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

claaark13

Indiana

3.55/5  rDev -18%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

A long day left me jones'n for a thick RIS. Since Thomas sent this over as an extra in a super-box (thank you!), I decided to give the 2012 DL one last shot before 2013. Poured at cellar temp into a Hill Farmstead tulip.

A - Pours pretty dark, light tan and short head that quickly becomes lacing. Looks thick, but the lacing doesn't stick well at all to the glass. The rest is pretty good. The weak legs is all that's holding this back.

S - Sweet soy sauce. Some roast seems to be there, but it is covered in sugar. Notes of sweetened condensed milk and coffee. At some points it makes me think of this 50/50 condensed milk and espresso I once tried.

T - Sweet dark fruits, molasses, coffee. Lots of sugar. Sweet coffee and dark malts become so dominating. It doesn't seem too complex once the middle starts. The sweetness starts to subside in the finish and non-sugared coffee shows itself. I don't get any booze, which is impressive.

M - Very thick; not the thickest, but very thick.

O - It is better than most shelf-RIS in my opinion. In a world of Hill Farmstead, Surly and Cigar City, and Bruery, I have a tough time with DL. An immense amount of sweetness really covers the flavors. Any transition between flavors tastes like sugar. This bottle is miles beyond what I tried at DLD though, so it has improved. FFF should just throw all of their DL in barrels and be done with it.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2012 01:12:54 | More by claaark13

codysjb

Florida

4.78/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Three Floyds Dark Lord
Cracked my 2010 bottle on 07/31/12… thanks to tutes3 for this, it was free from a beer contest in Feb of 2011.
A: Motor oil jet back with a very small amount of brown foam. Virtually no head.
S: I smelled it from the bottle a soon as I opened it, my friend next to me smelled it when he was standing a few feet away. Coffee, Caramel and chocolate amazing.
T: coffee first turning into a classic RIS with good carbonation finishing on some slight alcohol burn and ending in toffee flavoring. WOW.
M:Lots of carbonation and coffee here
O: Amazing, certainly one of the best beers I’ve had except for BCBCS

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2012 16:26:00 | More by codysjb

Dennoman

Belgium

3.08/5  rDev -28.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

2011 vintage (yellow wax), poured into a snifter.

A: Ruby red into mahogany brown, nowhere near as black as I like my big stouts to be. More reminiscent of a strong porter, has an awkward Coca Cola quality to it. Tan brown head, all in all it looks quite average.

S: Even at room temperature, I didn't get heaps off the smell. Minor coffee, caramel and dark fruits, but mostly booze and sugar. Slight irony notes, sickly sweetness and verging on unpleasant.

T: Caramel and dark fruits, no bitterness and no alcohol. Alcohol rushes in on the aftertaste, leading to a very dry finish that leaves almost nothing on the palate.

M: Sticky, oily and dry.

O: The hype completely killed this beer for me. I went into it with the thought: "with all the fuss, it had better be amazing" and it was a disappointing, unbalanced and sickly sweet mess. Any notes other than sugar were few and far between, leading to one of the most disappointing beer tastings I've ever undertaken. The sad demise of a would-be champion.

Reading all the reviews that praise this beer into the heavens, I wonder if either they or I were drinking something completely different from the same bottle.

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2012 13:25:42 | More by Dennoman

mgp2675

New Jersey

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

2012 Vintage, trying this bad boy nice and fresh.

A- Pours a dark brown color, but is completely black while it sits...definitely doesn't look as thick as I had been expecting until you see how it literally coats the glass when you give it a swirl. It had a mocha colored head on it but that didn't last very long.

S- Very sweet upfront, tons of booze too. This thing smells like it's going to wreck your throat at first, but there are definitely some traditional aromas in there: bitter chocolate, dark fruit, hint of coffee, some smoke at the end of it.

T- Honestly the initial sip was amazing for a non-barrel aged RIS. The first thing I thought of was how incredibly smooth it was for having such a boozy aroma. After that however, things changed a bit. To me a good stout gets better as it warms up, this just got sweeter. By the time this was at cellar temp I felt like I was drinking liquid candy. Some of the flavors I got: chocolate, caramel, smoke. Just so damn sweet it's ridiculous.

M- The best part of this beer by far, because it was nice and thick like I had heard and like I had hoped for.

