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

JohnnyMc

Ohio

4.78/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

The 2008 vintage!!! Finally getting to try this one!!

Pours out completely pitch black with almost a finger of a very dark, mocha/tan head.

The aroma has a good amount of bourbon, there are dark fruit notes, some definite caramel and toffee, bittersweet dark chocolate, coffee, a bit of vanilla and some oak along with a bit of booze. Smells pretty complex.

The first thing that hits is the bourbon followed by a ton of very rich dark fruit notes like figs, raisins, plums and a bit of tart cherry too. There is a decent amount of bittersweet dark chocolate, some coffee (although I'm guessing this is less pronounced than when fresh), a sweet caramel and toffee note, some vanilla and a bit of oak as well. Almost a hint of smokiness. Very, very rich, but good.

The body is full and the mouthfeel is very creamy and silky. The ABV is pretty well hidden for being 15%. You can smell and taste a bit of booze, but there isn't much of a burn as it goes down and this is extremely smooth. I have had beers way lower in ABV that have tasted stronger.

This is a great beer and well worth trying, but it's not perfect. I would have liked a bit more bitterness and more pronounced roasty notes. That being said, this is great stuff!

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2013 02:41:56 | More by JohnnyMc

Rinkor16

California

4.46/5  rDev +3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

2011 bottle opened on 4/6/2013 with a buddy. Poured into a snifter.

A: Pitch black with no head.

S: Lots of roasted malt, vanilla, coffee and dark chocolate.

T: I've been holding onto this for a while. The flavor was a lot more than I expected. I've never had a Russian Imperial Stout that is so sweet. Huge sweetness with lots of roasted malt, dark chocolate and a little cherry in the background.

M: Thick bodied and very viscous.

O: I'm very pleased with this beer. I've read a lot about the discrepancies between batches and I'm very glad that it was a good bottle. Definitely worth the trade.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2013 05:30:03 | More by Rinkor16

skylander7

Alabama

4.89/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A vintage 2008 poured 12/19/12 at a beer tasting amongst friends in Huntsville, AL. Needless to say, this stole the evening. Served in a snifter at around 55 degrees, going off of old notes since I've finally begun writing reviews.

-Pours like a dark viscous sample of dark matter. Not much on the tan head at all and what head there was dissipated quickly. Granted this is a very well aged representation of this beer with a black waxing on the top of the bottle.

-Nose: loved the nose on this thing. Alcohol, coffee, dark fruit, raisins, chocolate. You could definitely pick up complexity on the nose.

-Taste: Yowsa.. what a taste. Definitely a sweeter representation of the imperial stout but very unique. I definitely tasted the sweetness, but tasted raisins.. coffee, dark fruit, dark baker's chocolate. At first I thought dark chocolate Raisenettes, but then you can also taste some grapes, some coffee, this thing is a complex beast. What really surprised me (and I'm willing to bet this is due to the aging), was that there was an incredible amount of balance here. The smoked malt and boozey characteristics began coming through as well as I continued to drink the thing.

-Mouthfeel: just a bunch of creamy goodness. It's definitely a sipper with the complexity, but I loved the mouthfeel of the beer. The even after finishing the beer there is some gooey lacing going on on the side of the snifter.

Overall, I'd say definitely give this a try if you can. Very much on the sweeter end of things in comparison to most in the style, but I enjoyed it.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2013 17:01:14 | More by skylander7

HopHeadCnK

Virginia

4.46/5  rDev +3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Red Wax, 2012 Vintage, my first ever experience with DL. Midnight black pour with almost no carbonation, nose is licorice dark fruit and alcohol. This has been aging for almost a year, hence why the taste is mellow, but very sweet, and the 15% abv is almost unnoticeable. A ton of lacing as it goes down. I'm very satisfied with this brew, not up there with darkness or abyss imo, but this was supposed to be the worst batch they did, if that's the case I doubt I could handle a 2008 haha. Cheers

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2013 19:12:49 | More by HopHeadCnK

ThePorterSorter

New York

3.85/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

the beer pours a jet black with a thin tan head that dissipates into a thin tan halo. the nose has some potent dark pit fruits (raisins/prunes), caramel suagrs, and touch of chocolate/coffee. the taste is way sweeter than expected, but mixes well with all the intense chocolate covered raisins. I must be honest... this beer is way too sweet for me, but is definitely different than Black Tuesday for instance. I can only imagine this being better in a barrel/aged.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2013 23:32:59 | More by ThePorterSorter

dbc5

Ohio

4.41/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2011 Vintage: 22 ounce bottles poured into 10 ounce Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Stout snifter.

