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

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

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

Thorpe429

Illinois

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

Bottle #369/392. Consumed at Sean's 30th Birthday Party Extravaganza. Served in a Three Floyds / Intelligentsia snifter.

Pours like black motor oil. What else would you expect from anything related to Dark Lord? A nice dark tan head rises up and falls fairly quickly, leaving behind a few legs. Thin collar throughout. The nose carries a fairly hefty amount of brandy as well as a decent amount of accompanying booze. Lots of sweetness and chocolate plus some coffee. This smells exactly like you'd imagine Dark Lord with Brandy would. Well-integrated, though not mind blowing.

The flavor is better than the smell, though still not world class. The brandy takes a prominent role, and the taste isn't quite as boozy as the nose was. Chocolate and some dark fruits are there as well as some slight coffee. Full and thick feel with a nice brandy presence in the finish. Low carbonation. Really a nice beer that comes together well.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2011 15:53:58 | More by Thorpe429

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

MasterSki

Illinois

4.38/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Big thanks to Michael Thorpe for sharing this one at Sean's 30th Birthday Party. Served in a plastic cup. Bottle #369 of 392.

A - Well, this one is a little more carbonated than the Brandy Vanilla Bean version. The quarter-finger of tan foam settles to a persistent tan ring and leaves behind spotty lace. Otherwise it's largely the same in appearance.

S - Without the vanilla beans to obscure things, the sweet brandy aroma comes out a lot more. It integrates quite well with the chocolate, caramel, and molasses flavors in the base beer. There's perhaps a light touch of oak and a hint of booze in there as well.

T - Taste is also quite good, with more espresso and roast bitterness than the vanilla bean version. Brandy is present, but never overwhelms. Nice balance and integration of flavors, with shocking well-hidden alcohol

M - Copied from the last review - "Pretty low carbonation, and this is unsurprisingly sticky, viscous, and full-bodied. Some light warmth in the finish, but otherwise the alcohol is very well-hidden, particularly as this must approach 16-17 after the barrel-aging."

D - Not as good as the vanilla bean version, but still highly enjoyable nonetheless. I keep having to remind myself that this is an excellent beer in and of its own right, but just not a world-class one.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2011 17:56:34 | More by MasterSki

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

HopHead84

California

4.38/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

8/12/2011

Big thanks to Michael for sharing this. We tried all four barrel aged versions side by side as well as the 2010 regular version.

A: Black with a small tan head. Looks a lot like Dark Lord.

S: Nice brandy profile with a little red apple. Brown sugar melds with prominent dark chocolate notes. Oak and a little vanilla.

T: Rich brown sugar dark chocolate with a nice sweet brandy profile. Notes of molasses blend with fainter notes of vanilla. Very sweet, as is to be expected. Finish is drying.

M: Thick and viscous with a full body and an upper low level of carbonation.

Overall: I liked this almost as much as the Vanilla Brandy. Very enjoyable. Recommended.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2011 19:42:14 | More by HopHead84

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

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

largadeer

California

4.28/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Thanks, Michael!

Pretty standard Dark Lord appearance here, pouring a very viscous black. The head rises and falls pretty quickly, though the beer appears to be nicely carbonated.

Smells like sweet, syrupy brandy -bals, molasses, milk chocolate, dried dark fruit. Quite good, but actually a bit mild compared to the vanilla brandy version, which knocks your teeth in with aroma and flavor. There's a bit of oxidation that takes form in port-like notes, and overall a touch more fruitiness than I noticed in other versions of Dark Lord.

Taste is a step up from the mild aroma. Chocolate syrup and molasses, dark fruit, brandy, a touch of drying oak. Sweet but not cloying, and not boozy. A little meaty/leathery oxidation, at a pleasant low level. Lingers for quite a while on the palate, though it's not a bitter beer by any stretch.

This version was quite good, but not as good as vanilla brandy or Pappy bourbon.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2011 16:46:20 | More by largadeer

TurdFurgison

Ohio

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

Bottle generously provided by thorpe429 (thanks Mike!) at our BA Dark Lord tasting at Sean's. Bottle number 369.

