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

woosterbill

Connecticut

4.58/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

My buddy snagged a sample of this for me, along with regular DL for both of us, while I was standing in line for bottles. Thanks Beast!

On-tap in the parking lot into a plastic cup, then transferred to my tasting tulip.

A: Viscous black body with some nice dark brown foam. Looks amazing.

S: Very sweet, very potent aroma of roasted malts (lots of chocolate, some coffee), bourbon, vanilla, and oak. Lovely.

T: Follows the nose, with restrained booze overseeing a luscious medley of sweet, malty, oaky, bourbony goodness. Awesome.

M: Smooth, thick, creamy body. Sticky, but enjoyable, with expectedly low carbonation.

D: Super sweet and super strong, but the oak aging makes this tasty enough to make me want far more than the small sample. Considering how many high-test beers I've sampled today, though, that probably isn't the best idea.

Notes: This is an awesome, delicious beer, and is far more impressive than this years fresh regular DL. While I look forward to seeing how that ages (and I have very high hopes), there's no question that today this is the more delectable beverage. I'm still kicking myself for not getting in line for the Vanilla Bean DL right away, though. Here's hoping I can make it back next year!

Cheers!

Serving type: on-tap

04-27-2010 14:36:20 | More by woosterbill

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

mynie

Indiana

4.5/5  rDev -2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I wrote up a big story for this one, but is was just strange and a little creepy and so I decided just to post the drunken notes I took at DLD. I got inside maybe 20 minutes after they tapped this, while they were still serving it in glass glasses.

Nice pour, although the head isn't as retentive as I live in a perfect impy. Real dark black, no red at all.

Smells like bourbon barrells, pornographic malts, roasted nuts, wood, alcohol, fire yeast, fruity oak.

Tastes much less complex than it smells. Big fiery bourbon outweighs most everything else, leading into a middle of fire burnt dark malt and a very rough and dry finish. Fantastic, but not perfect.

I'd say that regular DL is probably my 3rd favorite beer and well deserving of a perfect five. But I am keeping the bottles I bought at this year's DLD for at least a few more months before I try drinking them. They're just too powerful right now, and not as many of the complexities shine through. Add barrel aging to the mix, and you get a fantastic beer that's just too much to judge.

Serving type: on-tap

06-02-2007 18:24:13 | More by mynie

GbVDave

Illinois

4.9/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Served in a 16oz cup at Three Floyds 4/26/08. Thanks to HeatherAnn for the assist!

A: Looks like Norwegian black metal served in a plastic cup. Awe inspiring viscous body that clings to the inside of the cup when swirled. Small dark brown/espresso crema colored head.

S: Huge sweet aroma of blackened malt, coconut, molassas, oak, espresso beans, boozy bourbon, dark chocolate, and cherry.

T: See above. That's all you have to do.

M: Incredibly chewey. Feels like taking a swig of half & half but has the look of old nasty gear oil drained out of a junkyard diff.

D: Would've scored a perfect 5 if it didn't annihilate my taste buds (which it did!). The alcohol isn't very apparent 'till I got to the bottom of the glass and it felt like my cheeks were burning. Awesome!

Serving type: on-tap

04-29-2008 23:03:10 | More by GbVDave

brewdlyhooked13

Ohio

4.8/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Enjoyed on-tap at DLD.

Poured in a little plastic cup, I would have transferred it to my sampling glass but a few of us bought several glasses of each to pass around, so it stayed in the plastic.

The stuff is rich and black, just a wisp or two of mocha around the edge.

It smells richly of roasted malts, espresso, and the with the certainty of oak. Not as stunning as the vanilla variant but good in its own right.

Tastes like Dark Lord would - rich with dark malt and bitter chocolate, but with an oak edge that is very nice. The wood pushes the sweetness of the beer back a little, providing some nice balance. Lots of espresso and booziness on the swallow, and a long finish of the same. The thickness of the beer helps it hang around, also subduing carbonation somewhat.

An awesome part of the day, we had one and ordered three more.

Serving type: on-tap

05-01-2009 02:16:25 | More by brewdlyhooked13

oline73

Maryland

4.6/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

I had this on-tap at the 3 Floyds brewpub during Dark Lord Day.

Appearance: Pours a pitch black color with no light coming through. There is hardly any head.

Smell: The smell is very sweet and roasty with bourbon hitting the nose right away. I'm also picking up some chocolate and vanilla notes.