A: Moderate pour yields a mocha colored head that has just enough presence to cover the top of the beer before receding into the black abyss that is this stout. Some alcohol legs as I work my way though the glass.

S: Roast, coffee, dark chocolate, and an interesting fig-like presence.

T: Very sweet, which I was expecting given this isn't my first dance with Dark Lord. I save this one for the times I am craving something sweet in my glass. Dark fruits and raisins hit my tongue first. A sweet chocolate moves in next and a light roastiness is perceptible on the back end. The sweetness is more perceptible on the tongue than the nose, which suggested more roast character.

M: Thick and syrupy (the way I like my imperial stouts). Not too much carbonation, but enough to let your tongue know this one isn't still.

O: Overall, I know the hate this one gets, but I am a fan. Cracking a bottle open at the appropriate time (i.e., when I want something sweet) assures an enjoyable drinking experience. I have a full 08-11 vintage right now, and hope to post thoughts on each vintage.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2013 00:14:28 | More by dbc5

SHerninko

Pennsylvania

4.36/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Enjoyed with end of my steak & beginning of my choco cake dessert @ a BYOB in Phoenixville, PA. (Thanks Mr. OneUnder)
*Serving-2009 (white wax) big bomber with a dark, scary cartoonish label--very cool.
*Appears dark, like used motor oil. Not all black, has a reddish brown eliment to it. No carbonation really. Lacing was minimal. Aging may have taken its toll a bit.
*Smell is complex. Cold it started as just fruity, raisons, some slight alcohol esthers in the nose. Warming up for 20 minutes it had some coffee and grapes.
*Taste evolved with the temperaturs like most complex stouts. Lots of burnt/candied raisons, plums, prune juice, no alcohol detected. As it warmed up, to me it was more like an XO cognac then any beer or stout I've tasted. ABV is totally hidden, just a slight detection as it warmed to almost room temp. I like ports and cognac and this is very close to them for me.
*Mouthfeel was average, not thick or thin. It was on the creamy side. No carbonation in this example. Easy sipper.
*Overall---wow, I've waited years for the DARK LORD. Read the hype and followed the cult like following. This 2009 example may be slightly "old", not sure until I try a 2011 or 2012 I have cellared. The DL was not like any stout I've had. The 15% ABV was almost totally masked. The rich dark/carmalized/fruit taste was not what I was expecting, but I did enjoy it. A slow sipper, by the fire. A chocolate cake & choco pudding food pairing helped balance this brew.
I mixed a tiny amount from the last of the bottle with a more traditional stout and the DL took over the taste, overpowered it so the DL was just a bit lighter and more balanced toward smokey malt and chocolate, but the prune/raison or cognac flavor was pronounced.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2013 16:02:44 | More by SHerninko

patm1986

New Jersey

2.15/5  rDev -50.3%
look: 2.25 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 1.75 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.25

a-bubbly, fast-disappearing head. prune juice body. still. dead-looking.
s-hickory smoked bacon fat, charcoal, prunes, raisins, band aids, boooze, sharp cheddar(?).
t-burnt pork, smoked meat, smoked band aids, corn syrup, granulated sugar, soft chocolate.
m-grainy, thin, slimy.
o-honestly, and i hate doing this, but i did not like this beer. i found it undrinkable. and each member of my tasting group agreed. it tasted incredibly artificial: imitation sweetener, liquid smoke, "natural flavors."
it(i'm sorry) made me a bit nauseous. i hope i can try this out again to see if we had a bad bottle or some deviate issue.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2013 14:21:20 | More by patm1986

rudzud

Massachusetts

4.1/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Enjoyed this at a little bottle share at Tree House Brewery. Reviewed from notes. This is a 20011 yellow wax vintage.

A - Poured into a Tree House glass a Deep, deep dark brownish hue that is still slightly clear. A very light quarter inch head fades to leave light halo.

S - Quite nice. Roasty, sweet malts, faint vanilla and soy, and almost a smokey character. Light chocolate as well.

T - Taste is good. Smokey, sweet malts, light vanilla notes along with some faint soy. not getting as much chocolate as I would like from a RIS but still, damn solid.

M - Mouthfeel is smooth, lightly carbonated.

O - Overall, this was a good RIS, but I feel like it is somewhat over hyped. With so many quality RIS on the market this one for me isnt worth what it costs to get in a trade.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2013 06:32:40 | More by rudzud

Mattys21

Massachusetts

4.95/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Really?

