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

frank4sail

New Jersey

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

Friggin' rich dark black motor oil of a look. Thick persistant milk cocoa colored head. Very rich lookin'. Sweet bitter chocolate and expresso pungent nose. Thick coffee, mocha, rich malt and a hoppy green flavored finish. The thickest fullest mouth I have ever had in a beer. Very good and very overwhelming. Rediculas!

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2004 01:21:38 | More by frank4sail

erica

California

4.9/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I was lucky enough to share a second bottle of this oh-so-wickedly-wonderful beer, so I figured I should review it this time. I hope the bottle is gone when I get home, because it will yell at me for not giving it all 5's. I do believe last night it was telling me over and over "You love me. You love me. You love me." Like a freakin cult leader or something! OK, OK, i love you, I do.

Appearance was very black and thick, when held up to the light it looked a bit like old blood around the edges, but in a good way. Had a bit of a brown head that didnt last very long. It smelled good but not much. It didnt give off enough of an aroma, that's why I had to dock points. It smelled a bit like fresh coffee, then old coffee, and slightly vinous. It tasted absolutely perfect! So much going on, and in such a great blend. Chocolate fudge syrup, roasted coffee, cherry wine, a hint of chocolate covered Belgian waffles that you get in Belgium, with an aftertaste thats similar to the aftertaste of strong coffee. Pretty sweet but too much so, with a bitter end. There really isn't more than a teeny hint of alcohol in the taste. I guess there's just too much other stuff going on. Mouthfeel is THICK. Well in the beginning of the bottle it is just regular syrupy thick, and as you get down to the bottom, well it almost gets to be too much. It's a bit ridiculous. Like pudding that's not quite set yet, real thick but still drinkable. I got the absolute end of the bottle and I really did have to chew. That was a little disturbing, but kind of cool at the same time. Drinkability, well, I know this is it now, but I want more, lots more! It's so drinkable. At 13% abv, it does not taste or feel like it. Like a happy chocolatey sweet waffle meal with wine and coffee and pudding, all together in one bottle.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2004 16:40:10 | More by erica

CRJMellor

Arkansas

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

Review Number 400.

Pours a molasses thick deep brown/black with burgundy highlights. Pencil thin ring of deep tan head and spotty lace on the goblet.
Aroma of cocoa, coffee, and malts, licorice, some grapefruit, grapes, many other things that I can't even begin to explain.
Flavors of molasses, port, dark fruits, citrus and earthy hop notes. Chocolate permeates as does liquor.
Mouthfeel is very sweet malt with citrus, port like sweet tones. Bitring is light but there. Alcoholic pop just enough to know that you are drinking something very special.
Drinkability is enormously high. Have to find this on draught next year. Wow, I'm really speechless on this one, simply great beer. Can't imagine a better beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2004 23:20:20 | More by CRJMellor

WVbeergeek

Ohio

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

Another one of those beers from Three Floyd's "It's not normal", well when I heard about this 13% Imperial Russian Stout I thought to myself that's not normal. Well, here we are about to break through the layer of red triple dipped wax to break the seal of the beastly brew. The bottle depicts in comic book fashion a demon possessed viking crushing skulls and what not, but either way I'm guessing he's the Dark Lord. Let's see what he has to offer my senses. Appearance on this one goes as follows, in the pour this maybe the thickest textured brew I have ever poured the addition of molasses may have something to do with that. Color spectrum yep it's dark simply engulfs all visible light waves leaves behind a resilient line of thin moccha tan head that with my first sip starts to leave trickles of lace. Aromatics contained in this nectar are deep thunderous colliding waves dark chocolate, wine like fruit notes arising from the trenches of this beer, along with an espresso barrel aged like finish hop presence is evident and as it warms this is even more so for 13%abv it's not burning any nose hairs, which is a good thing. If nothing else about this beer grabs ahold of you, the flavor is sure to. Massive unparalleled possibly brings another style about redefining the Imperial Stout category for me, brings huge staggering amount of slightly burnt dark roasted malts to the palate the molasses is evident with alcohol infused fruit namingly tart cherry notes screaming out while blending perfectly in this orgy of flavor. A definite strong coffe presence is welcoming and eye opening at the same time, just burped up a load of hops bringing about another wonderful aspect of this beer. Three Floyd's have done it again the Dreadnaught stands as my favorite Imperial IPA this may just take the throne as my all time favorite Imperial Stout. Mouthfeel is chewy yes a beer can be chewy, don't believe me try this one it says it all. Once again the molasses takes the reigns adding to this full bodied beers complexity on the palate tame carbonation wouldn't want it any other way, after pouring in the final yeast sediment from the bottle the texture becomes thicker which is hard to believe. Drinkability couldn't believe that a beer this massive could be so tasty and drinkable in a 22 ounce portion, I don't know what has me completely sold on this beer but it's amazing. Complex as all hell with a huge mouthfeel, aromatics are mesmorizing, and the taste is orchestrated to perfection. Believe the hype this brew will humble you to the Dark Lord the true master of this style, the 3F's have pushed the envelope and succeeded once again I smell a victory.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2004 16:43:56 | More by WVbeergeek