Taste: This is an awesome tasting beer. Very sweet and roasty with some bourbon heat. I'm picking up hints of cocoa and vanilla. Very smooth.

Mouthfeel: Very thick and mouth coating. The carbonation is mild and the finish is dry.

Overall: I liked the vanilla version a little bit better, but I really enjoyed this one as well. The balance is wonderful and it is a smooth drinker.

Serving type: on-tap

05-07-2011 21:53:45 | More by oline73

billab914

Virginia

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

Got to have a small glass of this at Dark Lord Day 2010. The pour was pitch black with some dark chocolate lacing clinging to the sides of the glass. It's one of the darkest and thickest looking stouts I think I've ever seen. It left a little lacing on the glass but not a lot.

The aroma had a big vanilla and oak wood presence with a good amount of bourbony alcohol flavor to it as well. It also had dark chocolate, roasted malts and a little dark fruit to it. The barrel added a very nice complex aroma to it, it was a little strong but didn't overwhelm the beer.

The taste also has a large oak, vanilla and bourbon presence to it. The bourbon flavor gave it a warming alcohol finish. Also present were some dark roasted and chocolate flavors but they definitely took a backseat to the barrel flavors.

The mouthfeel was nice and thick with low carbonation. Very nice mouthfeel on it considering I like thick and heavy stouts. Drinkability was decent although the alcohol and barrel characteristics were a little strong. The 4-5 oz glass that I got was plenty for me.

Overall a very nice modification of Dark Lord. I enjoyed the glass I had but probably wouldn't have gotten another one, especially if this was a beer available all the time. It felt like the barrel characteristics were a little overpowering and became the main flavor of the beer instead of Dark Lord being the main flavor with some barrel characteristics to enhance the complexity. Don't get me wrong it was delicious and great for the serving size they gave out, just couldn't justify any higher scores for it based on that.

Serving type: on-tap

04-27-2010 14:42:44 | More by billab914

maximum12

Minnesota

4.13/5  rDev -10%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Yet another version of this fine beer.

This one took me by surprise - by oaked, I assumed this beer was "oaked" so the big bourbon slap in the face almost made me cry.

Again, just like the regular Dark Lord in most respects, but with a massive overdosing of barrel aging that's up front & in your cage. Kudos to 3F for trying to improve & tamper with an already great beer, but this one feel just a bit short; the bourbon was over-aggressive for me, drowning out some of the best aspects of the regular Dark Lord. Some of the creaminess was disrupted, & the great towering blade of malts was compromised.

Still a very good beer & one I'd never turn my nose up at, but also a good example of turning a great beer into just a very good one by laying too much of the barrel into the glass.

Serving type: on-tap

08-16-2009 13:35:53 | More by maximum12

ehammond1

California

4.78/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Bottle (2012)

Thanks for opening this with me, MarkIntihar!

Nearly black, though very heavy and substantial looking in the glass. Shiny and oily, with a small brown head that leaves dots of stick.

Rich, inviting, monstrous aroma of bourbon (vanilla, oak, maple, alcohol hint), chocolates, and roast. This combines marvelously well. As this warms, there's just a hint of an off vegetable-like note, but it's certainly not distracting, especially because it tastes so good.

Any flaw found in the aroma is completley hidden in the flavor. Rich, layered notes of vanilla, bourbon barrel, molasses, chocolates, and roast combine for an incredilby drinkable, though incredibly significant, substantial barrel-aged RIS.

Full in body, thick, heavy, luscious.

One of the finest beers I've had.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2012 22:19:06 | More by ehammond1

Overlord

California

4.5/5  rDev -2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to a prior trader for hooking me up. Shenanigans ensued with the procurement/bottling of this beer, I'm sure.

Pours a dark black, some deep tan bubbling froth, and a bit of a foamy crust.

Smells like ... Dark Lord. I feel like cutting and pasting my review. Hmmm ... Chocolate, dark fruits, a roasted malt backing. So far, not much oak.

Well, the oak makes its appearance in the flavor, in a big ... kind of distracting way. Vanilla, bourbon-y oak, and the familiar chocolate, roasted malt, and velvety dark fruit of the base Dark Lord. They laid a heavy -bal aging on this beer. And yes, there's more than a bit of sherry to it. Thick, viscous, and creamy. Noticeable bourbon component.

