Brandy Barrel Aged Dark Lord - Three Floyds Brewing Co. & Brewpub

Jeffo

Netherlands

2.78/5  rDev -35.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

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
2011 vintage
Bottle 116/392

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: Less barrel on this one and more Dark Lord. Some molasses, soy aromas, some dark cherries and fruits with some brandy barrel and vanilla touches as well. Okay, but the barrel is quite mild here.

TASTE: Again, like the nose, this one lacks in the barrel compartment and is closer to the regular base stout. Some roasted touches, molasses, soy notes and dark fuits into the finish. Some light brandy and vanilla flavors after the swallow, as well as a touch of bitter chocolate trying to compete with the sweet, molasses and caramel base beer. Alright, but definitely the most mundane of the variants. Uninteresting.

PALATE: Slightly lighter than the base beer, and even a bit lighter than the other BA variants for some reason, but still acceptable for the style. 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 one was kind of boring. The barrel aging wasn't all that impressive so the base Dark Lord was much more present compared to the other variants. Luckily the 2010 is the base here, which is probably the only vintage I would consider drinking myself. All in all, this was the least impressive of the group.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2013 12:13:27 | More by Jeffo

jeonseh

Indiana

4.54/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Bottle had at NWI tasting group 2011 BA DL night

A - Dark chocolate brown with a caramel color around the edges. Not much of a head as it only leaves small bubbles on the sides. As the beer swirls in my glass, I can tell it's going to be a thick one as it leaves lots of residue on the sides

S - Boozy nose initially. The booziest of the three. There is vanilla, chocolate and caramel as well as light char and smoke that didn't come through in the other variations

T - Smooth vanilla, chocolate with a light brandy sweetness and boozeiness to it. There is caramel, sweet vanilla and chocolate that continues and lingers on in the finish. I didn't get too much barrel in this one

M - Smooth creamy beer with the same slight, stickiness I have found in all the BA DLs. The stickiness is what remains in the finish as well.

O - This is a nice BA DL and really is one of the sweetest and smoothest of them. It has a good amount of vanilla and caramel to it without any harsh edges.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2013 21:48:04 | More by jeonseh

jegross2

Illinois

4.76/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

Reviewing the Brandy Barrel Aged Dark Lord from Three Floyds Brewing Company out of Munster, Indiana. This is the 2010 vintage of Dark Lord, aged for one year in brandy barrels.

Score: 97

Served on tap at Dark Lord Day 2012 in a taster glass. Review is from notes that I lost, but recently found.

Appearance: Jet black in color. Served without any head, no lacing to speak of either. This beer is imposing as hell; like crude oil in its appearance. 4.5/5

Smell: Sweet vanilla, fudge, milk chocolate and a hint of alcohol heat. Then brandy and more fudge. Complex, balanced and chocolatey. Sweet on the nose, but not nearly as sweet smelling as the base beer. Mild molasses in the nose too. 4.75/5

Taste: A complex sweetness. Raisin, brandy, milk chocolate and molasses. A red grape-like sweetness is mostly prominent towards the finish, while the raisin/dark fruit is more "upfront." Decadent, but delicious. Not as sweet as fresh, regular Dark Lord, but it's one of the sweeter Barrel Aged Dark Lord variants I have had. 4.75/5

Mouthfeel: Full bodied, low carbonation. Viscous, syrupy, a little sugary sweet and "sticky" mouthfeel. 5/5

Overall: While this beer was nothing short of excellent, it was not quite as good as the Bourbon aged versions or the Brandy Vanilla version. Even at its price point, this is a beer worth trying; it's just not a beer worth stockpiling.

Cost: $50 for a 750 ml bottle.

