Bourbon Barrel Aged Dark Lord Imperial Stout - Three Floyds Brewing Co. & Brewpub

dboon

Florida

4.22/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

PVW bottle. Joan Jett black pour with a chocolate head. Huge bourbon aromas. This version, like the ’10 DL in my opinion, is not thick and motor oil like as previous years. The taste was very sweet with lots of molasses, chocolate malts, vanilla, and very very muted bourbon flavors.

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2011 20:46:00 | More by dboon

brystmar

New York

4.23/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to cosmicevan for sharing!

Decent looking, nothing special here though. Strong, smooth bourbon aroma takes over to blend with roasty malts and sugary sweetness.

The underlying taste is a more mature version of DL complimented by sweet, smooth, rounded bourbon. Not too much complexity here: just bourbon. Cognac DL was much more interesting, and a significantly better variant overall.

Still a great beer, but a big step down from the Cognac in my book. But then again, I'm not a bourbon lover.

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2012 02:25:57 | More by brystmar

fiver29

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Dark Lord Day 08. This is an oak aged version of the 07 batch. Pours a thick black color with a tan head. Has a nice aroma of oak and chocolate. Has complex flavors from bourbon, oak, chocoalte, licorice, and a candy molasses. These flavors blend well together and has a smooth alcohol finish. Nice brew.

Serving type: on-tap

08-21-2009 19:53:55 | More by fiver29

Alpar

Minnesota

4.25/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had on tap at Dark Lord Day 2011.

Well worth the wait.

A: Dark with no head just like the others.

S: Damn fine Bourbon bliss!

T: Ok, I tasted the bourbon at first and it was smooth, but after going back and forth between this and the vanilla DL I developed this Graham cracker taste which complemented the vanilla's marshmallow flavor, unreal!

O: Overall I have to say it was one of the best beer experiences of my life but the vanilla is better if I had to have only one.

Serving type: on-tap

05-23-2011 21:37:18 | More by Alpar

MrMcGibblets

Illinois

4.28/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

this was the 2006 woodford reserve barrel-aged version on cask at dl day. poured into a clear plastic solo cup, this was unlike any beer i have ever had. dark and thick like well-used motor oil. and i mean thick. this beer just left remnants of itself on the sides of the cup, turning the cup from clear to brown. brown head. the nose was absolutely huge, dominated by the whiskey notes along with chocolate, coffee, vanilla, smoke, toffee, and raisins. taste was a huge malt sweetness balanced a little by the 3f hops and roasty malts, but more to the malt/sweet side. mouthfeel was more viscous and thick than i have ever experienced. this had very little carbonation from the cask leaving it thickly sweet. long, long finish is ended by whiskey flavors and warming alcohol. still somehow smooth, though. this took a while just to drink a little bit and i probably could have just one of these in a sitting. a real sipper.
update: have had a few more of these, carbonation has been better, would add some serious charred fruit to the above. have enjoyed it more from the regular taps with the added Co2.

[ serving type: cask ]

Serving type: cask

05-05-2007 20:13:18 | More by MrMcGibblets

vacax

California

4.28/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours a viscous black, oily with coating properties from both malt and alcohol. A few bubbles around the rim of the glass are compact and stick around. Aromas waft up of dark malts, maple, dark fruit, oak, umami, bourbon, and mineral elements. Most of the overly sweet malt characters from Dark Lord are here replaced by thick oak with spirit notes and a bit saltier than the regular liquid dessert.

The flavor brings the same loads of dark malts to the tongue, in addition to being brownie batter a lot of oak pops up, minteral, even tealike and oxidized flavors pop up a bit. I could see how some people would prefer this to regular Dark Lord, as the oak changes a lot of the sweetness into an oaky more savory experience, though molasses and malt is still here. Body is full and viscous with a coating feeling on the palate and a palpable low-moderate carbonation to match.

Interesting twist on Dark Lord, not as sweet, but I think I prefer the sweeter malts to the oaky twist in this case. The flavor is intense, which is fine if the taste is perfection, but this isn't quite it.

Serving type: on-tap

05-02-2010 18:08:36 | More by vacax

MPLS

Minnesota

4.3/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

From memory...10 oz pour @ the brew pub, so this one was in glass and not plastic. I remember them saying it was from '08.

