas dominate along with a good deal of alcohol, which is more apparent as it warms. Some nutty and dark chocolate aromas come out as well. Super thick palate, probably the thickest I’ve had. Taste is a blast of cocoa, roast, and heat. There’s a mild dryness in the finish, but a lot of roast as well. A unique brew.

Rating #500- 2005, 2006 and 2007 vintages shared at Madness with the Moose. All Impy Stouts need the thickness and smothness of this beer. Rating the palate on this a 5 is like saying that Kelly Monaco is mildly attractive. This is one beer that you truly need to drink to appreciate super complex aroma, great appearance, perfect palate and phenomenal taste. Gonna have to make it out to DL Day one of these years just so I can buy six bottles and not have to trade for it.

2005 Bottle at the RB Rochester Gathering, Sept. 09. Thanks, ElJefe. Wild brown film hugs the glass as you swirl it! Huge burnt malt. Enormous bitterness. Quite fruity--surprisingly so-- with a good bit of sourness in there too. Huge and mouth-assaulting in its bitterness and burntness. Very complex.

vyvvy, THANKS!!! What an incredible beer. This evening I found beer religion. An incredibly beautiful pour with that distinct red head. Just amazing. Aromas of so much fruit, so much malt, so much, well, you get it. Flavors to match. Dark fruit just kept coming and kept surprising as did the appearance and nose. There was so much going on and every bit of it was amazingly good. John, did I say thanks? Wow!!!