Serving type: on-tap

02-19-2013 06:40:13 | More by jegross2

thagr81us

South Carolina

4.43/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Big thanks goes out to StayWhatYouAre2 for sending this one to beeruser and I just so we would have the chance to try it once I got well from my accident! This one was shared on the One Year Anniversary of My Accident/Surgery! Bottle #45 of 392! Served from bottle into a Mikkeller taster flute. Poured pitch black with a minimal tan head. Maintained nice lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, smoke, smoked meat, alcohol, sweet alcohol, fruit, bacon, dark fruit, and wood. The flavor was of sweet malt, roasted malt, dark fruit, wood, smoke, smoked meat, caramel, and sweet alcohol. It had a heavy feel on the palate with medium carbonation. Overall this was a fairly great brew. The flavor and aroma on this brew was really ludicrously complex and pleasant. Yes, there was quite a bit of booze, but everything else came at you all at once as well which made it rather overwhelming at first. As it warmed up everything started to work much better together and kept me coming back sip after sip until I was completely empty. Luckily I was able to get a second pour on it to start the experience all over again. A really well done brew that I would LOVE to experience again as well as the other variations. Hint hint traders!

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2012 11:44:20 | More by thagr81us

birchstick

Missouri

4.48/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle #375 of 433

A - pours black black with a white rim

S - sweet vanilla, chocolates, caramel and toffee aromas come out of the glass

T - opens up with soy that moves to chocolates. Lots of sweet vanilla is next moves in and is replaced by brandy spicy booziness. Vanilla comes out on the exhale. Really nice taste profile.

M - medium bodied and smooth

D - nice variation of DL. The vanilla really pops and the brandy adds a nice complexity to it.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/62508184@N03/8159864915/in/photostream/

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2012 03:40:33 | More by birchstick

Etan

Illinois

4.15/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

2011 bottle (#53/392) shared by theredflame. Thanks!

A: Straight black with a tiny chocolate head.

S: Huge chocolate and grape notes. Fig, raisin, cocoa, lactose, grape stem.

T: Boozy raisin and mild coffee, chocolate, plenty of dryish barrel notes. Vanilla, raisins, a bit of wood.

M: Thick-bodied, slight carbonation.

O: A lot more balanced than I thought it would be, with the alcohol kept in check well and the barrel a bit dry as well as sweet.

Serving type: bottle

08-24-2012 12:22:24 | More by Etan

cosmicevan

New York

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

Consumed on 7/28 as part of the NYC BA DarkLord Voltron tasting!!! thanks to jon for providing this gem.
bottle #194 / 392

a - black with minimal off brown tan head. soft of what i was expecting for a barrel aged dark lord.

s - pretty boozy. fruity sangria.

t - fruity. brandy. not the best mix. changes the beer a LOT. kind of like dark lord sangria.

m - thick and rich and fruity.

o - overal dark lord sangria. still tasty, but compared to the others, far from the highlight. i've found brandy to be a weird barrel to mix stouts with and this combo was no exception. good...not great.

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2012 02:51:05 | More by cosmicevan

SpeedwayJim

New York

3.28/5  rDev -24.1%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to Jon for this one. Side-by-side with all the other BA Dark Lords. Bottle 144/392 into a snifter. From notes.

Appears just like the others. Pitch black, no head, no lace, no nothing. Super thick legs though.

This one is surprisingly mellow on the nose. Some booziness mixed with ash. That's it. Not bad, but lacks character.

Very sweet opening. Cocoa, chocolate, molasses, prune, fudge and strong booziness. Very sweet finish. Good but a bit one dimensional.

Same feel as the others.

A bit disappointed by this one but it definitely improves as it gets warmer and warmer. Still a decent beer, just doesn't stand up to its immediate peers.

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2012 14:21:35 | More by SpeedwayJim

brystmar

New York

3.5/5  rDev -19%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Opened at our BADL tasting.

About the same appearance as the others, doesn't leave as much lace. Weird aroma, almost tart or sangria-esque. Definitely off.

Taste disappoints. Super boozy, spikes of flavors and booze left and right, not balanced at all. *Significantly* inferior to every other BA DL variant, including both De Muertes. Call me crazy, but I'd rather drink Breakfast Stout.