A: Big, bold, and black like DL. More head from this guy than the vanilla bean DL from what I remember.

S: Big bold roasted malt, bourbon, chocolate, molasses, alcohol.

T: The barrel adds what I picked up as bourbon and some dryness akin to oak barrels. This guy felt bigger than any of the other DLs, ABV is probably the same, but bourbon characteristics made it seem higher. Great up front roast, not as much sweetness as the other variants of DL, but big dry finish.

M: Thick and viscous, would not have it any other way.

D: Another way to celebrate DLD and will try this guy again next year. Big beers are wanted by my taste buds.

Serving type: on-tap

04-28-2009 06:44:48 | More by MPLS

Deuane

Pennsylvania

4.3/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Big thanks to some fine BA's for hooking me up with a pour of this one at Great Taste 2009. I have been waiting to review this for quite sometime after having initially at DLD 2007.

A-Deep, non-light penetrating black. A small, dark tan head dissipates to a thin ring and leaves spotty lace along with remnants of the beer, it being that viscous.

S-Whoa! Like sticking your head into a bourbon barrel filled with Dark Lord! Huge notes of oak, dark chocolate, espresso, dark fruit, toffee, turbinado and vanilla.

T-All the positive qualities of DL with a BIG bourbon pressence....and IMHO too big. FFF is never one to shy away from flavour and they didn't start with this one! I like it, but it's simply too much for me.

M-Full/heavy-bodied and Christ! This may be THE smoothest, creamy and most viscous beer I have ever had. This one slides down like oil. Rich beyond measure with LONG lasting flavours.

D-Certainly a fine brew, but the alcohol and bourbon character is a bit too much for me in this one to drink en masse. I prefer Vanilla DL over the Oaked version.

Serving type: on-tap

08-19-2009 08:33:44 | More by Deuane

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

4.3/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 3

On tap at the Brickskellar last night. The 3 Floyd's rep indicated this was the 2009 whiskey barrel aged version of DL.

The beer pours the expected viscuous looking, blackish brown color with minimal head retention and/or lacing. On the other hand, I can smell this bad boy from a foot away... the nose is profound, showing milk duds, coffee, whiskey, vanilla and considerable booze. This beer just smells flat out decadent. For the most part, the flavor profile replicates the nose, though it's a bit one dimensional and is dominated by sweet chocolate and coffee. The beer is decidedly on the sweet side, and is almost ponderous on the palate. Mouthfeel is absolute perfection and the beer is a huge presence on the palate. The beer feels like spun silk on the palate, with a buttery, creamy texture that is plush, soft, smooth and long. There is a hint of bitterness on the finish, which I think keeps this beer from being over the top rich and sweet. Considering how sweet, boozy and alcoholic this beer is, it's no surpirse that drinkability is not its best attribute. This beer is really more like an after dinner liquer, and it's hard to imagine too many other occasions when I'd want to drink a beer like this. Originally I had contemplated ordering another glass after the tasting, but after my finishing off my 3 or ounce "sampler," I really couldn't bring myself to drink any more. Regardless, this beer is a stunner and is absolutely outstanding.

Serving type: on-tap

06-03-2010 15:03:29 | More by johnmichaelsen

MABZ

Nebraska

4.33/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is the 2006 Dark Lord, aged for a year in Woodford's Reserve Bourbon Barrels, and released on draught only just in time for the release of the 2007 Dark Lord in bottles. Better than the 2006 non-BA release, though I think the 2007 non-BA Dark Lord is easily better than both. I can't wait for the 2008 Dark Lord Day so I can try the 2007 BA Dark Lord.

The beer pours to a thick dark sludge with very little head, probably destroyed by the spirits it has been aging with. Shows off thick caramel colored legs as it is swished around, and by the time the glass is empty, the glass looks almost like the brown bottle the beer was poured from (err... maybe not, since this is actually a draught, but you get the point).

The smell is great. Has a strong whiff of bourbon/alcohol with vanilla and coconut notes from the barrel. Smells quite sweet, remnant of all of the sugars used in the production of this beer, namely molasses and brown sugar. Little dark roasted malt in the nose, but a generous hit of caramel.

