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

nvsblman

Arizona

5/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Pours a DARK black, no light is getting through this one! Very viscous, with a thick, pillowy, coffee brown head. The aroma, wow, coffee, raisins, fruit, nuts, alcohol, molasses, roasted malt. The aroma alone is worth getting ahold of one of these. So many flavors too! Chocolate, toasted nuts, dark cherries, coffee, vanilla, raisins. The roasted flavors just hang around in your mouth long after swallowing it. The fruitiness seemed to intensify as it warmed. Full bodied and creamy, almost like a milkshake.

This is one excellent beer that I hope I can get more of in the future.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2005 16:57:31 | More by nvsblman

Billolick

New York

5/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

What can be added about this one? Sampled at the Blind Tiger thanks to Mike/eyedrinkale. Pours coal Black with a creamy darkest of tans head. Creamy, rich and milkshake like in mouthfeel. Loads of flavor bursting onto the palate. Coffee, chocolate, raisins, figs, burnt fruits. Complex, bold, flavorful...simply world class....wonderfully dark, thick and sludgy. Wish I could get my hands on more of this stuff!

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2005 03:09:52 | More by Billolick

nlmartin

Ohio

5/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Poured from the bottle into a wide mouthed twenty ounce goblet.

Appearance: This beer poured blacker than black. Did I mention the beer was black with no opaqueness to light. The head was about two fingers with reverse cascading. The head was colored a lightly creamed coffee coloration. Webs of lacing remained on the glass. This is one sexy beer.

Smell: The beer truly is a melange of smells. Chocolate and heavily roasted to a crisp coffee via for dominance. The eddies of fruity goodness play throughout the beer. Cherries dipped in rum and chocolate. play with currants and dates and other assorted berries. I know I missed alot on the intial drinking and will try again latter.

Taste: The Dark Lord is really really bad! The taste lives up to the smell. Loads of chared to a crisp coffee and chocolate lead the charge. There is a harsh but not unpleasant spiceyness to the beer. There is a massive amount of fruity goodness floating in the beer. Dam this is the shit!

Mouthfeel/ Drinkability: This beer is incredible. Chewy doesnt even beging to describe the thickness of the mouthfeel. This coats your mouth to the point where almost nothing else could get through. Drinkability is really dam near perfect. There is enough sweetness and bitterness to keep your attention. This beer is everything I have heard it was and then some. I have at last met my Overlord.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2006 17:50:01 | More by nlmartin

TastyTaste

Minnesota

5/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Appearance: Dark black/brown, but that is to be expected. Head is large, sticky, tan and well laced.

Smell: Dark, chocolate, very bitter and sharp smelling, excellent.

Taste: Sharp at first, but not raw. Bitter dark chocolate, strong coffee assaults the mouth, bolstered by a strong vinous/alcohol aspect. Leaves you exhausted and contemplative after every sip. Fantastic, what a Imperial Stout should taste like.

Mouthfeel: Thick and full, oily, mouth coating.

Drinkability: It's hard to find a fault in this beer, worth the hype, worth saving for my 1000th beer reviewed. A huge thanks to OldFrothingSlosh for hooking me up with one of the best beers anywhere.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2006 18:26:09 | More by TastyTaste

mynie

Indiana

5/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Cut to a street corner. Early morning. Two children waiting for a school bus. This could be your street corner. These could be your children.

Little Billy wears a pair of denim shorts cut off just below the knee, a white T-shirt announcing his membership in Little League, and a ball cap. His pal, Little Andy, is a bit rough around the edges—his shirt is worn, and he has decided to wait for the bus without the benefit of a hat. Andy is a "cool cat," as the kids say, the worst kind of ruffian—the kind that makes horseplay and delinquency seem like the "hip" thing to do.

"Hey," says Andy. Billy knows that Andy's about to say something real "keen."

"What?"

"You ever felt like a real man before?"

A strange question to you or I, but Billy knows that Andy's leading somewhere, Billy can tell that he should answer honestly.

"Once, when my dad took me fishin'."

"Ahh, no. None of that. I mean a *real man*. You ever felt like one of those?"

"I—I guess not."

There's a sound, a familiar sneeipt that Billy's heard several times before. It's an adult sound, a sound he knows he shouldn't ever hear, but he wants so bad to impress Andy he doesn't seem afraid.