Dantes

New Jersey

4.88/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Review 100!

Package: 22oz. crowned brown bottle with red wax covering. Frazetta-like label depicts a horned, Norse warrior waving a halberd over a pile of skulls. Some Cyrillic on the side of the label gives the words for Beer, Dark, Warlord, Imperial, Russian and Strong. No ABV or date information listed, but 2004 is the first year for DL bottles. Some gibberish probably cribbed from someone who doesn’t know much about beer... ;^)

Cost: Secured via trade

Presentation: Tough decision. Chose a Riedel Hermitage glass because it was similar to the Port glass, but larger. 55º

Appearance: I’ll try to limit the superlatives, as better BA’s than I have covered them. Cloaks itself in tenebrous, true “absence-of-light” black cerements. Generates quite a decent, very dark head for such a viscous, alcoholic beer that resolves down to a skim. Coats the side of the glass like blackstrap molasses.

Smell: No surprises here. The glass funnels a concentrated cone of volatile alcohol, Indonesian coffee, Mexican vanilla, and cocoa beans from Madagascar and Venezuela straight to your brain. I begin to fear that consuming this might well cause brain damage!

Taste: I needn’t have worried! The strong cocoa, coffee, and alcohol elements are couched in that wonderfully malty matrix. As with Dreadnaught, 3 Floyds incorporates some faintly gentle sweetness to counterbalance the barrage of strong, bitter flavors. This sweetness is like a combination of Banyuls and artisanale balsamic vinegar reduced to something nearing the density of mercury. Joining these elements are a hoppy spiciness similar to what I’ve perceived in warm Dreadnaught, some astringent nuttiness, and eau-de-vie fruitiness. The finish is warm and lingering.

Mouthfeel: And I thought the Expedition Stout was thick! I think this is thicker than the Shell Helix they put into racing Ferraris (and almost as expensive). In the glass, this moves like the oil in those 70's wave machines, coating the glass in a tortoiseshell brown. The bitter, tannic flavors prevent this from becoming syrupy or cloying.

Drinkability: How do you measure this? I fear the Dark Lord too much to not give it full marks. Do I want another? Yes! Would I buy this by the case if I could? Yes! Could I drink myself senseless? Yes!

Backwash: I pledge my fealty to the Dark Lord! The first beer that truly lives up to the hype in every way. In the interests of giving this a fair review, I refrained from smoking the cigar for which this so desperately called. If ever there were a Montecristo ‘A’ beer, this is it! I often seem to criticize the cost of beer, etc.; but this is worth almost any price. It stands up to the best vintage Ports and Madeiras in the way it challenges the drinker with a great gustatory adventure.

NB: To extract the most out of this, I put the "sludge" in a chinoise and gently pressed out what I could into the second glass. It would be interesting to see what a "homogenized" version might be like.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2004 20:03:20 | More by Dantes

Gusler

Arizona

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

What the hell can I say about this magnificent creation that has not already been said? This was to be my 6000th beer, but I decided to take it to Papago and as we often bring special beers to sample, this was my choice.