This pours black and thick, like all Dark Lords. This had a nice brandy aroma, plus all the usual aromas I associate with Dark Lord (chocolate, very sweet malts, dark fruits). I'd say they hit the target in terms of brandy aging, it smells exactly as you'd expect (something I can't really say for the Muerte version).

It tastes exactly as it smells, definitely good but not out-of-this world. I much preferred the flavor of the brandy vanilla bean version, but still this was nice. Very sweet, not exactly hot in the aftertaste (as it might have been), well integrated brandy flavors.

I'd place this as 3rd best among the 2011 BA bottles, behind Brandy Vanilla and PVW. Very glad to try it though.

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2011 21:43:54 | More by TurdFurgison

AgentZero

Illinois

4.58/5  rDev +6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Big thanks to Thorpe for sharing this at Sean's 30th Birthday Extravaganza! Bottle #369 of 392.

A - Similar look to most Dark Lords. Black beer with a brown head. Head rose up decently well and left some minor spots on the sides.

S - The brandy aging on this is a nice change from the bourbon barrel RIS's I'm used to. Nice sweet brandy melds well with the rest of the Dark Lord goodness. Chocolate, espresso, little roast, molasses and some wood. Very nice.

T - Love the taste on this one. The brandy has a sharper sweetness to it than bourbon, and only the slightest hint of booze. I surrounds the basic and very big Dark Lord taste nicely, and adds a lot of surprising depth and complexity.

M - Lower carbonation, very full bodied.

O - Really good, it was a toss-up between this and the PVW Dark Lord for my favorite, but have to go with this one. Wish I had more.

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2011 04:32:07 | More by AgentZero

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

Sean9689

Illinois

4.3/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle #369/392 generously shared by Mike (Thorpe429) at my 30th Birthday Party Extravaganza. Poured into a taster.

A - Looks like Dark Lord. Black, tan mocha-colored head, thin collar, no whips, spotty lace, some bubbles here and there.

S - Smells boozy, barrel, slight apples, molasses sweetness, caramel. Very rich and sweet with a nice smooth booze that's not overpowering at all. The age has really smoothed things out.

T - Tastes like Dark Lord with Brandy, who would have guessed? Chocolate, barrel, booze, caramel notes, brandy. Very straight forward. As it warmed, the alcohol picked up a little, but for 15% it's still very well hidden.

M - Feels like Dark Lord. Full, rich, viscous, creamy, really a big one.

O - This was very smooth, rich, and enjoyable. The brandy notes complimented the Dark Lord well, which has smoothed out with the age on the base beer. Hope to try this one again in the future!

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2011 21:48:07 | More by Sean9689

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

yeahnatenelson

Illinois

4/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Green Lion - 2011 BA Dark Lord Voltron Tasting, 07/15/2011.

Appearance -- Pours a deep dark brown - nearly black - with chestnut highlights and almost no head. Good color.

Smell -- Lots of dark fruit/vinous flavors brought out by the brandy barrel treatment. Not much of the roast malt, chocolate, and coffee flavors that are so present in Dark Lord. The brandy seems to mask these and at the same time accentuates the candied dark fruit notes of the base beer. Still, high points for not smelling harshly of spirits or being totally overwhelmed with brandy like every other brandy BA treatment I've had at the pub.

Taste -- Chocolate and roast malt are now more present, along with some faint coffee flavor. Brandy is very present, as well strong vinous/candied fruit malt notes. It lacks the complexity of the vanilla bean version, but much better than anticipated.

Mouthfeel -- Incredibly smooth-drinking: full-bodied, soft carbonation. There is zero alcohol burn, but a gentle warming of the throat that. Best of the BA Dark Lord verisons, but a great barrel-aged stout mouthfeel any way you cut it.

Overall -- This was the definitive loser of the barrel-aged Dark Lord versions, which really speaks more to how strong all of the offerings were than to this version specifically. Nice in that it took a lot of barrel character from the brandy casks but wasn't overwhelmed by it, but so dark fruit-forward that it seems ho-hum in comparison - vanilla beans make a world of difference.

While I'm incredibly grateful that I got to drink all of the Dark Lord versions side-by-side, I would've loved to have compared this with Christian Brothers Eclipse.

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2011 02:17:48 | More by yeahnatenelson

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

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