Andy takes a slurp of a can of Budweiser's "Light" brand beer and, making a face, hands the can over to Billy. Billy doesn't think. The can's in his hand and it's nothing but a silver and blue flash up to his mouth, the taste of stale bread and his grandfather's breath. He coughs, but sucks some down, and then hands the can back to Andy. Yes, now he is a real "home dog," he's ready to start skate boarding and listening to R and B music.

But wait…Andy's looking in the other direction, his mouth open like a hungry dog. Billy turns his head to see what Andy's looking at and—oh no, it can't be! But yes it is. First it's a dot, and then it's a blob, and then, oh god and then marching towards them big as life and sure and hell it's none other than "Mean" Joe Green, and he is one bad dude.

Andy falls over and starts crying. Billy keeps looking at the ground. He can't move. Mean Joe's getting closer and closer and he can't move, he can't run, he can't do anything but shake. All he wanted was to be cool, and now look at him. Mean Joe gets so close his shadow blocks out all the sunlight. Billy starts to tremble, to squeak out a plea.

"P-p-please Mean Joe. Please don't murder me!"

Mean Joe laughs.

"Murder you? On the football field, maybe. What I want to know is, why do you childrens think that drinking Bud Light's gonna make you real men?"

"I just did what Andy did. He's radical."

"Well, he don't look radical to me."

Billy looked down. Andy was covered in vomit, was passed out mumbling like a drowned nun.

"Gee, I guess you're right."

Mean Joe laughs, again, reaches inside his pants and pulls out a mysterious, wax-covered bottle.

"Here, he says, if you wanna be a *real* man, drink one of these."

"I will, Mean Joe. I will."

Billy didn't go to school that day, nor did he try and wake up Andy. Instead, he went behind a shed to look at his new bottle. I found him there, and I hit him over the head with a pipe to steal his bottle of Dark Lord. Seriously, a kid isn't gonna like this.

It's too dark, for one. The head is little and brown which is pretty remarkable considering the massive amount of alcohol in this—but what's really on display here is the darkness. Think about the time before you were born and that's Dark Lord.

We're raised to appreciate two kinds of goodness in the worlds of taste and of smell. There's the natural and the artificial. Cherry Jolly Ranchers taste good, and so do real cherries, even if they don't taste anything alike. This is a combination of the best natural, earthen, fruity, and grainy smells you've ever come across, along with the best unnatural, chemical smells.

Kids don't know the smells of unprocessed molasses, burnt grain, or wood smoke. This would seem like a medicine chest mixed with a cookie jar mixed with a walk in a field—one whiff could scar a kid for life.

Too much complexity. On the very tip of the tongue it tastes like a dark wine, then it gets bittersweet, like fire roasted grain, browning apples, and molasses, then it gets regular sweet, like half-dark chocolate and a café mocha, and then it gets a little zippy, like Belgian alcohol and yeast. That's—that's like you're falling down a hill of flavor and then you climb it back up again, from the valley of the alcohol, into the sweet, and then into the bittersweet, and then into the wine. Giving this to a child would be like giving them a bar of acid and taking them to Disneyland. Nothing would ever make them feel happy again, ever.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2006 04:26:57 | More by mynie

bradford

California

5/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Thanks a million to mynie for this trade
Tasted on 5/11 with three friends and neighbors
Well I finally found my perfect 5. This beer was incredible, and I thought it lived up to all the hype surrounding it. I have been reading that the 07 has too much sediment and you don't get a full beer, but my bottle was perfectly fine. This stuff is so viscous it is nuts. I wanted to really savor the bottle, but everyone wanted another sip right away so the glass only lasted about 15 minutes. Amazing. My roommate and I giggled like little girls the whole time we were drinking.

Awesome beer

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2007 15:16:38 | More by bradford

orfeu

New Mexico

5/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

2005 bottling, sealed with bright orange wax. Acquired courtesy of a trade with dmeadows -- many thanks.

Tenebrous pitch. Inky black with a scorched mocha froth head. Vinous blackberry, smoky cocoa powder, molten chocolate brandy, and fresh roasted espresso aromas. Incredibly intense flavor: dark fruits at first, with bourbon-soaked Bing cherries and stewed plums predominating; then firmly bitter dark chocolate, at once smooth and bitingly sharp; finally, an unbelievably long finish of roasted char and heady dark coffee malevolence. An unvanquishable yet sophisticated alcohol presence lingers throughout the entire sip. The mouthfeel is ponderous and glass-smooth. Overall: paradigmatic. A titan among imperial stouts, the experience truly leaves me in awe.