O- When a beer has been around for as long as this one and has been tried and reviewed by as many people as it has, you have so much to expect. At first, this blew me away and completely silenced any criticism I would've had toward it, but sadly it got worse for me as it warmed up. I wanted to compare this to Marshal Zhukov's, because that is to date the best non-barrel aged RIS I've ever had. But Dark Lord to me was a much sweeter version of a traditional RIS. It had the coffee notes and the smokiness that many of them have, but nothing stood out besides how damn sweet it was. I'm actually amazed this was a fresh bottle, I thought it was a 2004 for a minute and we got it messed up cause of the wax color. But it was a 2012, and it was just way too sweet.

Worth trying for a stout lover, but it's not up there with the best of them in my book.

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2012 04:57:13 | More by mgp2675

timjr2500

Texas

4.13/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

First things first. This beer is not to be trusted, it will lead you to believe that you are more than just a mere mortal. In fact it may even have you believing you are some type of Lord of darkness yourself, but do not be deceived.

It pours like some kind of dark, mischievous syrup that springs forth from the dungeons of hell. It slides down the glass like its being drug back into the far reaches of the hell from which it came.

At just under room temperature it smells of sweet coffee and that traditional alcohol that all the best imperials have. But something really stands out in the nose beyond what other traditional stouts possess and it comes back to that sweet smell. It isn't overly steeped with coffee or smoke, it ironically leans towards the dainty side.

Any doubts you may have about the flavor, due to the unfair sweetness, are quickly diminished as the Lord oozes across your tongue. The perfect blend of molasses, slight coffee, and only the most purely demonic ingredients. SO pure in fact that they transform the beer into something more. So much more that you forget you're drinking a beverage designed to crush you like the mere mortal that you are. One bomber of this and you'll be speaking in tongues and selling your soul for another.

Pair this beer with red meat, human flesh, or .. whichever you prefer.

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2012 00:00:52 | More by timjr2500

VncentLIFE

North Carolina

4.55/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

An extra from heatwave33! an extra, yes an extra.

They werent kidding when they said black. This thing pours black as the heart of the devil from the first ounce to the last. No carbonation, but at 15%, I dont mind. Very ominous.

The smell syrupy sweet, with a hint of roasted malt and coffee. Sweet and dark chocolate notes as well. Sweet plum/raisin/prune laden booze (think raisin rum at Christmas).

Very complex (most compex that I think I've had). The first noticeable thing is how syrupy and sweet it is. Like the smell would say, its laden with dark fruit. Prunes and very sweet raisins are everywhere. Light smokiness as well. Slight alcohol burn comes in late. It finishes exceptionally sweet and smooth, with that syrupy feeling really lingering around.

The mouthfeel vaguely reminds me of the scene from Super Troopers, "Relax the throat. And dont forget to cup the balls." Maybe an exaggeration, but you get the idea. Very thick mouthfeel, very syrupy. I got the same feeling from Better Half on tap, but it works here. Theres just enough coffee, chocolate, and roasted malt to accent the sweetness (barely). Anymore sweet or less roasty, and we'd have a problem.

Overall, I can see why its rated so highly. Its in its own little category of high gravity RISs, plus the hype helps the flavor a bit. It adds to the excitement of first trying it. If your'e not excited at an opportunity to try Dark Lord for the first time, then youre not a beer geek. I can also see how Barrel Aging this puppy would make it better. Add some bourbon/brandy and some vanilla, and DAMN.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2012 19:46:13 | More by VncentLIFE

BeerLover99

New Jersey

4.48/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: onyx body, light tan head, solid lacing

S: big nose of dark chocolate, roasted coffee,
molasses, vanilla/licorice

T: roasted coffee, licorice, vanilla, dark chocolate,
boozy molasses, bitter/chewy finish

M: heavy/creamy body, smooth/chewy mouth

O: POW! Insane nose and flavor. One of my
favorite styles and been seeking this bottle
for years. Highly recommend and would get again.

OUTSTANDING, MUST TRY!

(2010)

Serving type: bottle

07-08-2012 21:37:36 | More by BeerLover99

WillCarrera

Illinois

2.33/5  rDev -46.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

8 oz pour, had this on-tap at DLD 2012, finally got around to reviewing this from notes.

A- Pours pitch black, very thick looking, produces no head at all, just an ominous pool of black.

S- Incredibly sweet aroma, molasses and caramel/toffee, some dark fruit and some booze, the aroma is nice but the sweetness is already concerning.