Serving type: bottle

07-28-2012 20:12:19 | More by brystmar

womencantsail

California

4.23/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Black in color with nice viscosity. Minimal head formation and carbonation. Intense aroma of brandy and graham cracker sweetness. Lots of brown sugar, molasses, and chocolate, too. Maybe some marshmallow on the palate along with the graham cracker. A bit of a S’more thing going on. Quite a bit of brandy and booze as well as a bit of vanilla. Intensely sweet, but I like it.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2012 20:20:00 | More by womencantsail

VaTechHopHead

California

4.4/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Used to have 2 bottles of this but I drove my beer across the country when I relocated to San Diego and one broke and the other leaked because of the altitude going over the Rocky Mountains....so I drank the leaky bottle immediately.

A - Looks like dark lord but maybe has a thinner head that doesn't last long at all (probably because it leaked and lost a lot of carbonation).

S - Still has the subtle aroma of dark lord, lots of candied marshmallow, dark chocolate, a mystery cherry-like aroma but a ton of sweet brandy and hint of woodiness from the barrels. Very enticing.

T - The brandy is present right from the beginning with a sweet candied sugar flavor with a tart woody flavor with a nice boozy kick. Some figs, cherries, and dates are present in the middle and finishes with a slight alcoholic burn and fruited brandy warmth.

M/O - Since the bottle leaked it the carbonation is a bit lower which lends to a bit smoother body but the alcohol becomes more present. Overall it's a fantastic beer even with lower carbonation and the brandy treatment does well with the base dark lord. Wish my 2nd bottle didn't break :-(

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2012 03:42:58 | More by VaTechHopHead

cpetrone84

Pennsylvania

3.55/5  rDev -17.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

opaque black, thin bubbly brown head. The nose has a mix of sweet brandy, salted meat, chocolate, and a touch of Bo. The taste is overly sweet of brandy, loads of milk chocolate and vanilla, notes of heat with an off sweaty flavor in back. Full bodied, heavy and oily. The flavor is so sweet and struggles next to the rare.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2012 18:44:03 | More by cpetrone84

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

It is the same very sweet dark lord, same black colour, with a grapey sweet wine dimension. Suddenly it takes on complexity and balanced, and its an imperial stout with something for everybody. One sip its black cherry, the next wine. Ever so drinkable. Smoother mouthfeel.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2012 03:16:39 | More by northyorksammy

dogfishandi

New York

4.48/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

huge thanks to trxxpaxxs for bringing this to our last tasting!

750ml capped and waxed (yellow) bottle. bottle number 56/392. poured into a bruery snifter. served right after the original 2011 DL.

looks identical to the original DL. pitch black with the slightest brown rubiness on the edges. a small dark tan ring of head and some very nice thick, syrupy legs on the glass.

lots of brandy like booze in the aroma. very nice, but it seems to block out a lot of the complexities found in the original DL. still you get a lot of that burnt molasses sugary quality and rum soaked cherries with a bit of earthiness.

similar to the aroma in that the brandy like booze is at the forefront. maybe a bit more balanced than the original. a nice earthy, meaty quality, rum soaked cherries, molasses, burnt sugars, a touch of maple, too many complexities to list...

thick, viscous body, just like the original, minimal carbonation.

this was quite a treat considering the rareness and all, but i think i almost prefer the original. the brandy like booze was very nice, but seem to block out all the complexities that ive come to love in DL. still all that great residual, sugary sweetness.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2012 00:30:13 | More by dogfishandi

mdfb79

New York

4.3/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

From 01/14/12 notes. Tried it side by side with the base beer and the other three variants with some friends. I liked this version the fourth best, after the Vanilla Brandy, PVW, and normal 2010 DL.

a - Pours a pitch black color with one inch of dark tan head and low carbonation evident. Looks like the normal version and all the other variants.

s - Smells of brandy, roasted malts, alcohol, sweet dark fruits, oak, dark chocolate, and toasted malts. Nose is definitely good, but no where near the others. A little more alcohol here, and no real vanilla. Nice though.

t - Tastes of brandy, sweet chocolate, roasted malts, sweet dark fruits, oak, dark chocolate, toasted malts. Taste is nice and sweet, and better than the nose.

m - Full bodied stout and low carbonation. Body is thick and creamy; pretty perfect for a big RIS.

o - Overall I thought this was still a nice RIS. I think this one has a little more prominent alcohol, but the taste is very nice. Would still like to have it again.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2012 03:12:06 | More by mdfb79

yourefragile

District of Columbia

3.85/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle shared by Mr. Thorpe, sampled alongside the other Dark Lord variations.