[Enjoyed while repeatedly listening to Soulreaper's "Written In Blood" as a tribute to the most evocative review of Dark Lord ever written -- a review that is, sadly, no longer available for us to read.]

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2007 04:16:34 | More by orfeu

bassmantin

Illinois

5/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Thanks to iconoklaztor for letting me taste this. What an epic event.

Smell is very very sweet. Reminds me of the Sam Adams Triple Bock. I know that sounds weird, but it's very sweet. The sweetness is incredibly intense and last very long. I like it but the mouthfeel is very intense and sticky. The uniqueness here is in the durability of the taste; it lasts forever.

I'm not blown away, but it's a great beer. A little too sweet for me, but still awesome.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2008 03:53:26 | More by bassmantin

mikesgroove

South Carolina

5/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

So here it is, I finally get to buckle down and try me some Dark Lord! I cannot believe that it has been nearly 1000 reviews and I have yet to try this one. I was able to get a bottle just a few days after DLD, thanks to a most generous trader, so this is the 2008 edition I will be reviewing. The black wax, was nearly impenetrable, but if you use a sharp enough opener will come off rather quickly. Served at 55 degrees, into an oversized wine glass, I was expecting perfection.

Appearance - The pour was thick, like sludge coming out of the bottle, gurgling as it hit the mouth of the bottle and smashing down into the glass. This was the thickest, darkest of blacks imaginable, it was like a black hole to which no light can escape. Very nice to behold. A smallish, maybe an inch high of rich, dark chocolate colored foam came over the top, giving a nice cascading look to it. Very interesting actually as it appeared to rise up out of nowhere as the liquid itself was so dark and thick that no carbonation could be seen. Some of the stickiest side glass lace I have ever seen, with just web upon web all over the place. This was a monster indeed.

Smell - Hard to put into words how good this smelled. It was a thick aroma, and very sweet. Lots of molasses coming though right away, but very dark, evil smelling. Coffee all over this as well, which surprised me as I did not think there would be as much. Touches of chocolate, but just barely, maybe some dark fruit, but hardly, this was immense in every way. Notes of bourbon come through after it warms, and I find myself sitting in the chair just swirling it around the glass, really just breathing it all in. This was fantastic.

Taste - The flavor followed suit beautifully. Rich coffee flavored molasses just washed over the tongue, well sticks to it is a more apt word, but we will get to that later. Amazingly complex it is hard to really imagine what this one tastes like unless you are actually having it. Nice notes of dark chocolate come through along with a touch of wood flavors. Warming it up brings out lots of oak, and a great hint of vanilla. This is one amazing beer, it is hard to believe that I waited this long to try this one. The finish was just as good as the start and went a little like this: As soon as the last dropped falls from the tongue you get a quick little bite of hops, small, but enough to give the start a bitter touch, this falls off and is replaced by a thick taste of coffee and bourbon, which themselves back off and leave your mouth begging for that flavor, but instead deliver a touch of vanilla, and then the warming starts from the inside. Truly remarkable.

Mouthfeel - This is where I want to comment the most on, but with the fewest words necessary. This was the thickest, smoothest, chewiest, most filling beer I have ever had. It gives a whole new meaning to the term full bodied. This was like a milk shake it was soo big. I was blown away from the first sips that it was a s thick as it was. Unimaginable smooth, as I was enjoying every sip a bit more then the one before it. Truly breathtaking.

Drinkability - For what it is, and for 13%v it was extraordinary. It was soo smooth, and sure you could pick up a little of the alcohol in it, but damn, maybe if it was like 8%, this was ridiculous. So much punch packed into such a delicious package, amazing really..

Overall I have to be honest here. I have in the past commented on how things get too hyped up and there are just as good if not better stouts out there to try. I will now eat my words. This was seriously insane in how good it was. I don't really know where it could have been possibly improved on. I would gladly stand in line for 1 hours in the cold for this one. It really is that good. I am very glad I finally got to try and review this one, it made my whole night. Simply put this is the stout to beat. It really does live up to the hype.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2008 15:05:08 | More by mikesgroove

RixBeer

Massachusetts

5/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

2008 bottle. Stood in line for 3-1/2 hours for it.