Are you sure this is classified as beer? Holy crap, what an experience...

A- Pours like motor oil with a minimum head...jet black all the way through.

S- raisins, molasses, brown sugar, dark chocolate, coffee, vanilla.
T - Mother of God this tastes like the nectar of Gods...plums, dark chocolate, roasty toasty coffee, bourbon, big bold alcohol, vanilla, wow.

O- unreal. that's all. every person who enjoys big imp stouts needs to try this once in your life.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2013 20:59:41 | More by Mattys21

MRAnderson

Indiana

4.61/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

2012(Red Wax) obtained this from a private seller

A: Jet Black indiana ink with a slight brown residue left on the side of the glass. No light getting through but i do see somewhat of a dark amber color poking through ever so slightly. I poured aggresively and i go zero head at all and there is actually no alcohol retention on the side of the glass what so ever..needless to say folks this is a huge beer! This is think, this is dark and this beer is no joke!

S: I popped the cap on this and the smell just slapped me right across my mouth. I get raisins, port,Brandy,Cognac,slight hints of dark chocolate,brown sugar,vanilla,chewing tobacco fresh from the pouch and alcohol to bring all of these amazing aromas together to overwhelm your senses. Three Floyds does their own thing and this is reminds of me of a lot of Russian Imperials that have been aged for years...These guys are geniuses and anyone who doesn't get this beer and what they were going for are beer noobs.

T: sooo sweet at the front with some alcohol and dark fruits all over the back end of this beer, i am picking up on some slight chocolate notes, but i get zero coffee notes. This beer is like a fine Cognac with Port than anything really but Three Floyds may call it whatever they like..i call it a delicious brew.

M: Thick with a lot of sugar, it reminds me of a under aged mulberry wine i had once as far as it coating my mouth with sugar and dark fruitiness. This beer is thick and it coats your mouth with stickiness that comes from all the amazing ingredients in this beer leaving you with a complex mouth feel that lasts...Every sip leaves my lips lined with sugary goodness.

O: what a very unorthodox brew let a lone a Russian Imperial Stout. It seems Three Floyds created a stout that has the feel of one that has been aged for at last 5 years while only doing it for one (depending on the bottle you have)..This is such a unique brew and i cant wait to get my hands on another bottle, preferably one from this upcoming DLD(2013)

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2013 03:33:10 | More by MRAnderson

draheim

Washington

2.81/5  rDev -35.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.75

22oz bottle (2011) into a snifter. Pours a deep brown w/ a fizzy minimal head that dissipates almost instantly, leaving behind a razor-thin collar.

Aroma is smoky and bourbony - surprising because I don't think regular DL is aged in bourbon barrels - with hints of molasses, vanilla, and chocolate. Pretty strong booze smell going on too. Overall smells pretty interesting.

Taste is all over the place, whoa. Where to begin? Dark rum, soy sauce, chocolate syrup, flat Pepsi, Robitussin, dark cherries, some kind of liqueur... a lingering aftertaste that keeps punishing me long after the swallow. Cloying and sweet, tastes like pure insulin.

Mouthfeel is sticky and heavy, coating the palate and refusing to let go. A numbing alcohol sensation on the tongue that I usually only get with hard liquor.

Overall I have to admit, I am disappointed. This is a poorly crafted RIS. Probably one of the worst stouts I have ever had, and certainly the worst stout that gets the whole waxed cap, hype train treatment. I almost get the sense that I'm the butt of a cruel joke, and Three Floyds is laughing at me right now. I find it almost impossible to believe that people actually buy tickets and stand in line to spend money on this beer. Never again.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2013 04:55:30 | More by draheim

Phillyz

Pennsylvania

4.68/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

2010 Green Wax. Was incredibly lucky to enjoy a bottle of this in Philadelphia, and now that I know someone who has about 40 bottles, hopefully I'll enjoy more in the future.

A: As the bottle says, this beer has the appearance of motor oil. 2 finger head in the first glass I poured it in, less than 1 finger in the second.

S: Mild alcohol, dark fruits, sweet coffee and chocolate.

T: Sugary as hell! Very sweet, not quite what I expected. Dark fruits slap you in the face - plums and currants blended together for a 'raison-esque' taste. Much lighter than I expected, but this is more than likely because this beer is roughly three years old.

F: Medium thickness, mild carbonation. A near perfect blend. Hopefully I'll have newer and older dark lord to compare this too. Light alcohol taste - not nearly the bite that the 09 BCBS had that I tasted after I enjoyed this. Nearly perfect.