Pours a dark brown, near black with a thin light tan head. Sweet and fruity aroma, with dark fruit, sugar and brandy, slightly thin and underwhelming. Full and thick body with low carbonation and strong brandy presence in the finish. Flavor is improved from the aroma, but still with the Muerta as the weakest of the variations. Chocolate with light coffee, but most of the Dark Lord flavors are missing from this...

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2012 16:26:48 | More by yourefragile

drabmuh

Maryland

3.58/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to Thorpe for providing this at the tasting. Served in a Dark Lord snifter because I can, worst of the bunch by far in my opinion.

Beer is brown with a thin, lazy nearly non existent head, small bubbles, low carbonation, no lacing, low retention.

Aroma is sweet, metallic, I suppose that liquor aroma is brandy.

Beer is sweet but has this penny like flavor to it that pulls me out of the beer briefly, the brandy is fine but the Dark Lord is muddled by it. My least favorite of the variants.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2012 05:30:50 | More by drabmuh

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

4.43/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Barrel-Aged Dark Lord tasting! Thanks to all the guys in the tasting group who helped make this happen.

The beer is dark brown, nearing black with a thin, beige head. The aroma is really nice, offering dark, roasted malts, brandy, sweet malt, dark fruits, alcohol. Great flavor. Super smooth. Complex, wonderful, delicious. Full bodied with relatively low carbonation. Overall, an awesome beer. So glad for the opportunity to sample this.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2012 00:42:21 | More by Huhzubendah

TheGordianKnot

Tennessee

3.9/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Shared at the Atlanta tasting with all 4 BA variants and 04-11 DL. Reviewing from notes.

A- What a surprise, it's black! Again, not much of a head, just a few dark brown bubbles.

S- Sweet cookies fresh out of the oven. Fig and other dark fruits- plum mostly. Toffee and caramel with some chocolate. Finishes with some light grape aroma, assuming that to be a nice contribution from the brandy.

T- Smooth, very smooth! Again, sweet overall flavor with a more pronounced alcohol flavor from brandy that adds incredible sweet complexity. Dark fruits like cherries, plums, and even black raspberry? Finishes with a little roasty chocolate. Full body, no carbonation, but this one does come off creamy, unlike the Muerta.

O- Good beer, not amazing and not worth price. This was 3rd favorite for myself and most at the tasting. Brandy really brought out some dark fruits.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2012 15:59:38 | More by TheGordianKnot

HugeMidget

Indiana

5/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Tasted this at the 3Floyds 15th anniversary party, poured into a tasting glass by a very generous random stranger.

Appearance - Black as pitch, no light gets through at all. A very thin, mocha brown head dissipates quickly.

Smell - Amazing. Chocolate, coffee, toffee, brandy, caramel, cherries.

Taste - So smooth. Coffee and chocolate up front immediately. Dark stone fruits, malt, and enough hop and coffee bitterness balance out the sweetness. The oak and brandy from the barrel have really smoothed this beer out, much more than I would have imagined possible. Easily the most amazingly balanced and delicious beer I have ever had.

Mouthfeel - Full, luscious, and perfect. Normally, Dark Lord is quite heavy in the mouth early in it's vintage, but apparently the brandy barrel's oak and leftover brandy has worked some magic on it. It's insanely drinkable and not at all syrupy like the regular, young Dark Lord tends to be.

Overall - My friend and I both purchased a bottle, thinking that it would be great trade bait and never thinking we'd actually taste it. It couldn't possibly be worth the money we'd payed, and there was no way it could live up the hype. We were both wrong. This is easily the best RIS, and possibly the best beer I've ever had.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2012 00:12:20 | More by HugeMidget

vissai

California

3.98/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

This was my offering. Had it side by side with Wooden Hell and BA Hi-Fi Rye.

A: One of the darkest beers I have ever seen poured, very oily looking and slick. Almost no head. A quick twirl of the glass wakes up a little creamy froth.