Pours a black that light can not penetrate. It is a black hole sucking up light around it, it's so black. This is real motor oil looking. Pours out the same way oil looks when you pour it into your engine. Creamy chestnut brown head faded very quickly into a thin ring along the edge. There's no lacing but you can tell by the smell that the molasses is gonna stick to everything!

There's a great smell of molasses and dark chocolate, plum, cinnamon, a hint of cherry and there is absolutely no coffee at all. You can also smell the 13% and it does smell amazingly delicious with all that sweetness coming up with it. This is the big boy of sippers.

This beer is not for the faint of heart. you have to really be a serious Russian Imperial Stout lover to drink this beer. It's as if someone angel had added steroids to a regular RIS recipe. Yes I said angel. This beer is how WE SHOULD ALL KNOW god exists and he wants us to be happy.

Huge sweet molasses, caramel, dark bitter sweet chocolate up front, plum?/prune?, honey somewhere in the middle along with more chocolate (like frosting) and bourbon soaked cherry in the middle-end with a huge bite of sticky-gooey molasses in the very back of this bad ass MFer! Wow. And Wow again. So F'N good.

This beer is surprising smooth for such a big hitter. It's not completely full bodied but it's very close. I think it's a good thing because being just shy of full bodied may be why this is drinkable. It does feel like it has some thickness to it that can't easily be split up even in your mouth. It's what I imagined the feel (not taste) of motor oil would be.

This beer is way to drinkable. And that's both a problem and a good thing. It's a problem because this beer isn't available on your corner at your local store. So you savor each and every bottle and each and every sip, to the last drop. It's limited production is what makes this beer amazing. See if I could buy this beer regularly, I'd want to drink it every day. I'd also want a steak and a huge piece of chocolate cake to help me get my fix.

This beer is way too damn good! It's like crack but in beer form. You just can't get enough. And as soon as it's gone, You want more, and more, and more.

Can't wait for this one to mature in my cellar. Man I'm already thinking of how to plan my next trip to DLD. This beer is top notch! Thank you Three Floyds! mmm mmm good!

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2008 02:50:23 | More by RixBeer

rye726

Colorado

5/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

'08

Nothing short of one of the best beers in the world. Pours a thick, oilish black with a creamy espresso head. Not the best retention, but exquisite color and dense viscosity more than makes up for it.

The nose has dark malts, fudge, coffee, molasses, anise, caramel, dark pitted fruits and dank hops.

The taste is the perfect blend of sweet, bitter and roasted flavors. Vast complexity yet superb balance.

Possibly the thickest beer I have ever had. So much going on, but nothing out of place. The epitome of artisinal brewing.

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2008 02:30:29 | More by rye726

BMoney575

Michigan

5/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Sampled on 1-16-09
2008 Vintage
Reviewed from notes.

A: Super oily and black, with a thin head that coates the glass with a thin, yellow layer.

S: Surprisingly old, tons of oak, smoke, anise, and molasses. Thick and crazy complex, probably the best smelling beer ever.

T: Wow. This beer is only 9 months old but tastes like it's been aging for years. Oak all over the place, followed by a sweet, almost fruity quality. Hugely malty and yeasty, big in every way. Different than any other RIS I've had.

M: Low carbonation, thick and syrupy, coats the glass and the palate.

D: Insanely good for such an extreme beer, the flavors are just so addicting.

My first and only 5.0 rated beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2009 21:38:39 | More by BMoney575

razorsdescent

Pennsylvania

5/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Ive been eager to review/drink this highly touted brew for years now. For christmas my GF presented me with a bottle.

I finally got around to trying it and i was most certainly impressed.

A- It poured thick and dark black with a great chocolate head that looked thick and creamy.

S- Cherries covered in dark belgian chocolate rich and deep aromas abound.

T- Big malty chocolate cake with hints of toffee, coffee clove and dark fruits. a very slight hint of soy sauce but in a pleasing way.

M- Thick and creamy with a flavor that coats the mouth. it really is a dessert in a bottle.

D- If it was possible to give it a 6 out of 5 on this on drinkability i would. there are many stouts out there but none quite like this. i would drink this until the morning light and then just keep on.