T- Jesus. Sweetness is unbelievable and highly cloying. All I'm getting is a mouth full of sugar. There are flavors beneath it, I'm getting molasses, caramel, fruit, some roast, coffee and booze, but in order to find them you have to first penetrate beneath this incredibly powerful sugar. The first thing I said after drinking it was "does it need to be this sweet?"

M- Full-bodied, massively thick, sticky, chewy feel, these are great attributes on their own, but in this beer the thickness and lingering sugar actually become pretty unpleasant in combination.

O- A huge disappointment, I had heard great things about this beer and was really looking forward to it, but what an under-attenuated, cloying nightmare this turned out to be. I struggled through an 8-oz pour. People actually like this beer?

Serving type: on-tap

07-01-2012 23:20:26 | More by WillCarrera

Onenote81

North Carolina

3.68/5  rDev -15%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Vintage 2010. Poured into a snifter. Pours gluggingly a deep black. Sits heavy in the glass, and from it proceeds a thick mocha frothy head. The aroma is reminiscent of a stepping into the dwellings of a chocolatier. Big sweet chocolate notes, licorice, ethanol burn on the end.

The body is warm, viscous, and palate-coating. Has held up well after 2 years of utter darkness. Subtle carbonation play on the tongue. Starts out with a sweet kiss of milk chocolate. The sweetness melds well with the mildly bitter character, but then the soy sauce-like flavor kicks in. Alcohol is noticeable, and adds a nice touch of warmness on the back end. This is good, though, this beer seems lacking somehow. Glad I had it, and glad I aged it, but I'd like a fresh one to compare it to, no doubt.

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2012 19:24:10 | More by Onenote81

Dope

Massachusetts

2.78/5  rDev -35.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

2011 version, almost exactly a year old.

A: Pours black with a small milk chocolate colored head. Leaves almost no lacing.

S: Smells strongly of molasses, coffee and... soy sauce? That's interesting. Hard to get anything past that once you hit the soy sauce.

T: Loaded with molasses and coffee up front. Start to get a little chocolate and then the soy sauce kicks in with a vengeance. Very sweet on the back end with tons of molasses and that lingering soy sauce flavor. Overpowering sweet. Doesn't really even have any stout-like quality. It's like an iced english barleywine that someone poured soy sauce into.

M: Thick, heavy, cloying.

O: This beer is depressing. I have been wanting to try this for a long time and it's just a mess of pure soy sauce. It actually makes me cringe when I sip it once the soy sauce kicks in. The other flavors aren't too bad, you can tell this had the makings of a great beer. I'm not sure if the soy sauce is an off flavor or if it's part of the molasses or what. Can't be a bad bottle since other people mention it now that I read the reviews. I've had worse, but not much worse. Undrinkable due to the soy sauce and the overpowering cloying sweetness. This is coming from a guy who just gave Creme Brulee a rave review a few weeks ago.

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2012 03:08:38 | More by Dope

mattsander

Alberta (Canada)

4.2/5  rDev -3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

2011 vintage opened 06/15/12

A: Opaque black, even when held up to light. A bit of fizz dies off quickly. Lighter body than I expected, dark enough to stain the glass brown.

S: Enormous nose of dark fruit, burnt sugar, cherries, chocolate, toffee. The booze is remarkably well hidden here, it doesn't sting at all. Very complex but inviting.

T: Big fruitiness on top, loads of toffee and cocoa in the center and a crispy crème brulée finish. Very sweet, it leaves the glass and lips very sugary.

M: A very syrupy beer, pungently sweet. The first half went down a lot faster than the second, but this is a fantastic beer.

Been wanting to try this one for years, very glad to have finally opened one. Dark Lord is an awesome beer, very complex and intimidating.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2012 03:28:46 | More by mattsander

animortician

California

3.9/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 2 | overall: 4

2011 poured into two wine glasses and split with a friend. (Thank God there was a second person sipping this down)

A: Dark Brown to Black in Color not as thick as I was expecting it to be. Very very little brown head/foam, no lacing.

S: Dark, Roasted Barley, some coffee. Had an almost earthy smell to it, very intriguing.

T: At first the Flavor is very balance and interesting with complex flavors: Dark Malt, Coffee, Chocolaty Big Barley backbone. But then as the beer moved to the back of my mouth and as I swallowed this balance complex beer turned into a whole nother monster. SYRUP and BOOZE! Not like a Kahlua Syrup and Booze, (I actually got some out to check, since they are only 5% ABV Different) The flavor on swallowing was so intense it almost ruined it for me.