Much better on my second sampling.

Serving type: growler

08-13-2009 09:38:31 | More by Overlord

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

nickd717

California

4.85/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at DLD, finally! Brings me up to 95/100 on the Best of BA, but what a moving target that list is. Maybe I was a little drunk when I had this (ok, let's change that "maybe" to a "definitely"), but this one really stopped me in my tracks and made me appreciate just what the hell I was drinking: one of the greatest beers of all time!

Pours as black as the BeerAdvocate website background, and as thick as Aunt Jemima syrup. A well-formed brown head sits on top and leaves some lacing on the glass...er...plastic cup.

The nose on this one is out of this world. So much going on. It smells like a rich chocolate cake, along with coffee, roastiness, candied fruits, oak, and bourbon. Even puts regular Dark Lord to shame here.

Flavor is similarly amazing. The sweetness of Dark Lord really mellows out with the oak aging. Lots of milk and dark chocolate, coffee, molasses, brown sugar, and candied plums and raisins. Oak and bourbon blend seamlessly and do not overwhelm in the least bit.

Incredibly full-bodied and rich on the palate. Carbonation level is medium-low, exactly as appropriate for a beer like this.

Overall, wow, this is unbelievably good. I'll knock it down a half-point on the drinkability just because it's so overwhelming, but as drunk and full as I was, I had no problem taking down the 6oz pour. (Wish it hadn't been so easy!) Hope I get to have this awesomeness again at some point in the future.

Serving type: on-tap

04-26-2010 22:43:05 | More by nickd717

Crosling

Colorado

5/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Draught, Dark Lord Day 2008. Original Dark Lord is a 5.0 beer for me, a 1 year barrel aged version just takes it to another level. Has the smoothness, intensity, layers of flavor and incredible body of Dark Lord, with additions of whiskey, charred oak, vanilla and coconut. One of the best beverages I've consumed.

Serving type: on-tap

06-19-2008 03:41:09 | More by Crosling

illidurit

California

5/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Bottle shared at RBSG 2012 Grand Tasting. I don’t even know what to say about this beer. It’s a whole new level for imperial stouts that I didn’t know existed. All those other reviews of other imperial stouts that talk about "fudge" and "brownies" and "roasted coffee" and "barrel notes" may as well be talking about dog food. This beer is so vivid, so delicious, it’s like brownie concentrate with caramel, nuts, syrup. Body is full and soft, unlike the oily chore that is regular Dark Lord. It’s definitely really really sweet, but in sample size it’s unparalleled. Maybe the biggest highlight of a great night.

Serving type: bottle

08-16-2012 05:41:05 | More by illidurit

cpetrone84

Pennsylvania

4.97/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Had on tap at the pub of three floyds on Dark Lord Day 2010.

A-pours a completely black, opaque, motor oil looking liquid that is thick and viscous looking. Tan colored head that is tight, thick and creamy. Some light retention and lace

S-the nose is amazing, bourbon forward and right up front. Notes of vanilla and oak set in next with some nice dark chocolate and notes of espresso.

T-The bourbon and vanilla oakiness comes in right up front. Tons of dark chocolate set it next melding with the vanilla from the oak, chocolate brownie. Sweetness takes over, but in a soft well orchestrated way. Anise turns to dark cherries and plums with a hint of alcohol in there to let you know how big this is.

M-this is the biggest stout I've ever had. It is huge, somehow bigger than any dark lord and bigger than the vanilla bean that I sipped right next to this. It should be higher than a five if possible. It is extremely smooth and creamy, soft on the palate, this needs a knife to get through it in the best of ways.

D-this is the best stout I have ever had. This is also the best beer I have ever had and is in a league of it's own. Beers could potentially get a higher rank with me b/c of the typically lack of head retention and lace of Dark Lord; but it will take quite a brew to ever top this!

Serving type: on-tap

04-27-2010 02:35:13 | More by cpetrone84

ClockworkOrange

Pennsylvania

4.6/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

From my notes: Had this on tap at Dark Lord day 2007. Presented in a clear plastic cup which, just like my friend Phatz, transferred into my snifter glass. Appeared a pitch black color with about a finger of tan head. Smells of wood, rich roasted malts, bittersweet cocoa, dark coffee, and vanilla oak.
Tastes of very smooth bourbon - rich and boozy(in a very good way), dark chocolate, strong coffee and vanilla. Completely coats the mouth with each sip. Thick and oily. I could sip on this excellent beer all day.