Believe the hype on this one it really is an extraordinary beer. if you cant find the dark lord i would however recommend chokolat stout from southern tier as i believe it to be almost as good.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2009 22:38:23 | More by razorsdescent

Beerkovich

Illinois

5/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

2009 vintage (white wax)

My 40th bottle of Dark Lord in the last 4 years...it's about time I review this beer!

Appearance: Dump it vigorously into a cabernet glass and sit back and admire...wait a second...the bottle description wasn't lying--the incendiary head suddenly materializes out of empty space like a backdraft. Close-ups of this would make for a nice series on the Discovery channel. Markedly less head retention than the '08, as the mocha froth ultimately dissipates to an obsidian reflection of myself. Scary stuff. Looks like India ink, fading to burnt umber when you tip the glass in the light, and glowing red at the edges. Rock it back and forth and watch the wake of tiny red bubbles vanish into the black abyss.

Nose: Beguiling, mysterious, intriguing, beckoning, impossible, singular, addictive...smells like?...?.?..Dark Lord I guess. I like to swirl and smell this beer about 12 times before each sip, because it's a way of trying to understand the staggering complexity of this beer without losing any of it to your belly. It's very dense, and difficult to pull out specific aromas...cool coffee and juicy Floydian hops when it's cold--not unlike the new '09 Behemoth barley wine. As it warms to cellar temperature, you start to get more of the ripe dark fruit--cherry, plum, currant, whatever you want to call it--dipped in chocolate and molasses of course.

Flavor: Not unlike the aroma--tight and complex. This beer reminds me of a slowly braised meat, where a handful of awesome ingredients are slowly cooked together for hours until the end result is so integrated and the whole is entirely greater than the sum of its parts. In past DL vintages, you literally tasted a blast of hops, or coffee, or a metallic tinge, sticky caramel, or blatant cherries....here it's more of a nuanced enigma. And I don't mean this in a bad way. Choco-but-not-too-choco-latey-covered cherry-ish molassified espresso beanery port-like black tea roasted barley balsamic reduction??? Only thing lacking compared to previous vintages is a slight 'char' on the finish...but I don't even care.

Mouthfeel: Better than ever! The quick-fading head made me think they went back to '07 sludge-like texture....but NO! The carbonation is there, in perfect amount. The beer is just as heavy as its reputation now demands, but somehow it's smoother than ever...no sticky brown film on the glass, no mud at the bottom of the bottle, and no lump in your throat after the sip. It has shedded some excess fat. It's lean and trim, but still boasts the muscularity, power, and complexity it always had. Unreal.

Drinkability: You can drink a full bottle of this [slowly] before bed with some good music or a good movie, or you can split it with three friends on the back porch. But since this beer is meant to be sipped, savored, and pondered over, it is not 'drinkable' in the case-race sense. I do think it is perfectly drinkable in terms of its unique velvety texture and its impressive balance of complex flavors, always leaving you wanting another sip, and sad when it's all gone. Can't wait to try this one in a few months, or in 2014.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2009 05:45:16 | More by Beerkovich

raninator84

Ohio

5/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A finer Imperial Stout? I know not!

2009 Bottle poured into a thick walled Chalice. Oh how the Czars would envy me.
Pours a deep black profuse sludge as if the Dark Lord himself has awakened from a slumber of centuries past. Already I can smell the scent of deep roasted malts, coffee, smoked embers, and nutmeg. The lacing clinging to the walls of my glass, but sliding ever so smoothly into the depths of midnight, where light ceases and something a bit abnormal begins. The first sip; smooth, chewy and thick. Perhaps this Lord of Darkness plays well with others? A robust hit of roasted chocolate careens my palate confused as to what it wishes to unleash next. A rush of sweet molasses and plum forces its boldness upon my senses. As the ferocity of the sip hits my palate a hint of nutmeg and cherries sneaks in through the back with hops infused in the grain. A strong but short burst of burnt and smoked woodiness ends atop the alcohol, clearly there can be no more. But the taste lingers and finally rests into a roasted smoked chocolate embrace. It's enough to want to follow the Dark Lord into the underbelly, into the darkside, into the grave. And after sampling the elixir of this Demigod, I must pledge my loyalty to he who is the master of the blackest of nights, the overseer of the underworld of sludge, and the purveyor of all that is "not normal". To the Dark Lord.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2009 06:48:52 | More by raninator84