The beer as it slowly oozes out of the 22-ounce brown bottle pours as thick as molasses in January in Maine, it literally makes a glugging sound as it excavates itself from its container. Onyx in color, the head a deep chocolate brown that is creamy as whipped chocolate icing and portly in size, the lace a coat of brown to obscure the glass. Nose is rich bittersweet chocolate, burnt coffee, sweet malt, a treat for both the olfactory and ocular senses, a beer you must sniff to understand its complexity, start is thick and chewy, ambrosial and the top as full as any beer I have ever tasted. Finish is pleasing in its acidity; hops are powerful in their spiciness, the alcohol quite noticeable and the rich sweet chocolate and burnt coffee flavors continue to the parched desert dry aftertaste a quite noticeable tummy warming sensation. “Just one fantastic beer”, but a word of warning not meant for the weak of palate or people not into strong over the top beers, so if you fall into these categories and you have a “Dark Lord” sitting around, send it to me immediately if not sooner. lol

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2004 16:38:27 | More by Gusler

Bighuge

Minnesota

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

This beer is as black as eternity. A dense, dark brown head adorns the surface and has staying power comparable to a John Wooden Dynasty. Aroma is muggy and juicy. Alcohol and currants meld with plum, raisin, molasses and port. This beer just fucking coats your mouth like none I've ever had. Such a great mouthfeel. And the taste, ironically, is heavenly. 13%?? Damn, I really need to be careful to make this bomber last. There's a big bitterness coming from burnt malts and what I perceive to be high alpha acid PACNW hops. Dark plum, cherry and heavy, sludgey molasses blend together in harmony. Vanilla, cedar, bourbon and alcohol tones fit in very appropriately. The lingering bitterness is abusive, but I love it. I find that if you pour the whole bottle into one glass, you're in for a little surprise. A "beer frosting." I get this great "oil slick" like coating on the surface that contained all the goodness of the beer beneath except in a concentrated, thick, sludge-like form. Beautiful.

Well, I think it's taken me over 1000 reviews, but I have now found a second beer worthy of straight 5s.

What can I say Dale other than Thank You!!

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2004 04:26:15 | More by Bighuge

BierReise

Florida

4.18/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

22oz Bomber 2004. Poured quietly and forming a slight eruption of a head that dissapears quickly. There's about an inch of sediment at the bottom of the bottle. This one is black and thick like oil.The aroma is a deep dark and powerful concoction. There's alot going on here. Some words-vinous, port, chocolate covered cherries, bread and alcohol. Mouthfeel is super thick and smooth with very little carbonation and really sticks to your mouth. The alcohol although well hidden is warming me up right now and I fear I may soon sweat. The flavor is one bitter Imperial. A chocolate Port like flavor with a massive hop attack that bitters gently. This is one big beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2004 01:26:14 | More by BierReise

marburg

Michigan

4.78/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Poured with the utmost of caution to get the clean product. As it filled the glass, I could feel the light in the room being drawn into the glass, and the varied screams of past physics professors rained down upon me, "black body!" Well, OK...at the very least, I looked at it and said, "Wow. That shit's black."

And the texture! It took what seemed to be hours for currents and little ripples to form in this beer; you could watch the pregnant surface slowly give way like maple syrup or a thick acyrlic paint. Only some small speckles of head adorn the surface, though later some quick swirls of the glass will change that.

Sexy -- in the black satin with a leather and metal stud accent sort of way -- aromas. Yoo-Hoo meets VSOP meets ripening exotic fruits. I'm immediately struck by the ressemblence this bears to some of my favorite local Kuhnhenn's brews -- and while that may seem to be a compliment to Kuhnhenn's, it's also a compliment to 3F and Dark Lord. Raisenets and layers of chocolate, sugar-sweet alcohol, and oaky vanilla encourage a generous first sip.