O: Amazing stout. Although I haven't had newer Dark Lords, I can truly say that this one definitely had to have grown with age. I spent way too much on the bottle, but that's what you get when you're buying a '10 from a stranger. I look forward to trying more of this beauty. Definitely worth the try, but not the best stout that I've ever had. 3/4 friends I shared this with agreed that 09 BCBS was better.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2013 06:28:37 | More by Phillyz

Rogorama

Indiana

4.4/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2012 DL on tap at the brewpub the day after DLD. Boy, was this a sweet one. Loads of sugar take over right away. Pours thick jet black with a tan frothy head. Intelligentsia coffee is always a good touch, too. Probably my least favorite of any DL's. That being said, it is still an awesome beer and very worth your while to try at least once.

Serving type: on-tap

02-09-2013 19:59:23 | More by Rogorama

Trifecta1

Illinois

4.69/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

Now that I've had 4 of the 2012 badboys, I feel safe giving a review that will be true to the way this beer should be drank: aged. Glad I still have 3 bottles of my own left, which I plan on aging far into the future, and busting out for special occasions/a fair trade.

A: Pitch black motor oil, opaque, low carbonation, nearly no head. A foreboding message: high alcohol.

S: Smells of burnt dark fruit, sweet alcohol, and with age, more dark chocolate and coffee.

T: First drink, day of release: Holy sugar. Earthy notes like what you find in mushrooms. Virtually no coffee or chocolate, just sugar, alcohol, earthy esters and dark malt. As it ages... wow, what a radical change. While staying very sweet, it doesn't overwhelm everything else. Some earthiness fades (which could have stayed, it was kind of unique), chocolate and dark coffee come forward. Chocolate covered sweet cherries with ground coffee, nearly. Very good, very different.

F: Low carbonation, super thick, coats your mouth, leaving a sweet layer of dark fruit, coffee, alcohol, and a thirst for more. Good stuff.

O: Great stout, originally didn't think it was 'that' good, but I've warmed up to it as it aged. I'm really looking forward to how it tastes in the years to come. An occasion dessert stout. And the question on everyone's mind; does it live up? To a 97? Yes. The best stout ever? No, but I can see how a niche of beer aficionados could say that.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2013 02:38:58 | More by Trifecta1

tectactoe

Michigan

4.3/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Thanks to doobliebop for this one! 2012 edition with the red wax, shared with some people at a Super Bowl party. Pours a thick and viscous black color with a thin and measly tan head, even after a pretty aggressive pour. The beer looks pretty dark, commanding, and brash, so I'd say "Dark Lord" is a pretty fitting moniker.

The aroma on is super sweet; vanilla, cocoa powder, oaky and woody, with some creamy coffee mashed in there. Very sweet and roasty on the nose - nearly no hops or hop-like aromas are even detectable on the nose. But the aroma is still pretty fantastic. Caramel and huge brown sugar aromas come out more as this one warms up. It smells like a candy shop, no question about that. I typically like my stouts more bitter and not quite as sweet, but there's still no denying that this beer smells pretty damn good.

Dark Lord cascades over the palate with a super-creamy and smooth mouth feel, and the first and most prominent flavor that comes to mind is super sweet, burnt brown sugar. This beer is sweet as hell. Despite that, the sweetness is manageable, but still a little over the edge. The sweet vanilla and oak flavors come out next; molasses, syrup, coffee with a humongous dose of cream and sugar, sweet, dense currants and dates - all these flavors are present and constantly attacking the palate under the command of that brown sugar flavor that's still running strong.

This beer is certainly boozy, but definitely doesn't feel like 15% ABV; it's possible that the sweetness of this beer subdues the alcohol burn a little bit, and in turn, maybe that's what prevents the sweetness from being cloying, despite its sheer intensity. Tons of flavors clashing; a menagerie of flavors attacking your taste buds and stretching them to the limit. Carbonation is pretty low, the body is still thick and viscous, silky and creamy as hell.