The taste is good. Very rich and sweet up front with a huge taste of bourbon, namely the aforementioned vanilla and coconut. Has a middle taste of rich, dark chocolate, coffee roast, and soy sauce. The finish refuses to go away.

The body is a bit thinner than the non-BA Dark Lord, also with a little less carbonation. Still coats the mouth with a thick molasses consistency. Turns your teeth into a caramel brown color. Not an easy beer to drink on a hot and sunny day after I've already been drinking several beers of considerable strength and body. I REALLY wanted to drink a Gumballhead at that time, but I simply couldn't pass up a one-time opportunity like this.

Serving type: on-tap

04-30-2007 02:22:17 | More by MABZ

egajdzis

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured an opaque black color with a small, quickly diminishing, dark tan head that left sticky tan lacing on the glass. Aroma of bourbon, roasted malts, chocolate, smoke, nuts, and dried fruits. Taste of sweet chocolate, roasted malts, mocha, maple syrup. brown sugar, smoke, bourbon, with a fair amount of alcohol coming across. A Dark Lord mouthfeel should be a little more vicious, but either way, it's a pretty solid beer... I still prefer the cask of regular DL I had at the Maproom in 04.

Serving type: on-tap

11-09-2008 23:45:21 | More by egajdzis

rhinos00

Colorado

4.33/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Finally got to try this one. On-tap at DLD '10.

A- Poured a dark, chocolate brown color. Looked very thick, like motor oil. Produced minimal amount of head. Dissipated instantly.

S- Sweet malts with molasses. The sweetness in the aroma was very potent. The background had a slight hint of vanilla, bourbon and tons of oak.

T- Much like the aroma, actually exactly like the aroma. Sweetness upfront from various malts and molasses. Some bourbon and vanilla in there as well. The finish was dominated by an overwhelming amount of oak. Really wanted to give this a 4.25, but couldn't...so I rounded up.

M- I loved the mouthfeel of this beer. Thick, chewy and viscous. Coated the palate very well.

D- I'm glad they served this in a small 6 oz. glass (could of been 8 oz.). If I had any more it would have been very difficult to put down.

Overall, a very good beer. That being said, at $9 a pour, I will pass from now on...much better bourbon, oak-aged beers out there at a better value.

Serving type: on-tap

04-26-2010 01:01:53 | More by rhinos00

birchstick

Missouri

4.33/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle #505 of 688

I had two bottles of this in two days of crazy beer tasting. This review is from day #2 in comparison with the other DL variants

A - as expected, pours black with a chocolaty head

S - sweet bourbon with lots of fudgy chocolates and a bit of soy

T - sweet vanilla opens this up, and is quickly replaced by fudgy chocolates. Spicy bourbon flavors move in and are cut into by more chocolate flavors. This is really sweet and the bourbon is very well integrated into this.

M - smooth and full like all of the other DL barrel aged varieties

D - nice version of DL...this is my 2nd favorite barrel aged bottle version behind the vanilla bean. The bourbon adds a nice complexity and takes away from some of the cloying sweetness that plagues the regular version of DL.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/62508184@N03/8159864035/in/photostream

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2012 03:22:49 | More by birchstick

murrayswine

Arizona

4.35/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured for me at DL day for 6 bucks a shooter.
Black as hell. Just dark, and oily. The smell is coffee, caramel, nuts, hops (go figure) and acrid bitters. Hint of anise too.
The taste is rather balanced. Thick as hell too. A lot like Founders KBB in it's bourbon/coffee balance. I really thought this would have a lot more grip to it, but it is deadly smooth.
I cry knowing I have to wait a year to try this again.

Serving type: cask

04-30-2006 01:44:30 | More by murrayswine

bgramer

Washington

4.35/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I had this on tap at DLD.

Black as sin with tan rays of hope coating the sides of the cup. Thick, oily, and sweet smelled like dark fruits and bourbon-ey. The taste was definitely chocolate-y (like a cupcake almost) and roasty with hints of coffee.

It was a cold day so this beer was a great warmer. The oak aging was not as prominent, but still served as one piece of the complex flavor-tasting puzzle.

