Three Floyds Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout

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

Bottled 2004 version: Pours a thick pitch black coloured fluid into the glass. On top an impressive brown dense head saying "Come and get me if you dare". First pour was without any sediment. Got a second pour with some sediment, which wasn’t as tasty as 1. pour, but still quite goood. Chocolate, dades, alcohol and coffee mingled with a light roastyness is hitting your nose. Some spices there as well. Flavour is spiced, fruity, alcoholdense, has coffeenotes and is surprisingly smooth. Very good beer this is. The bourbon barral charackter definately is there, but not as evident as in other barral aged beers. The end is smooth coffee and light roast. Delicious. Great stuff IMO. Many thanks to my secret santa BBB63 for this. Now I can only sit and wait for the 2005 release, which is on it way across the atlantic from Raindog. I can hardly wait. Bottled. 2007 version. This is an immense beer as well. Have to raise the flavour rate by 1. Other than that my impression is more or less the same.

Black with compact dark brown head. Aroma of alcohol and dark fruits. Sweet flavour of coffee, chocolate and alcohol. The finish is hoppy, dry and bitter. Full bodied. The last 10cL. in the bottle is extremely thick. Thanks Jeppe.

Bottle (at the Düsseldorf Gathering); Dark brown coloured, reddish-brownish small head; sweet-vinous-fruity nose with distinctive traces of liquorice; oily texture, strong bitter-sweet flavour; lingering coffeeish-(bitter)sweet finish. Good and complex and dense.........

Bottle, 22oz, 2007 vintage. (Big thanks to the_epeeist) Even though this is a heavenly beer, I can’t get myselves to rate it higher. The reason is that it’s just too much, even for a lover of imperial stout like me. Like Sam Adams Triple Bock, I think it’s over the top. Packed with flavors and aromas, but there’s a limit for everything. I shared my bottle with friends, but drank half of it on my own, but that took me some two hours. Two fine hours, but still...
The pour was black as the original sin, with a small, lasting tan head leaving nice lacings. The flavor was as expected full of the dark stuff with licorice, molasses, burnt malt, chocolate and coffee doing most of the job. Actually, the licorice and roasted malt is trying to overpower all the others, and they do a good job on that attempt. There’s molasses, some warming alcohol, licorice and lots of sugary dark flavors in the mouth, also here it’s lacking a bit on the hoppy bitterness I think. Still it’s the beer being closest to a perfect 10 on flavor of those I’ve had so far. It’s thick and chewy on the palate, one of the chewiest I’ve had, and it has a long finish with all the flavors found initially, and finally, there’s my longed-for hoppy flavors too. It sort of deserves the hype I think, yet I think it might be overrated. (080215)

(First version, hand-bottled from the tap):
I was in the temple when it happened...Behind the finely sculpted altar, monumental towers of chocolate fumes ominously devoured the stale air...Through it, sombre yet resplendent in his redingote of amaretto truffles, a Gargantuan, fearless figure slowly morphed...Cloak gazing skyward, anised hands supine, he drew all of his berried lifeblood to his bosom and the hefty malt ground started to tremble...Invisible seismic bellows soon revealed some black pepper which fell from the huge caramel blobs they were hiding in...And then there were hops...Everywhere, newborn shafts of resinous light emitted, from their respective holes in the wall, radiant, thick maple syrup beams unto the sagacious girth of the malt wine...Oh my Lord!!...Disciples of Gambrinus, please kneel in submission and recognition for your new leader has arrived...Thanks to hopsrus for showing me the absence of light...4.8/5

(Bottled 2005 version): Agressive roastiness thrives in the portly body, but bigger bubbles diminish the viscosity. Still, one of the thickest beers out there, but simply not as huge as the tap version I had, or the 2004 bottle, imho. Green, citrusy hops are also more obvious in this young monster, blending perfectly with the roasty bitterness. Still an excellent imperial stout, but not the spectacularly balanced and refined behemoth that the 2 previous tastings had proven. 4.1/5

2004 edition. Pours brown with a tan head. Smells of cherries, rasberries, coffee, caramel, chocolate and fruity. Taste is very complex and almost overwhelming with almost too many tastes to describe. I can see why this one is a top 50 beer. Mouthfeel is thick and oily. Finish lasts a while with some decadent chocolate elements lingering long after the final sip.

2006 courtesy of beeryum... many thanks!! Black as midnight with a thick dark brown head fading to thin dark brown lacing. Deep, chocolatey, leathery aroma, salty, savoury and slightly licoricy notes. Heavy strong tarry aroma, some nice rich heavy smoky notes. Intense and incredibly rich flavour, smoke, licorice, tar, chocolate and roasted coffee with savoury leathery flavours. A whole smorgasbord of dark malty complexity. Easily the thickest and most intensely flavoured beer I’ve ever tasted. Intense, but still manages to approach balance. Finishes like a combination of espresso and hot chocolate. Alcohol is present but isn’t obtrusive. It’s tough to write anything that hasn’t already been said about this beer, but it’s definitely worthy of the praise that has been heaped on it. Lingering hoppy/roasty bitterness. Awesome stuff.

You guys do realize that they could pack a dead squirrel and a pound of used toilet paper into this thing and you wouldn’t be able to tell?

Pours a thick and pitch black. I had to pour the last bit into a separate glass because of the thick, soft-serve-like sludge from the bottom of the bottle. My guess is I got about 18 ounces of the stuff to drink, and 4 to eat. After it was poured into the glass, a small amount of brown bubbles began to form, eventually forming a head about 1 finger thick. The aroma is a creamy hop concoction, with a roasted licorice presence and sweet burnt fruit. Incredibly thick mouth feel, morphing into a sweet sugary flavor and then finally settling out into a sticky coating in the finish, but incredibly overpowering with a sour and lactic yeast overtone. Wow... this is not good... too big and too think in this case is a bad move. Long lasting residual chocolate and roasted bitter hops. Flavor... hmm, how can I describe it... coffee and sweet molasses, vanilla, yes, acidic leafy hop flavor. Thick like yogurt of death. The residual coating in your mouth is similar to letting dark chocolate slowly melt in your mouth but with a stick of butter added, and that’s the big problem I have with this stout. The aroma is a bit lackiing, and there’s a harsh cream and butter aroma not found in the flavor. You could almost convince me I was drinking chocolate syrup.

Drinking another bottle in December 2004, 8 months after it was released, and I just really don’t like it at all. Slimy, full of abrasive yeast (and this is NOT a mixed up bottle, it was poured well separated) and some bad alcohol and cream flavors. I’m missing the imperial stout in this bottle... really disappointing. I have one left, and will keep it for a few more years before trying... and after having this one I don’t think that will be difficult.