Three Floyds Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout

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

Pours like 10W30 with a dark chocolate head. Not lace so much as the beer actually sticks to the sides of the glass. This is a thing of beauty. Smells of big chocolate, very roasty, some maple and minor alcohol. Taste is incredible. Very roasty, sweet chocolate, maple and vanilla and a slight alcohol finish. Velvety in the mouth with ABV almost non existant. A pure delight to sip away. Sex in a bottle.

What can I say that hasn’t already been said? This beer is insane!!!!! From the first sniff to the coating mouth feel that never seems to go away.

2008 Bottle tasted at Dark Lord Day 08. Pours pitch black with a nice tan head. Has smells of licorice, chocolate, roasted barley, and alcohol. Has a heavy mouthfeel and coats the glass like a thick syrup. Tastes like candy, licorice, molasses, caramel, coffee, vanilla, and alcohol. Has a smooth finish for being fresh. I would have thought it would have more pop being fresh. It was an unexpected surprise and enjoyable to have such a smooth brew this early in its infancy. I tasted a 07 while waiting in line and it had a much more pronounced licorice taste and flavor than a fresh dark lord. Perhaps its just that the 08 will be a better batch. Only time will tell. Great beer. Worth the hype.

Sampled at Sean and Ryan’s tasting, 2008 vintage. Deep black with a small tan head. Rich sweet aroma of malt, brandy, and chocolate. Huge taste of toasted malt, brandy and cognac, coffee, molasses. Lingering toasty bitterness. Fantastic imperial stout.

Black-waxed 2008 vintage. Huge thanks to TexasWayne for sharing this beauty! Pours blacker than a thousand midnights. Thick, one-finger head is darker than any I’ve ever seen, leaving spotty dollops of lace as it recedes. A light swirl leaves thick tan sheets on the sides of the glass that refuse to fall. According to my notes: ’’viscous as fuck.’’ Nose is as enormous as expected, with sweet french roast coffee predominating; Chocolate, vanilla, smoke, leather and earth add serious complexity. The palate reflects the nose, in flavor and enormity. Some dark fruit flavors and sweetness add to the complexity. Mouthfeel is thick, slick, and creamy. Finish is incredibly long. Alcohol burn is not horrible, but present enough to drop drinkability a notch. Yes, it’s that good. Believe the hype.

2008 bottle, thanks to mar and bhops, black greasy pour with light crema head and lace, nose of soy, stewed fruits and dark chocolate and coffee, vinous flavors of pot roast, roasted chestnuts, strong motor oil finish

09 white wax vintage. Oily black pour with with some ruby and brown tints around the edges. Almost no head present. Aroma is absolutely monstrous; big notes of chocolate, espresso, molasses, brown sugar, fig, raisin, date, black olive, plum, a bit of marzipan, and a warming alcohol presence. I expected a straightforward bomb of an imperial stout, but this is so complex and so nice. Flavor is incredible; lots of coffee, rich chocolate, vanilla, molasses, and clear booze notes. The dark fruit becomes more subtle, but those notes of date, fig, and raisin are still present. There is a really nice toasted almond, walnut, and hazelnut note; adding the sweetness to that, it borders on a Nutella feel. Palate amounts one of the easiest 5s i’ve ever given; absurdly rich and smooth, and the flavors are just further expounded in the aftertaste. Dark Lord somehow lives up to the hype.

Brewed in the USA... This 2006 Bottle was courtesy of my old high school buddy, Woody !!! thanks again beer brother. Almost pitch black in color with some reddish highlights on the rim of the glass, and a head that only becomes visible when swirled. Aroma of dark cocoa, molasses, malts, dark fruit and mild booze. Taste of roasted malts, coffee, dark chocolate, vanilla and a hint of raisins. The mouthfeel was like drinking a chocolate milk shake at first then becomes very slick with some alcohol burn at the finish. This Imperial Stout has been on my top 10 beers to try in the world. Thanks to a friend this all became possible !!! I think this brew lives up to the hype, but i would like very much to partake in a fresh bottle to see the differences between them. Satisfaction Guaranteed !!!