Serving type: on-tap

04-28-2008 20:07:19 | More by bgramer

kmeves

Wisconsin

4.35/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at GTMW '09: Pours an opache black with a small dissipating tan head. Aroma is strong oak, fruity sweet (plums and raisins) and very rich. Flavor is strong oak yet very sweet with dark fruit, rich chocolate, coffee and a nice undertone of flower, herbs and grapefruit. Finish is very long and warm with molasses and dark fruit. Large bodied, quite a bit more alcohol apparent than the non oak version. Still one of the best beers I have ever tasted.

Serving type: on-tap

08-11-2009 17:54:42 | More by kmeves

beergod1

Ohio

4.35/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured Black with small tan head. Aroma is mostly deep, rich Dark fruit with some Cocoa and a hint of roasted malts. Flavor is as smooth as it gets with a hint of alcohol, Coffee, chocolate, sweet malts and thick heavy molasses that stained the glass with every sip. Several layers of flavor. This is a real good Imperial Stout, But just as good as what I can get around Ohio & PA. (Voodoo, Hoppin’ Frog...) And I don’t have to stand in line for those.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2011 03:05:43 | More by beergod1

pwoods

Ohio

4.38/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Sampled at DLD '09

Pours jet black, no light, thick as motor oil. Oily and resinous on the glass. A moderate head forms and has some retention. Decent lacing throughout. Great depth from the barrel aging. Very woody and oaky with that wisp of vanilla. A very small smoky character in the back that I wish was bigger. The barrel really rounds the beer out, making the deeply roasted malts more enjoyable. Taste is much the same. The barrel blends everything very nicely. A touch of cherry comes out as it warms but it's nearly hidden behind all the other potent flavors. Body is fuller than full and is a bit chewy. Carbonation is somewhat low but manages to make the beer velvety nonethelss. This a very big beer. It drinks decent for the size but it's huge and wants you to know it. The barrel and aging does wonders for the beer.

Serving type: on-tap

04-27-2009 01:05:06 | More by pwoods

womencantsail

California

4.38/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: The pour is viscous and black with just a bit of tan foam around the edge of the glass.

S: A definite oak and bourbon presence to the nose without the intense sweetness Dark Lord usually has. Certainly some sweet chocolate and vanilla with a bit of dark fruits.

T: The oak aging gives this one a bit of a tannic character and some bitterness that the original does not exhibit. The bourbon, vanilla, and oak flavors are quite strong but still allow the chocolate, roast, licorice, and dark fruits to show.

M: The body is thick and chewy with a low, smooth carbonation.

D: I like this one much better than Dark Lord. The oak aging here has helped to balance the beer out and mitigate the overwhelming sweetness.

Serving type: on-tap

05-02-2010 22:15:30 | More by womencantsail

baggio

Sweden

4.38/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Once again thanks to BA Dsgolovin for hooking me up with this rare brew.

Apperance: Dark, dark, brown with a light brown head.

Aroma: Bourbon, Chocolate, Alcohol, Syrup.

Taste: Bourbon, Soy, Chocolate, Syrup, Coffee and a hint of alcohol.

Palate: Quite drinkable albeit being on the sweet side. Plenty of carbonation.

This was so much better than the normal Dark Lord. It didn't feel as cloying and sweet. Would love to try this again with some age on it.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2012 14:50:56 | More by baggio

Jeffo

Netherlands

4.38/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to a few people we were able to put together the entire vertical and almost all the BA variants. Lots of fun gents!

From a 750 into a snifter
2012 vintage
Bottle 197 of 685

APPEARANCE: Just like all the rest of them. Pours relatively clear for an imperial stout. Produces a small, one finger medium-looking head that quickly fades to a wisp and ring. Black body in the glass with some carbonation evident. Only a ring remains until the end and leaves no real lacing down the glass. A little too light a pour and an average head at best.

SMELL: Pretty bold nose of bourbon barrel, oak and caramel notes. Some sweet cream and light vanilla from the barrel as well. Hints of molasses and dark chocolate from the base Dark Lord as well, but this is more about the bourbon barrel, thankfully enough. Pretty nice actually. Impressed.

TASTE: A bit hot up front perhaps, but the bourbon barrel, oak, vanilla and sweet cream from the barrel is very enjoyable. A big and persistent finish of sweet molasses, caramel, a hint of dark chocolate and some bitter coffee from the 2011 base beer, as well as lots of bourbon and oak flavors from the barrel as well. Lots of barrel flavors, meshing well with the normally overly sweet Dark Lord base beer. These two players compliment each other surprisingly well.