M: Not as think of a body as I was expecting especially with how high the ABV is. Could have had more carbonation though. The hard part about this beer is the Boozy feel on swallowing.

O: This beer should start another category of its own called "Barley Port" Cause this is exactly what it is. Just as Port is a wine to be sipped this is a beer to be sipped, Try taking a full mouthful and you will know what I mean. Big beer, hard to imagine how they do it and for that I give them props but I don't really like port or desert wines and I didn't really enjoy how sweet this beer was.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2012 21:33:48 | More by animortician

rtaps

California

1.5/5  rDev -65.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 1 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

Pours black in the glass with a frothy khaki head that has good retention looks mildly viscous leaving spotty lacing

sweet,coffee chocolate

EXTREMELY sweet kinda of a mess cant really find coffee,chocolate,or anything here

Mouth feel like a melted milk shake 

Overall this beer wa god awful extremely over hyped and I just don't understand it. IMO the trade value here is for a bud lights platinum

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2012 20:23:57 | More by rtaps

menkros

Illinois

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

Had the 2012 dark lord red wax bottle. It was the first time I'd had a Russian imperial stout, and I wish I could have it more often than 4 per year. I agree with a lot I reviews on this beer. It does have a motor oil consistency going down. It is dark as night with a light head and carbonation. Tastes like cofffee , chocolate, and the alcohol content is very well hidden. I live 40 minute from the brewery and am currently moving to California. I will definitely be flying back next year for my 4 beer allotment.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2012 03:56:34 | More by menkros

smakawhat

Maryland

4.05/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from the bottle into a snifter glass vintage 2012. Big thanks to Wade5614 for the trade, and Exiled for the advice.

Into the snifter, it pours out chestnut brown, hitting the glass body and barely making a head at all of a simple tan light brown, fading under some faint snapping carbonation. Leaves a little filmy top and can't hang on, giving just a faint collar, with some nice leg action also and scattered leopard lacing barely.

Nose is quite interesting, suprinsingly not hot, mild roast character and dark red fruits. Cherry and raspberry, some dark chocolate and even some sensations of sea salt, maybe even caramel. Quite intriguing and nice, makes me love this salt and chocolate combo which is a favorite of mine.

Palate hits with a tight fizz at first that doesn't seem noticeable after numerous sips later. Extremely thick and syrupy and liqueur like palate. Memories of raspberry syrup hit, maybe some licorice, and then it's full on Luxardo Maraschino liqueur. Roast character takes a bit of back seat with quaffs. Syrup sweetness is quite big but in the context of how the liquor feels it comes off as a digestif and seems to work. Roast lingers slightly and rushes dark fruit toward the end with also a sense of alcohol bitterness (bitters, digsetif, etc...).

Overall it's really sweet for my tastes but tolerable, and also fun. Quite an interesting ride, glad to have given it a whirl. It's a sipper which doesn't always appeal to me for beer, but it's without question worth drinking.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2012 03:21:35 | More by smakawhat

mjtiernan

New York

3.28/5  rDev -24.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Thanks for the trade jmarsh123!

2012 vintage. 22oz bottle poured into a FFF stemmed tulip.

A: One finger tan head. Good retention, tight bubbles. Body is very dark, but I reviewed this outdoors in low-light and couldn’t get a great sense of the color/opacity. Looks inviting though.

S: Molasses, sweet malt, faint chocolate nibs and unappealing dark fruit.

T: Yikes! I was expecting sweet but this surpassed my expectations. Pretty shocking. It’s not really even stout-like. Where’s the roast and/or bitterness? It starts cloyingly sweet and then you get a small hit of coffee flavor but without any coffee bitterness. That is somewhat unique I guess.

M: Creamy texture, yet thin body...especially for such a big stout. Speaking of which, where’s the alcohol? Pretty amazing that this is a 15% beer. That’s the best thing I can say about this.

O: I was expecting to be disappointed, but this was worse than I anticipated. I’m glad I got to have it so now I can get it behind me and not worry about having to trade for it again.

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2012 12:38:53 | More by mjtiernan

barleywinefiend

Washington

2.13/5  rDev -50.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

2010 vintage, my 3rd DL. Still a drain pour.

A: Poured a solid black with good carbonation and a nice brownish head, some lacing present.