jim102864

Connecticut

5/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I have never rated a beer so highly. The hype that surrounds it is dead on, my friends. It is New Years Eve, 2009 and I am sipping from a 2008 DL whilest enjoying a roaring fire in my living room in snowy New England. It doesnt get any better than this. The brew: pours thick, oily and dark into my stemmed Leffe Goblet. Having a weak sniffer, I need a big nose (no pun intended) to know i've got something special and I'm so not dissapointed. Dark fruit, raisens, prunes, currents, heavy dark chocolate and molasses all explode from the glass. Deep, dark chocolate, and maybe a hint of coffee with dark molasses sugar. As goes the nose, so goes the taste. Massive and complex, the dark fruit and chocolate bursts all over the pallate and the tongue is coated like heavy maple syrup, only balanced and sweet. This legendary brew boasts complexity like a super computer, yet is so smooth and pleasant to drink. No hop bitterness nor should any be expected, but the alcohol slowly navagates its way past your tongue and down, down, down in a warming yet very evident way. Very viscous and chewy, the mouthfeel is so very warm and inviting. Everything about this brew is warming. I am so fortunate to enjoy something this special in such a special setting. Believe what you've read, and get your hands on DL someday. Cheers everyone and Happy New Year!

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2009 22:07:55 | More by jim102864

revolt914

Colorado

5/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I don't need to go into detail about this beer... it truly does live up to it's hype... I was at a beer tasting today and got a bottle of the 2010 Dark Lord and opened it up and drank a bit and my god... I really haven't tasted anything this amazing. I don't know if this is my favorite beer style or if it's just Three Floyds for being extreme geniuses with beer and flavor. This beer might not be the best thing you've ever had but damn... it truly is the best thing I've tasted to date and I was overly amped to try this and it didn't disappoint and totally lived up to my expectations.

GET THIS BEER AND AT LEAST TRY IT!

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2010 08:24:20 | More by revolt914

oglmcdgl

Pennsylvania

5/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A 08 bottle into a duvel tulip. Had an 08 on with a year on it with some friends. This one is around 2.5 years old.

A- at first the pour is thinner and clearer then I remember and then it starts the motor oil I remember. A finger or so of dark brown creamy head from a hard pour that settles to a solid ring and a few wisps on top. A good swirl brings the cream right back. The body of this monster is nothing less then pitch black, absolutely and completely. It coats the glass like syrup and slowly sheets off.

S- layer on top of layer of chocolate fudge, cocoa powder, dark roasted coffee, brown sugar. Dark fruits and berries deep in there. A touch of warm booze and molasses Simply astounding complexity.

T- unbaked brownie batter licked off the spoon and wash it down with a glass of half espresso and half hersheys chocolate syrup. That's what we've got on our hands here, and I love it. Over ripe dark berries, with a bit of raisins and dates. Molasses and brown sugar. So roasty and sweet at the same time that it completely works. This is a shocking amount of flavor. Just the faintest bit of heat in the way back that I really enjoy, almost reminds me of a chocolate cordial at times. Long slow roasty finish but a clean one, never over baring.

M- thick doesn't begin to tell the story. Absolutely the creamiest chewiest beer I've ever had but its not to much on the palate. Just the smallest bit of creamy carb starts to build and lifts the liquid into a foam that hits every part of your mouth and coats it for a second then slowly recedes leaving only the faintest memory of the motor oil that was once there.

D- for a beer of this stature and depth to be drinkable would be one thing but for it to be one that is a ease to drink is another. I feel like this vintage is the best I've had of the last three years by a long shot. I've never had a beer like this. Of all the monster stouts out there this one takes the cake. Simply the best.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2010 03:06:07 | More by oglmcdgl

funkybuddha

Florida

5/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I'm not one for reviewing, so all of my reviews will be of beers that I really enjoy. After all, I was taught at an early age that if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything. I know this doesn't make for interesting critiques but as a brewer I don't believe in criticizing someone's hard work, especially in a public forum where they can't defend themselves!

That being said, this is one of my all time favorites. I've done a few verticals of this one and feel that a year or two on this one, just takes an already perfect beer to another level. How this is 15% is beyond me. While I can feel if after a glass or three, you can't tell while sipping it. The mouthfeel is what I love the most about this brew. Heavenly. You feel like this one can be poured out and cut with a steak knife. Just pure thick, chewy greatness.