Serving type: on-tap

06-16-2007 01:23:00 | More by ClockworkOrange

ktrillionaire

Florida

4.75/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

A - Black and oily, capped with some reddish-mocha bubbles.

S - The nose is an outrageous combination of deeply roasted notes, coffee and chocolate, dark fruit, and oaky vanilla. The booze is obvious as a flavor component, but not as hotness at all.

T - The delectability offered by the nose is fully realized in the flavor. Big luscious notes are leaping from the glass - ranging from coffee, toffee, and cocoa, to anise-licorice, vinous dark fruit and whisky - and covering up the staggering ABV along the way. This is just phenomenally delicious, nothing more need be said.

M - Sticky, oily, hugely decadent.

O - This is definitely worthy of the hype; it is so much better than the base beer that it boggles my mind.

Serving type: on-tap

05-06-2011 23:26:29 | More by ktrillionaire

sweemzander

Illinois

4.05/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Had on tap @ DLD 2010! Huge thanks to BeerFMAndy for snagging a glass of this for me!

(A)- Pours thick & black as night. Produced a quickly dissipating brown head.

(S)- A rich dense molasses with a rather potent woody bourbon-like burn

(T)- Rich, with a big woody & bourbon-like sweetness with some dark cocoa & molasses. Very similar to the smell.

(M)- Dense, but thinner than the vanilla bean variation. Has a good carbonation level. A big, almost dry woodiness, yet has a bitterness too from the roasted malts.

(D)- A good stout. Not as successful as their vanilla bean variation in my opinion, but has its own special qualities the other ones do not. Unique and interesting on its own. I would also like to see how this one ages, but yet again, this is only available one day a year!

Serving type: on-tap

04-25-2010 20:20:16 | More by sweemzander

mcallister

Ohio

4.97/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Dark dark brownish black like a sludge oil. Very gooey almost with a prevelant tan head and thick sticky lacing.

Coffee, vanilla, bing cherry, cocunut, toffee, toasty oak, and bitter cocoa. No alcohol present in the aroma, but a nice malt background.

Huge beer, delicious cappuccino, fresh coffee grounds, toasty coconut, malty caramel, and dark choclate, heavy cream, honey, mollasses. Massive and uncannily silky smooth. Slight alcohol burn in the chest. Somewhat high is residual sweetness but not coyingly so. Could drink this monster all day long if the high alcohol doesn't get you first. Nearly a perfect beer.

Serving type: on-tap

04-29-2006 19:11:00 | More by mcallister

Sean9689

Illinois

4.58/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap @ DLD '09.

Pours black with a brown head with nice lacing along the cup. Smell is amazing, you just want to eat it! Chocolate, malts, oak, roasted nuts. Very rich on the nose, I was excited what it's going to taste like! Taste is just as good. Very rich, sweet, and epic. Mouthfeel is think/rich, perfect for a RIS.

Serving type: on-tap

04-26-2009 16:03:10 | More by Sean9689

aerozeppl

New York

4.75/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

DLD.

A: The beer looked no different than the vanilla version. A super thick BLACK beer with no head with only a few bubbles. Also this beer had legs.

S: The nose was so rich and not as one dimensional as the vanilla. The bourbon was a real treat. Also this was 2010 dark lord so it had some time to chill out. The bourbon was up front but with the diminished booziness of fresh DL it worked out well and took that and replaced it with something you wanted to smell.

T: One of the best bourbon barrel beers that I have ever had. The complexity was off the charts and it did not come across as sweet like the vanilla version. Both were excellent but I preferred this.

M: Super thick with almost no carbonation. A joy.

D: I had 2 samples of each version. I tried going back for a third but friends settled me into getting a dreadnaught and calming down. It was worth the price and the blend of both was amazing. It was worth the 5 hours we were in line to get some.

Serving type: on-tap

05-05-2011 23:01:38 | More by aerozeppl

JDV

Texas

4.08/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On tap at DLD. A nice treat after waiting in the cold for hours. Poured pitch black with zero head and enjoyed in a small plastic cup, just the way it was meant to be had. Smell is rich sweet, sticky molassesy malt with a light bourbon and alcoholic vanilla aroma. Taste is rich, semi sweet, chocolatey, dark fruit fig like flavor with some soy sauce like quality too. Rich oily mouthfeel and light carbonation but a sufficient amount. Really good stuff.