S: Immediate soy, tobacco leaves, leather, smoked meats, choco cherries

T: Immediate soy sauce, raisins and prunes, tobacco leaves, chocolate covered cherries, more soy sauce(dying or dead yeast), roastiness which transitions to leather, smoked meat, booze sting with a bitter chocolate, bitter, harsh, boozey finish. that soy and leather just kill me.

M: Big body, heavy and harsh

O: One of the most overrated beers of all time...gotta love that hype train

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2012 03:36:41 | More by barleywinefiend

ThickNStout

Georgia

4.75/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

22oz bottle from mbierz (thanks for the trade, Matt!). 2011 release. Served in a Terrapin snifter. 

Pours vicious oil black with a half finger quickly-vanishing mocha head. No lacing, just a gorgeous jet black pool. 

Interesting sweet nose. Soy, dark fruit, candy sugar, vanilla, cocoa. 

Wasn't sure what to think at first. Unlike any other stout I've tried. Very sweet, with tart cherry, vanilla, coffee, caramel, burnt sugar and soy sauce. At first I thought it may be too sweet but the more I drank, the more I wanted. Flavors blend well and hide the 15% abv incredibly well. Long sweet delicious aftertaste.

Very thick and heavy with almost no carbonation. Almost spot on for how I like my stouts. 

Very happy to finally try this one and even happier to have a 2012 bottle to drink at a later date. It may sound cliche, but there is not another imperial stout out there like this one. Dark Lord is original, distinctive and incredibly delicious. Well worth a trade and I will certainly be looking for more. 

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2012 17:29:08 | More by ThickNStout

azdback

Arizona

4.28/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into 12 ounce snifters. Deep dark pitch black with just as black highlights. Head is about one finger and light tan in color and creamy in appearance. Lace is quite sticky for now.

Smell is lots of dark roasted coffee beans and chocolate sweet. There is a bit of tart fruit aromas, maybe cherry or fig. There isn't the slightest bit of alcohol in the nose, kind of surprising for a brew at 15%. This is a year+ old though.

Taste is quite fantastic. A lot sweeter than I had anticipated the coffee and chocolate aren't as prevalent as the nose. The tart cherry is foremost but there is a bit of chocolate and coffee that comes second. There is just a bit of alcohol in the taste but not much for this high abv brew.

Mouth is viscous and warming, the carbonation is creamy with a full to heavy body and a everlasting wet finish. MMHHH!!!

Overall I have been waiting over two years to try this sought after brew. I have endured a broken bottle of this and many trade offers but after all that I have finally drank the holy grail. This is a 2011 bottle that came via davesway10. Thanks Dave. A must try but IMO not the holy grail.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2012 08:10:53 | More by azdback

SkiBum22

New York

3.53/5  rDev -18.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A - Dark brown w/ one finger of bubbly espresso coloured head.

S - Big coffee nose up front with some noticeable alcohol, roasted malts and char. There is a big sweetness here too that is balanced by the ABV somewhat.

T - Chocolate and coffee with a big bold molasses sweetness. Vanilla and dates and figs. Quite sweet which definitely hides the booze completely.

M - The feel is thick and syrupy with a long coating finish. It does go flat about halfway through the glass though.

O - This beer did not live up to the hype for me. I love the fact that it's 15% ABV as I wish more breweries would try to make beers this strong. It's definitely an above average stout and good for the high ABV but this beer is way overhyped. I would not trade for this considering what you have to give up to get a bottle.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2012 21:15:35 | More by SkiBum22

zac16125

South Carolina

3.7/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22oz bomber poured into a snifter
Vintage 2011

A big thanks to kundog18 for the trade.

A: Pours a somewhat viscous very dark brown with some lighter browning on the edges.  A very agressive pour yields only 1/2 fingers of light mocha colored head, which dissipates very quickly to only the slightest outer ring. Leaves effectively zero lacing.

S: Big dark fruit aroma, along with chocolate and a hint of coffee.  Lots of raisin, fig and some overripe plum.  Black licorice, vanilla and some mild booze.  Really nice.

T: Sweeter than the nose. Again some dark fruits but also tons of molasses, caramel and toffee, along with notes of black licorice, hints of roasted malt, and  coffee and dark chocolate on the back end. Some complexity but overall just too sweet.   Some other charactericts strengthen as it warms but the sweetness still becomes cloying.  

