Three Floyds Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout

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

2005 vintage bottle shared by CaptainCougar. Pretty much solid black with a brown head. Dark chocolate, dried fruit, super malty and roasty, light alcohol, all nicely mellowed with age, adding a light oxidized touch to the nose. The flavor is intensely coffee packed, dark chocolate laden, and fruit filled, while also being hoppy and pretty bitter. This stuff is just so thick, I can’t even describe it. Definitely the thickest beer I’ve ever had. Honestly, the verdict is out on whether beer should even be this thick, but I have to give it a 5 just for accomplishing that. Definitely unique and intense stuff. It is hugely rich and sweet, yet seems to pull off a pretty good balancing act. Big thanks to Tom for pulling this out. A great way to end my time in DC. (4.3) Rerate: 2009 bottle thanks to kp on the RBSG09 bus. This was way hotter and more bitter than the aged version that I first had, and seemed more syrupy in its sweetness. I was actually surprised at how messy it was. Still pretty good, but not as moving as my first experience, and i wouldn’t want to drink much of this fresh stuff.

2008 bottle courtesy Rogueone. Is this an evil enough beer for my 666th rating? Good enough! Pours thick and oily black with a dark tan head. Very thck and coating of the glass. Roasted grain, chocolate and vanilla aroma. Thick chocolate malt taste with lots of roasty grains and vanilla. Thick dark chocolate, bitter aftertaste. Worth the hype.

Rudy, you are the man amigo. Thanks for this 2007 bottle of brewskie =) DL pours thick and viscous but a little weak in the froth producing only a shortlived copper sheath at the end that quickly disappears. Aromas are heavy and dense like a foggy night with tons of roasted chocolate. Full, chunky, chewy, nectar with soft carbonation that just hits the mark. This is like drinking pudding. A huge malted chocolate bar in every serving. I mean, seriously man...PUDDING THICKNESS. I have the phone next to me incase I need 911 to revive me from choking. This is aboslutely drinkable. It’s amazingly balanced despite it’s decadent, hedonistic disposition. I wouldn’t say this beer is complex but it’s right in your face and demands to be heard. Theres a defined roasted coffee bean component along with some vanilla waffer. The pudding turns a bit acidic on the finish which is a good thing as it helps to tame this beast. The high abv is well hidden. Overall: I will Trump this as the head is weak and wouldn’t get a full 100 for that alone. As for this being the best. Not in my book. It’s fractions away from Dark Horizon. It’s just not a complex beer by flavor or aroma. Bottom line: it’s in my top ten IS list.

2004. Pours a thick, dark, chocolate brown, head almost the same color as the body, a good amount of yeast. Aroma of chocolate, smoke, vanilla, and a touch of alcohol. The aroma was great, although a little lighter. The fattest, chewiest body I’ve ever come across by far. Like drinking pudding. Flavor was delicious: chocolate creme, vanilla, roasty malt, some underlying hops, and a little bit of alcohol to say "don’t f%#$@ with this." I can’t believe I wasn’t let down by this. Totally deserving of the praise it gets. Excellent. 8/4/10/5/19 2005 bottle: far dryer, heavier on the roast which throws of the balance from the big chocolate cream. Not as full of a body either, although the 2004 was like drinking pudding. Didn’t blow me a way like before, although still a solid beer. 8/4/8/4/16 This would be somewhat of an average of the two.

Thick, muddy dark brown w/ creamy brown head. Intense aroma of dark chocolate, figs, molasses, & vanilla accented w/ some smokey, roasty notes. Unbelievably thick, creamy, buttery feel--exceptional. Rich complex flavour of chocolate, espresso, molasses, cream, butter, vanilla, roast, smoke & oak. Remarkably the hops is quite subtle & accents the flavour perfectly. Finish is long (I can almost still taste it). Exceptional.

900th rating. Very nice roasty nose, notes of brandy, quite sweet. Jet black body, small ruby tint, small tan head. Sweet and roasty flavor, lots of brandy. Good stuff. Thanks Rene for sharing!

Vertical from ’06 to ’09. ’06 Really oxidized at this point. Thin head on a oily black body. Oxidized papery nose alcohol fruit and coffee. Light sweetness charred coffee molasses, syrup, and burnt. Slightly hot and papery but I don’t mind the oxidation that much. It brings in another level to it.. Past it’s prime but not bad. 4.0
’07 Nose of phenols, chemicals, plastic with the chocolate and coffee. Chemicals fades to that smoky and coffee notes. Sweet and sugary coffee flavors that are just tough to drink. Thick and sweet, the chemicals dissipate with sometime. This makes it a better beer, but not great. 3.7
’08 Nose of smoky coffee chocolate strong and inviting, not overly sweet, burnt, or chemically. Thick sweet and creamy chocolates with red fruit underneath. Good chocolate and fruit but too sweet in the flavor.. 9/4/7/3/15 = 3.8
’09. Nose of chemicals, phenols, and summer sausage. Chocolate charred coffee flavors with alcohol heat and syruppy sweet. Too sweet tough to drink. 7/3/7/3/14 = 3.4 06, 08, 07, 09

07 vintage on cask at NotLA 07. Poured pitch black and thick with a small beige head that quickly faded away. Nose of yeast sweet coffee and chocolate. There is a lot of coffee here but that yeast gives this a bit of a odd twist. Sweet syruppy flavors, chocolate, vanilla, very fresh. This would be a lot better in a year to get those complexities out in this beer, but at this point, its too syruppy and sweet. 8/4/8/4/16

05 vintage - year and half old. Thick dark black in color, looking very oily like with a brown espresso like head. The lacing "clumps up" in certain spots on my glass leaving a many legged unicorn that seems to be screaming with its mouth open and on my fiance’s glass a lochness like monster. (i guess they don’t call it dark lord for nothing). Great aroma coffee, chocolate, fruit underneath, and alcohol. Thick mouthfeel that’s smooth and creamy, delicious as it rolls along the tongue. Coffee dominates the flavor, slightly overpowering at this point actually. With the coffee comes chocolate, molasses, licorice, vanilla, fruit, phenols, and more alcohol. Finishes with a bitter baker’s chocolate flavor. The flavors follow quite a transition in my mouth and i really love every rise and fall of flavor on my tongue. 9/5/9/5/19 4.7

thanks to drewbeerme for this sample of 06 vintage fresh the day after dark lord day. I drank one glass for well over an hour and the flavors continually opened up with the warming of the beer. Molasses, coffee, roasted malts, a hint of vanilla, beautifully balanced with a surprisingly light flavor of alcohol. The aroma was a bit lacking, but if you get the chance for a snifter of this hold tight and drink long. 4.8

Ok, well, what a treat, indeed, it was to have this beer. We drove to get some growlers of the Dreadnaught and the Behemouth. We get to 3 Floyds and there is Dark Lord on tap. What an amazing Imperial Stout. I've called a beer thick before. It's all water after this sucker. It pours like a black hole out of the tap with huge, thick awesome dark brown head. It also coats the glass the like a syrup. If you like thick, dark, full roasted, malty Imperial Stouts, you must try this one. I haven't had anything that closely resembles it. Roasted malts, espresso, chocolate, dark fruit, molasses, a touch of maple syrup. Dark Lord is the only proper name because you want to thank everything good in the world for something so incredible and oh so dark. Get it if you can.