Serving type: on-tap

06-09-2008 17:15:46 | More by JDV

alleykatking

Indiana

4.5/5  rDev -2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Finally getting around to reviewing my notes from DLD. Had on tap of course!

A- Pours a thick dark motor oil black color. I held this up to the light and it had no accent to it at all....just dark black. It had about a half finger mocha/tan head that wasn't very impressive and went down rather quickly. Lacing was sticky on the sides of the glass but I think regular DL beats this one out in the appearance catagory.

S- This has the same highlights as the DL with the coffee and chocolate I think dominating along with some darker fruits and something else I can't place my finger on. Some distinct oak and bourbony undertones come and go when I sniff at this along with faint vanillia aromas as well. This beer is making my mouth water just smelling it.

T- Big oaky...bourbon taste right upfront that powers with the chocolate and coffee taste of the DL. The balance is maybe a little off but that is only opinion. I get hints of the vanillia blending almost perfect with a brown sugar taste I get. This beer is big and it knows it. A heavy hitter with different tastes around every turn. Can taste the alcohol a little more with this one.

M- This is a heavy hitting mouthfeel. Not a huge carbonation leaves this beer knocking on your palate until you force it to leave. Leaves a nice amount oaky, coffee, chocolate taste on the tounge. This beer feels good in the mouth still after being so big and heavy.

D- This beer is sadly for me a one beer and move onto the next for me. It is good but so damn heavy that it feels like I'm drinking a meal. Plus there was two other DL's I had to try while I was talking with friends.

Serving type: on-tap

07-08-2009 21:54:09 | More by alleykatking

yourefragile

District of Columbia

4.1/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 3.5

4 ozish pour in a plastic cup at Brickskeller 3F tasting. I interpreted this to be the 2010 release of the 2009 DL aged in whiskey barrels, not the 2009 Oak Aged Dark Lord. Either way...

Pours an extremely sludgy, viscous syrup like dark brown, near black with a non-existent head and no signs of carbonation. So yea, appearance is pretty much as expected for style, but nothing exciting. Aroma is hot and abrasive, assaulting you while the glass is still on the table. Immediately hits you with bourbon and oak. After letting acclimating to the booze and burn, other notes from the base DL are apparent, including chocolate, coffee and more oak. Very sweet, raw and complex aroma. Mouthfeel is very thick and chewy, silky and long lasting on the palate, near perfect. Flavors follow similar pattern to the nose; overall extremely sweet and it takes a moment to get past the oak and bourbon to pick out the subtleties of the original dark lord, and it that its primarily chocolatey. This isn't a 13% ABV beer that you can said hides its alcohol well either as there is a noticeable burn associated with each sip. This was an unexpected to treat to try, but overall I was left feeling like this in an instance of an amazing beer + more amazingness (barrel aging) != doubly amazingness. Overall some of the complexity is sapped out of this by the dominance of the boozy and oak flavors.

Serving type: on-tap

06-04-2010 20:55:43 | More by yourefragile

orbitalr0x

Illinois

4.85/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Sampled this many times at Dark Lord Day the past few years. Always arrives in the plastic cup, but that doesn't detract from this massive brew. Impenetrable black, oily, viscous and thick with a layer of deep dark tan foam on top. Looks like 10K+ mile used motor oil. Aromas reek of deep dark malts with notes of coffee and chocolate all drenched in a wonderful, woody bourbon that jumps out of the cup to greet you. It's really hard to describe but it all comes together perfectly and the aroma is divine.

Sipping this brings you immediate warmth as the big, dense malts collide with the rich bourbon and wood notes. Chocolate, caramel, coffee and molasses all work in as it flows down. The brew is on the sweeter side but never becomes too sweet as it's nicely balanced with a solid bitterness. Finishes with lingering bourbon notes. Simply amazing.

Mouthfeel is big, viscous, chewy and heavy. It's so damn good, albeit a bit hard to drink when you are standing out in the sun. After the tasting tables, a cup of this is usually what does me in every Dark Lord Day. Still, given the chance I would drink this until I fell down. Spectacular stuff that I look forward to every year!

Serving type: on-tap

06-09-2008 01:58:57 | More by orbitalr0x