M/D: Quite a syrupy mouthfeel but  smooth. Carbonation is appropriately low.  On the heavier side of medium bodied, but certainly not as thick as some stouts.  The absurd 15% ABV is incredibly well masked, although I almost wish some booze would come out in the taste to balance out the sweetness.  Drinkability is below average, mostly due to cloying sweetness.  

O: Overall, this is a pretty big miss for me.  The aroma is great, and the ability to mask a huge ABV is impressive, but the palate profile is just way too sweet.  Im not saying its a bad beer, but I struggle to see it being a top 100.  IMO its not even in the same league as some of the other big  stouts I have tried.  I would drink this again if it were offered to me, but with so many great stouts available, I don't see myself making an effort to get this one again.  

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2012 02:25:48 | More by zac16125

MrVonzipper

California

2.48/5  rDev -42.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

Dark Lord '12
Pours a cola brown. Black in glass with a short tan head.  Good retention and lacing. 

Nose is okay. Very sweet. Mild fruit but not necessarily dark fruit like most imperial stouts. 

Flavor=wow. Not that good! Huge let down. How is this on the top 100? Where is the Intelligentsia coffee. So overly sweet. Tastes like sweet dark sugarcane. I think I just got diabetes. 

Mouth is puckery sweet. Very Heavy and full bodied with low carbonation. It's like a mouth full of pennies made of sugar.

Overall I'm so disappointed by this. Had high hopes as a major stout lover. But this ended up being a drain pour. Pretty bad!

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2012 03:24:22 | More by MrVonzipper

ms11781

Massachusetts

3.43/5  rDev -20.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

2012 vintage. 22oz bottle poured into a snifter.

The thickness (viscosity might be a better word) of the liquid is quite striking right out of the bottle. The actual pour looks to be a translucent brown color but once it settles in the glass it's dark as night. Surprisingly a half finger of airy, dark brown foam develops and sits on top of the beer. There is actually a good deal of lacing left on the glass with each sip.

The nose is extremely sweet and full of dark fruit right from the beginning. There are all sorts of fruits coming through, ripe cherries, plums and raisins are here. Molasses and brown sugar come through as well. The aromas are full and rich and really assert themselves but they can be a bit jumbled at times.

The taste follows closely with the nose. The fruits really come through again. In addition to the dark fruits (cherries, plums, raisins, etc, once again) there is a bit of some light fruit, maybe apple or pear. It's a bit off and doesn't mesh with the rest of the flavors but it isn't all that strong and seems to give way the other characteristics more often than not. The same molasses and brown sugar that were in the nose are here as well. There is no hint of the coffee that the beer was brewed with, perhaps the sweetness overpowers it. It also seems like it wants to be big and roasty but the sweetness never quite allows it turn the corner.

This beer is huge. Big, thick and viscous. Possibly the biggest beer feel-wise I've had. Each sip seems to coat the throat all the way down. There really isn't much more to say about it. Big pretty much sums it up.

This is certainly one big beer. There is a ton going on and they flavors and aromas don't necessarily mesh together. None of it is bad, most quite good actually. It just seems like it might need some more time to come together before hitting its peak. This is definitely a beer that I will revisit down the road but for now it misses the mark just a bit.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2012 01:54:46 | More by ms11781

TroopScoop

Indiana

4.85/5  rDev +12%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Yellow wax - 2011

A: It looks deep & dark. The light from our campfire cannot break through my glass. The thin, soft, brown head left just as quickly as it appeared leaving that signature oil-slick on the surface.

S: You know its dark lord when you smell it. Unlike anything else, it's got a deep sweet smell. Cherries and molasses overwhelm, but you can tell the coffee is there. It is very inviting, and the complexity of the smell is just a small introduction to the...

T: Taste is, again, like nothing else. The cherries, molasses, coffee, and some hints of chocolate make a great team. The sweetness pervades throughout and stays the entire time. It is of no particular fruit (or sugar) - it's just sweet. Some dark lords I've had, be it because of improper aging or some reason otherwise not specified, are so sweet it is undrinkable. This one, although sweeter than 2008 (my favorite) is still very very good.

M: The velvet mouthfeel is something every stout wishes it could grow up to be. It drinks like a milkshake - unbelievable - but in all the right ways. It goes down easy, and the coating left behind in your mouth and throat leaves a great sweet aftertaste.