S: I think the smell was my least favorite part of this beer. At first, I got bretty notes and I thought the beer might have been infected. After a few swirls, the nose opened up to a very roasted smell. The brandy wasn't that easy to find. The smell of the Brandy Vanilla Dark Lord I had had a month ago was far better than this one.

T: Taste was better than the nose. Very sweet and border line cloying but not in a bad way. The sweetness revealed the brandy and all the dark fruit. Think raisens and prunes marinated in port wine. The more it warmed up the more sweetness it lost and the more dark fruit and brandy you could taste. Compared to the Brandy Vanilla, this one tasted a lot for like the base Dark Lord.

M: Very nice and typical of the class. The 15%abv was very well hidden and not a problem at all. No complaints about mouthfeel.

O: A good beer but its interesting how much difference vanilla makes. The Brandy Vanilla in my opinion was way better and a lot more enjoyable. I think the vanilla does wonders in balancing out the sweetness of the beer. If you are trading for one go with the Brandy Vanilla. I wish they made all of the brandy versions with vanilla

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2011 18:38:47 | More by vissai

spdyfire83

Ireland

4.22/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

37th Review
Bottle to snifter.
Bottle 346/392

Thanks to being in the right place at the right time and asking a question. Epic!

L: Deep brown – almost opaque, but you can see half way in. No head on medium pour.

S: Vibrant, well-balanced smells of figs, oak, and dark chocolate. All of these “smells” are overshadowed by a sweet brandy scent as the glass is swirled around.

T: Sweet and boozy with a complex balance of dark fruit (figs, raisin, etc.). Not overly powering in any aspect, but evenly mellow all throughout.

M: Full bodied and in-your-face, but good.

O: The slight hint of alcohol coming off the nose warmed my soul and I was a bit reluctant about being able to enjoy this beer before my first sip; however, the balance of dark fruit and semi-sweet chocolate added to the overall enjoyment of this experience. The booze in this was just right!

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2011 05:53:23 | More by spdyfire83

Florida9

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev -18.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Black and viscous, though this variant actually managed to form something resembling a head: Dark tan bubbles. However, they don't stick around for long and soon there is nothing.

S: An aggressive boozyness is immediately apparent and does not fade. Raisin and roasted malts attempt to come through, but the alcohol wins out.

T: Sweet and malty. Brown sugar, molasses, dark roasted mlat, cocoa, and some light chocolate notes. However, much like the aroma, there is a strong boozy quality that makes it's presence known.

M: Thick and full bodied. Low carbonation level, but this one had the most carbonation out of all of the DL variants. Alcoholic heat actually burns on the tongue and lips.

O: Drinkable, but not overly so. Less complex than the other variants and certainly the booziest of the bunch. The brandy barrel did not do anything for this beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2011 01:56:22 | More by Florida9

iadler

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev -13.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Third DL varient we tried at our tasting. Thanks to spdyfire83 for bringing this surprise! Poured into my snifter. Bottle #346/392

A- Pours a typical DL with some rising carbonation creating a small mocha head. No lacing left behind.

S- Some oak, roasted malt, brandy, and a bit of chocolate. Nice, but the least complex aroma out of the four varieties with it being pretty booze forward.

T- Brown sugar, brandy, oak, some dark fruits with plumb and fig, roasted malt.

M- Medium body and low carbonation. Syrupy mouthfeel that finishes very boozy and dry.

O- I thought this was the sweetest and most boozy DL It's straight forward and the brandy is very noticeable, but not as complex as the other DL's.

Thanks again Bryan!

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2011 21:19:42 | More by iadler

coreyfmcdonald

Georgia

4.03/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Tried next to the other three versions and all the years of the normal version.

A: Black with just a bit of light dark head.

S: Sweet chocolate with strong brandy smell. Brandy smell is a bit strong for me, but overall very good.

T: Strong brandy flavor with vanilla, chocolate, and slight roast/coffee flavor.

M: Like the other DLs, thick, light carbonation. Very nice.

O: Good - but, the brandy flavor is a bit strong for me. It's a bit distracting, and leads to a beer that is a bit hot.

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2011 00:00:54 | More by coreyfmcdonald