This is one of the sweetest base stouts out there. Surprisingly enough, it wasn't too unmanageable or too cloying, but it was still pretty damn sweet. Then again, it was split 5-ways - I might be saying something else had I finished the entire 22 oz. bottle on my own. Though I typically prefer my RISs to have a heavy bitter offset from a huge hop addition, Dark Lord showed almost no hop character at all and was still pretty enjoyable to me. Vanilla, cocoa, caramel, molasses, dark fruits, oak... This is a great beer; though it may be too sweet to drink a bunch of, Dark Lord is awesome in small pours.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2013 05:25:33 | More by tectactoe

warrenout330

Ohio

4.99/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Props to patchmaster, that man is the true meaning of a BA.... thanks bud

A- pours a black night .... 10-30w oil from a red wax bottle ... very small khaki colored head... minimal lacing to the glass

S- sweet dark fruits, molasses is heavy dominant ... super sweet. I get some Smokey sweet teriyaki jerky....faint chocolate notes take a seat in the back

T- a complex slurry of molasses, smoke, dark fruits... I get a crazy smoked soy sauce flavor on the tongue... after it sits the chocolate and coffee show them selves

M- this is the kicker to me.... its almost like a illusion ... the molasses plays a huge part in this beer... the mouth feel's full of body and fullness.. but its also comes off as light and silky... almost flawless

O- very impressed, lives up to its name like no other... this will be awesome with about 2-3 yrs of age.... I'll will make it to d day for the rest of my life now

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2013 03:47:56 | More by warrenout330

hoptualBrew

Florida

3.06/5  rDev -29.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.25

Bomber split with brewer friend, each about 11oz pour.

Midnight black in color with a deep brown tinted head formation. Dissipates rapidly.

Nose is molasses sweetness, cocoa, and a solid coffee roast.

Taste follows suit with a huge molasses and stone fruit sweetness that coats the palate. Near cloyingly sweet at first, that unfolds a lot of complexity. After about 4 oz. this becomes rather hard to drink, the molasses like sweetness becomes too much, cloying. Roast character lingers back palate and finish is quite long.

Body is huge here, I can't even begin to imagine the final gravity of this beer.. perhaps should have taken a gravity reading. Silky full, carbonation is to par.

Overall, this beer just seemed to try to possess too much complexity for its' own good - to the point where it became a detractor. The overtly molasses quality almost seems as if part of the priming solution were actual molasses. This RIS is, although different, not as good as most basic beers of this style.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2013 16:09:25 | More by hoptualBrew

popery

California

4.29/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

From notes, 6/4/10. Green wax, 2010. Pours black, very black. Nice thick brown head. Very good looking beer. Loads of roasted malt flavor in a wonderful balance of chocolate, roast and coffee. Great thick and creamy feel - really incredible. Flavor is medium sweet without even a hint of stickiness. Not quite my very favorite imperial stout but very close and I could see a different version or a bottle with some age on it winning me over entirely. Edit: Later vintages have seemed sweeter. I'm not sure if I was just really in the mood for a sweet beer that day or 2010 was excellent fresh.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2013 05:54:31 | More by popery

Scotchboy

Idaho

4.25/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Red-waxed 22oz bomber from ChiTownPackFan (thanks much, man!). 2012 bottling, poured into a Deschutes tulip and split with my brother.

A: Dense and dark; opaque, with a very small amount of dark tan head. There are some viscous alcohol legs sticking to the glass. Looks...menacing.

S: Holy sweetness...vanilla, caramel, dark fruit even. Milky too in a way, like there is lactose sugar in it. Mostly its just unfermentable sugars and vanilla, with just hints of coffee and roasted malt.

T: Really follows the nose, the sugary component makes this a slooow sipper. Lots of vanilla, caramel, coffee and milk chocolate all mixed together. Decent dark fruit component here, tastes a little like a black cherry; almost tart in a way. Toasted sugars reminiscent of molasses. Licorice too? A bit of burnt coffee on the finish.

MF: Pretty much full-bodied; viscous, with low carbonation.

O: A pretty sugary, viscous beer. Not as bad as some people make it sound, and definitely not as good as others rave about. Somewhere in the middle; its an overly-sweet stout with a helluva marketing department. On the plus side, I really got no alcohol presence out of it, so I wonder what time in the cellar would do for this beer. If it mellowed the sweetness, I'd be interested in getting another bottle and sitting on it for a few years.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2013 15:19:32 | More by Scotchboy

CraftEyeDoc

North Carolina

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

A group of friends and I enjoyed a Dark Lord vertical, 2005, 2007, 2010 and 2012 on 1/13/13. I have had the 2012 multiple times from Dark Lord Day and this beer has definitely changed in just a years time but age does some serious delicious things to this beer. Each bottle was poured into taster glass and sips of each were taking going down the line. The sweetness assoc with DL was more apparent as you moved from 2005 to the 2012.