Overall: Like that one guy said while interviewed for 5 seconds on CBS news - "It's Sweet! It's Delicious!!" This beer truly lives up to its hype in every way. It is not the greatest thing I have ever put in my mouth, but hell yes is it worth fighting for tickets online or in person at the brewery, traveling to the pub, and spending a day among friends enjoying its release.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2012 20:06:50 | More by TroopScoop

rickyleepotts

Arizona

4.28/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Oh man… this is a BIG deal for me. I have wanted to try this beer for years. When I heard about Dark Lord Day, I knew I had to try this beer. It is sometimes referred to as the best beer in the world, but on BeerAdvocate it only has a 96. That is good enough for me! This beer is only available on Dark Lord Day, and you can only get 4 bottles. We are drinking the 2011 (marked by the yellow wax), and have invited good friend and fellow beer drinker Jake Long over to enjoy it. He will be adding his two cents later in the review.

I also have to thank Jordan Green for selling us a bottle of this. Jake actually went to pick it up… I have never met Jordan. Jake said he is a nice guy… so I will take his word for it!

Alright, enough of this. Let’s get to the beer. I am stoked!

In the Glass: We just tried a Founders Imperial Stout, so I am all jacked up on these dark beers. And Dark Lord is dark. It is pitch black, as a matter of fact. We let the beer heat up a little bit before we poured it, and were excited to see what this tastes like near cellar temps. The lace on this is pretty weak, though. It does have a certain thickness to it… not creamy, but almost like a lacquer. The beer has a 15% ABV, so let’s see what this smells like.

Nose: That is like boozy black licorice. Beer shouldn’t be allowed to smell this good. I am surprised that the booze is so obvious. I am sure that if this sits in the bottle for a few years, it would smooth out. This is from 2011. We know that from the color of wax they use. In previous years, the wax colors include:

2004 - Red Wax
2005 - Orange Wax
2006 - Gold Wax
2007 - Silver Wax
2008 - Black Wax
2009 - White Wax
2010 - Olive Green Wax
2011 - Yellow Wax
2012 - Red Wax

We just missed the 2012 Dark Lord Day. I know several people that went… but we were unable to attend. But I am glad that I was able to find someone that was willing to sell us a bottle from 2011. We left the wax on the cap so when we are all finished with the list, we will know what one that is.

This has been a long time coming… so let’s see what she tastes like.

Flavor: Whoa. My mouth is on a roller coaster right now. There are several things going on from the front to the back of the palate. There are sweets and bitters and it leads to a pretty weak aftertaste. The booze doesn’t really come out in the flavor, but rather in the nose.

There is no carbonation here… which is good. I wouldn’t want a beer like this to have carbonation. The sweetness just overwhelms. Oh, and I hear this is made with Intelligentsia Coffee. I hadn’t had that coffee until a recent trip to Chicago. I first had the coffee in the Goose Island Bourbon County Coffee Stout, then grabbed a shot of espresso from an actual Intelligentsia Coffee location. I was blown away. Starbucks has nothing on Intelligentsia.

Mouthfeel: The mouthfeel is amazing It is smooth, almost like a thin layer of glass sliding across your tongue. If there are any bubbles, it is toward the end and the back half of the tongue. The leaves the palate with subtle sweet notes that hangs on well into the aftertaste.

Aftertaste: Speaking of the aftertaste, I wanted more. The flavors that are there are sweet, but it isn’t as “in your face” as I expected. To be honest, the beer isn’t that “in your face”. Granted, the 15% is… but it is not obvious. The beer is nice, too. It brings back those licorice notes I picked up in the nose.

The beer is good. But it is not the best beer in the world. I think the beer has a lot of hype. I mean, the beer has a day… a holiday every year for the release. I would like to get my hands on one more bottle and cellar it for 5-7 years. I am sure it gets better every day it sits in the bottle. I am glad that I got to try it, but I am not sure the flavors are worth the hype. The Bourbon County Coffee Stout is better.

Dark Lord - The bottle says: “Dark Lord is a gargantuan Russian Style Imperial Stout, with a reverse cascading head that starts out billowing the color of burnt oil like the Dark Lord rising from the black primordial beginnings. Its resonant vinous aroma has been described as cherries, sweet malt, molasses, burnt currants, plus with a port wine alcohol overtow. Mochachino notes burned within. Motor oil consistency, hellishly smooth yet divinely burnt and vinous. The first sip coats your palate with a palatial charred fruit and chocolate blanket. Alcohol burn wiggles its way down your throat with a thick body. Enjoy and thanks for your continuing support.”

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2012 05:17:01 | More by rickyleepotts