PALATE: Slightly lighter than the base beer, but still big enough. Just like the other DL variants as well. Medium body with medium levels of carbonation. Creamy enough, goes down fine and finishes rather sticky on the palate. A bit of a burn and some heat lingers.

OVERALL: This was the first BA DL we drank, so it basically just went downhill from here. Surprsingly enjoyable and well balanced, this is more proof that Dark Lord is better in the right barrels. I'd go as far as suggesting FFF just bourbon barrel age the whole batch and charge $40 a bottle. Much better use of Dark Lord. This was the second place finisher for me, just behind the PvW version and ahead of the Cognac variant. Lots of good barrel flavors that mellow the overly sweet base beer, but also allow the enjoyable parts of Dark Lord to play a role. Good stuff. Cheers for the fun day gents!

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2013 13:29:01 | More by Jeffo

scruffwhor

Illinois

4.4/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Drank at the Dark Lord Release Party 2006. The barmaid said it was 16% abv.

Appearance- Given to me an oily, iscous, black. No highlights in this soul stealing, liver pickling bad boy. Head was a lovely coffee like beige with great retention.

Smell- Like French Roast coffee, bakers bitter chocolate, with hints of heavy whipping cream and cascade hops.

Taste- Very dense and thick in the coffee department. But this taste does not let you forget that it was aged in a barrel. The wood sugars certainly give your balls a hows your father. Coffee and oak mixed with some black licorice and a well balanced American hop and malt balance.

Mouthfeel- Very oily, sludgy and thick. This is a dense beer with a lot of palate coating ability. All the dark flavors really stick to the palate the most, all parts of the tongue. Something to nibble on chocolate with.

Serving type: on-tap

04-29-2006 22:48:26 | More by scruffwhor

drabmuh

Maryland

4.4/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

2010 vintage served in a tulip with the vanilla bean and 2009 DL. Beer is black and thick in the glass. Coats the wall and the swirl leaves legs of alcohol on the walls. There isn't a head or carbonation to speak of but it looks good.

The aroma is slightly hot, oaky, with a lot of roast and a nice smoothness to it. Very liquor. Hints of vanilla, very subtle.

Beer is full bodied and completely coats the mouth. Surprisingly smooth for such a high alcohol beer with such a strong aroma. The woodsiness of the beer mellows out the heat a lot. Lots of roast in the back palate. Drinkability good.

Serving type: growler

05-17-2010 18:07:49 | More by drabmuh

grub

Ontario (Canada)

4.43/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

sampled on tap at the brewpub on dark lord day 2007.

pours deep inky black with a small very fine dense brown head. drops very fast to a ring around the glass. no lace.

aroma is nice. the first thing that hits is a blast of orangey citrus. alcohol. oak and vanilla. dark chocolate. huge bready malt. bourbon.

taste is good. tons of orange and tangerine. alcohol. bittersweet chocolate. bready malt. bit of vanilla. light alcohol. medium bitterness level.

mouthfeel is good. super smooth. light carbonation. full bodied but without feeling thick.

drinkability is great. smooth. the alcohol is dangerously well hidden. you really only feel the warmth on the way down.

Serving type: on-tap

05-02-2007 00:39:51 | More by grub

badbeer

Iowa

4.43/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Was pitch black in color with a brown head that retained very well and managed to leave some lacing behind. Nice aromas of vanilla and bourbon, with oak coming into play as well. There was also some roastiness, but the vanilla and bourbon seemed to be the strongest. Taste is a blending of vanilla, maple syrup, bourbon, wood, with a finish of some coffee and bourbon. Mouthfeel is thick and very smooth, the bourbon seems to almost lighten it up just a tad, however. Carbonation was on the lower side of medium. Great beer, and probably even more enjoyed in the winter months by a fire, but this sample was enjoyed out in the sun at DLD.

If you are desperate to find out what this beer is like, buy a Bourbon County Stout. BCS is 99% of what this beer is, IMO.

Serving type: on-tap

05-03-2007 04:00:17 | More by badbeer