Some my think that 2005 is too long to let this beer age but I don't think so. All the sweetness was all gone. The beer had very subtle but complex flavors. Def large hints of oak and slightly more acidic. Often I would come back to this and taste something new hence why I said the very subtle nature of this 7.5 year old DL. Then moving to the 2007 and 2010... What can I say but these beers were an amazing example of a RIS. The last time I had the 2012 was in Nov and in 2 months this beer has changed for the better. Slightly more mellowed sweetness and the other flavors shine a lot more.

Overall: One heck of an evening and was so glad to be apart of this opportunity. After tasting this broad spectrum of DL I would say the def spot for this beer is 2-4 years of aging. The sweetness dies out some and takes a back burner and lets the complexity of tastes shine even more.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2013 13:34:47 | More by CraftEyeDoc

Rau71

California

4.68/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

2012 Bottle.

I have heard mixed reviews of this beer, so going in I was very weary.

It pours a very dark black with a tan head.

The nose is all sweetness. Chocolate dominates, but some vanilla peaked in the background? not super sure if that is the smell.

The taste is Chocolate. Thick sweet chocolate. No denying this is a dessert beer. I enjoyed this bottle on Christmas day after dinner and it fit the bill. It fit the bill so much with the second half of the bomber I added some vanilla ice cream for a beer float, and it was pure heaven. If this beer came with vanilla Ice Cream it would get a 5 down the board. But still a very solid brew.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2013 03:39:43 | More by Rau71

Darkmagus82

Montana

4.58/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 2010 bottle into a snifter glass

I have been saving this one for quite some time. I have had years prior as well as this vintage a year prior. This is my first review of it however. I have always enjoyed drinking this quite robust and thick brew. This is the last of my bottles and I thought it appropriate to drink on occasion of the new year.

Appearance – Pours a nearly pitch black color with a tiny tan head. The head fades very fast leaving almost no lacing. Upon swirling, the thickness and huge body of the beer can be seen with it clinging to the sides of the glass and it slowly receding back to the pool of beer at the bottom of the snifter.

Smell-The aroma on this one is huge. It is heavy of a sweet chocolate and espresso smell. Mixed with this aroma are smells of stone fruits, with aromas of cherry, raisin and prune. Other aromas of vanilla, bourbon and caramel are also detected in the nose giving an overall robust and quite complex, but delicious smell.

Taste – The taste begins heavy of cocoa and some dark fruits. The dark fruits, mainly of cherry and prune, were light in comparison to the sweet cocoa which creates a thick and robust base for the taste of the brew. Flavors of vanilla and caramel come to the tongue more toward the middle of the taste creating a chocolate covered fruit like flavor. At this point the taste is quite big and sweet. Toward the end a big boozy flavor comes to the tongue. The boozy flavor is largely bourbon in nature and when combined with the sweet and cocoa flavors of the brew, it creates a warningly sweet flavor to linger on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – This is one thick brew. The body is massively creamy and thick. It coats the tongue and baths it in all the intense and robust flavors of the brew. With the carbonation (not surprisingly) being on the lower side, the thickness when combined with the alcohol taste creates a very warming and thick feeling.

Overall- A quite delicious brew. I have never been disappointed. The massive flavors that meld quite well with one another and warming feel make it a brew of high regard.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2013 23:02:05 | More by Darkmagus82

writerLJBerg

Oregon

3.35/5  rDev -22.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

2009 bottle from long ago. Reviewed from back log. Consumed in early 2012, though, so around 3 years old.

A: Pure, unadulterated blackness with a very thin mocha head.

N: Rubber, dark chocolate, and loads of sea salt. Mmm, soy sauce.

T: Raspberry, chocolate, and soy sauce. Oh, that delightful Chinese topping for beers like this. Blech.

M: Thick and oily. Certainly can't go wrong with this feel.

O: Maybe not as bad as Baller, and it's better than previous vintages I've tried, but this beer never ceases to amaze me. It's not good, but it's proof that DLD has power over its visitors. Overrated and just plain bad.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2012 22:09:25 | More by writerLJBerg

NilocRellim

Minnesota

4.63/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 5

Had a 2010 Dark Lord on Christmas Eve, 2012.

The beer was a very dark brown with a dark-tan head. It almost looked like a nice espresso, but with a bit more clarity to it. The smell was very strong, sweet and malty with distinct notes of chocolate and coffee. The taste was not as strong as the smell, but was very balanced and mellow. It had a medium to low amount of carbonation. The coffee and chocolate flavours were upfront, but not overwhelming, and it had a nice toffee and nut finish.

Would I buy it again? Absolutely! This beer is amazing and is one of my favourites.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2012 20:51:36 | More by NilocRellim