This beer gets an ungodly amount of hype that I feel is worth every word.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2011 22:09:21 | More by funkybuddha

FARGO619

California

5/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A-Amazing bright jet black color. Little head retention. Like a strong coffee and light mocha head.

S- A lot going here. Love the aroma on this beer. Chocolate, hints of vanilla, subtle cherry.

T- Amazing flavor, very complex. Hits every flavor that you could ever want in a imperial stout. Very heavy in dark chocolate and strong coffee. Great taste...love it.

M- Awesome soft mouthfeel on this one. Went down smooth and the flavor is just amazing.

Not one to look out for as a need to have beer, but one I am sure to want to try again.

Serving type: bottle/22oz.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2011 14:13:13 | More by FARGO619

1Adam12

Indiana

5/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

i was going to wait on a promotion to try this, but ah well, theres always Abacus! I know there are the critics, but this was the best stout I've ever had. Review of the 2010 version, brought to you (me) by bringthebail, and 2011 version, brought to you (me again) by Barwfin. 2010 has HUGE bourbon and coffee notes, 2011 not so huge notes. 2010 big bourbon and malt flavors, plus tons of coffee and a bit of chocolate. 2011 was almost more drinkable, yet not quite as good version but, more coffee in the 2010 and I swear there was banana in the 2011. Both were fabulous, smooth, lightly carbonated, and just downright awesome in mouthfeel. Best beer I've ever had. Lives up to the hype for sure. 2010 was different than 2011, neither was better, just different. No trace of the alcohol content in either version. Both were awesome in there own way. 2010 was more pronounced in flavors. My favorite beer at this point in my life.

Edit: Everybody seems to say "Alcohol" taste, but I swear it was bourbon. It doesn't say bourbon aged, but it's in there.

Serving type: bottle

06-30-2011 21:56:46 | More by 1Adam12

funkyaudio

Illinois

5/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

2011 vintage.
Had on tap the day after DLD 2011

Aromas of leather, tobacco, port, honey and dark fruits. Sweet, super rich and decadent. Palate is dominated by dark fruits and a port like sweetness but with just enough tar and roast to balance. Viscous and oily body. Alcohol only hits you in the chest, overall for 15% this is incredibly smooth. A fantastic RIS, didn’t disappoint

Serving type: on-tap

08-04-2011 14:00:57 | More by funkyaudio

jcartamdg

Florida

5/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Pours a thick pitch black appearance with a two finger mocha head, looks amazing! Aroma of chocolate, coffee, sweet fruits and alcohol. Reminds me more of a port than a beer but it's a good thing that I love ports. Taste follows the nose yet sweeter, I am amazed by the complexity of this beer as it warms it gets even more complex.

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2011 03:16:21 | More by jcartamdg

Bowman2001

Michigan

5/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Thick, viscous pour. Nearly no head. Smells boozy, sweet (vanilla, chocolate). I don't get as much roast and coffee in the smell as with other stouts. That's fine with me. The taste is fantastic. So much to process. Sweetness that seems to suggest chocolate, vanilla, molasses. Unlike many stouts, the roast is hidden. For that, I think this beer stands out a bit to me. Some licorice in there too. Yum. The booze will get you if you drink too fast but it certainly does not overtake the beer. It is well hidden, which is impressive for 15%. I love this beer and Dark Lord Day.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2011 23:20:25 | More by Bowman2001

Stockfan42

Massachusetts

5/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

2010 Green Waxed Bottle.

Pours a deep dark brown color that is almost black with a thin laced brown head.

Smell is heavy in coffee, chocolate and cherrys with some hints of other dark fruits and a slight roastyness. A little heat escapes the nose, but not too much.

Taste is very sweet. Coffee and chocolate dominate in a molasses like sweetness with hints of cherry, raisins and figs. A slight bitterness lingers in the back.

Mouthfeel is pretty much perfect. Chewy with a velvet like body and it goes down very smooth. Incredibly drinkable and not too much heat either.

Overall this has got to be one of the best beers I've ever had. Taste is great, smell is great, mouthfeel is probably the best for any stout I've ever had. I highly recommend this to RIS lovers and beer lovers alike.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2011 21:35:45 | More by Stockfan42