Bam! There it is, biatch. Awesome flavor. Rolling waves of dark chocolate, some chocolate/black malt, corn syrup, and alcohol. I was expecting the hops to be overdone, frankly, as is often the case with beers that are so intensely hyped. Not the case. Certainly there was a bit of a citric, leafy presence. But this is excellence because of the complexity of the sweet malt flavors.

Did I mention that this stuff coats the glass like a temporary tatoo?

And oh yeah, it's sticking to my mouth like Pepto. Pure beer intensity in bottled form.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2004 19:57:07 | More by marburg

pheurton

Pennsylvania

4.78/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

pours thick and black, black, black, like the last 1/2" of coffee that has been on the hotplate all day and has evaporated to almost all solids. reverse-cascading chocolate milkshake colored head. holding the tulip glass up to the light reveals scarlett highlights where the creamy foam meets the dark liquid and sizeable floaters despite the careful pour. massive roasted malt, cocoa, and black licorice aroma with underlying hints of cappucino, dark cherry, and leafy hops. it has been said before, but i cannot stress enough the thickness and creaminess of this brew as it explodes its flavor on the tounge...just astonishingly rich and creamy. thankfully there is still a noticeable amount of carbonation to hold these flavors together. deeply vinous and roasted, different flavors are observed every time you take a sip: rich imported chocolate, italian coffee, anise, roasted barley and heavy molasses to name a few. towards the middle the beer turns fruity in a merlot way, finishes with a slight citric and leafy hop twang that leaves a distinct coating on the tounge. alcohol is barely noticeable (tastewise, anyway) which is inconceivable for a brew of this strength. still, i cannot imagine more than a glass of this in one sitting.

the sheer complexity and massiveness of the brew boggles the mind. if there's another beer out there that can come close to to it in utter richness, i've yet to come across it. 3 floyds has raised the bar in creating this monster. what a brewery. what a beer.

a big thanks to jackndan for the sample.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2004 03:00:09 | More by pheurton

Gueuzedude

Arizona

3.75/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

2009 release; Sampled December 2009; Served at 60+ degrees Fahrenheit.
Slow to form, but ultimately thick, three finger thick head that lingers for quite some time, but doesn' leave much in the way of lacing on the sides of my 25cl tulip glass. The beer is pitch black of cours. Aroma of coffee liquor, dark chocolate, sweetened roasted malt, some smooth alcohol notes. Much more simplistic than I remember, but it is still rich and definitely satisfies my current hunger for a rich stout.

This beer is definitely thick, rich and mouth coating; definitely on the syrupy side of the beer texture spectrum. Quite sweet, which really helps to temper the huge roast character, but in the finish the roast becomes quite bitter and perhaps even a bit astringent; the sweetness never fades as both the roast and the rich sweetness really lingers on the palate for a long time. The dark notes in this beer are layered with bitter black coffee, dark chocolate, acidic roast malt and burnt grain notes. The mouthfeel is quite rich, but can seem a bit thin at times compared to what I remember this beer being.

When I first had this in 2004, it was so rich and so decadent compared to anything else I had ever had. This definitely hasn't withstood the test of time. This is definitely a grand example of the decadent American take on the style, but really isn't nearly as lush, rich or complex as my memory had it being.

2004 bottle release, Sampled April 2004
4.55 total
4/4.5/5/4/4.5
Strong notes of alcohol and port. Notes of roast malt, coffee, toffee, chocolate liquor, are also found in the nose. The beer is thick viscous, and pours a deep midnight black color with a bit of carbonation but only a dusting of bubbles on the surface. When roused a thick creamy dark brown head forms, one of the darkest heads I have ever seen.

Holy shit, I have never tasted a beer with such a stupefyingly thick body as this. It is very creamy and coats my mouth, it is like sipping on syrup. As expected with this body, it is quite sweet. The sweetness is accentuated by a fresh hop flavor, that when combined give this beer a concentrated fruitiness. This thing must have been heavily hopped in order to have such prominent hop flavor in an Imperial Stout of this stature. From the front to the middle back of this beer you would guess that this was a bottle of concentrated hop nectar, floral character abounds with, grapefruit, bergamot, cherry, concentrated raisin and plum.

The alcohol is not nearly as evident in the taste and the dark malt flavors are not as strong as I was expecting, the fresh hop character seems to mute them out quite a bit. The finish is quite bitter, though with the thick mouth-coating malt sweetness it is hard to pick out at first, but it is really the lingering bitterness long after the beer has left my mouth that lets you know that this is bittered quite well. The dark malt flavors kick in the end as well, just before the bitterness. Notes of concentrated espresso, bitter chocolate, burnt raisin, burnt caramel.

I must admit that with this intense fresh hop flavor, I am not sure that I want to hold on to the rest of these for a long time, though the 4 inches of sludge at the bottom of this bottle (even after a month of sitting) say that I need to move these to my lagering fridge for quite a bit. The fresh hop flavor is quite good right now, and it is so dominant that I can not even guess how this beer will continue to age. I have a feeling that in a year or two this will be a totally and unexpectedly different beer from what it is now. I have no doubt that the Dark Lord will age gracefully for the next 10 or even 20 years, but will it be better than it is now. Oh well only time will tell, I will just have to hang on to a couple over the years.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2004 02:51:50 | More by Gueuzedude

Crosling

Colorado

4.45/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Ok, take deep breaths.

Rub my hands together knowing that I am the luckiest man in the world tonight.

I've got my cheese. Cream Havarti.

Blow my nose.

I'm going to go get this thing.

I prepared well as I cut the wax off about 2 weeks ago so I wouldn't agitate the sediment.

Cool looking bottle. This will definately be a highlight in the bottle collection.

The pour is completely black. The head is chocolate brown and very creamy. It laces extreamly well especially considering that it is a 13 % beer.

Roasted to shit malts standout in the nose with even more coffee, vanilla, black licorice, melted chocolate, brandy and charred fruit.

Right on the tip of the palate is the charred plum and cherry. Slightly sweet molasses notes that are balanced well by all the dark malts. Tons of dry cocoa, vanilla, cherries, melted chocolate and coffee beans. This is lovely.

Very little carbonation. Unbelieveably drinkable considering the ABV and the style. I would have another in a second. The 13% tastes more like 8 and I am convinced that it is the coffee that does it.

It grows on me more after each and every sip. This beer truly redefines the way I will now view mouthfeel. It's phenomenally smooth but has the consistency of a melted chocolate milkshake.

This is a big beer.

I just finished pouring the rest of that shit in. Now the beer is a muddy brown. Hmmm...

Huge. The beer has now developed some cinnamon, peanut butter and toffee notes. It's sweeter and fuller and fuck, is this filling.

I've consumed most of this. As I look around my office I realize that my eyes are about 1/2 second behind. Focus, dammit, focus.

Was this beer good?

No, it was great!

Was this beer everything it was cracked up to be?

No.

This is delicious but this is no Speedway Stout. I do have another bottle that I was planning on saving for a special occasion in about 2 1/2 years but I think I might revisit this one in a few months.

A mighty big thanks and salute to jackndan for getting me the Dark Lord. It was a pleasure.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2004 07:21:00 | More by Crosling

francisweizen

Australia

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

22oz bomber bottle, direct from the brewery. The triple dipped wax cap is pryed off easily enough, and I pour this brew oh so carefully into a Arrogant Bastard shaker pint. This beer is BLACK. It is completely opaque, and has a small head of tan since I poured it oh-so slowly to prevent getting any sediment into the glass. The aromas were excellent. Raisins, Port, Alcohol, Dark spiced rum, Other dark fruits, Vanilla, Chocolate chip cookies, Starbucks doubleshot expresso drinks, caramel, and more! Complex to say the least, but not as overpowering as I was expecting. The taste was wonderful. Chocolate, Green citric/herbal/floral hops, Deeply roasted malts, Caramel, Coffee, Raisins, Port, Alcohol, Brandy, and more! The mouthfeel was actually a bit thinner than I was expecting for this hardcore imperial, but that just made this beer dissapear amazingly quick, with an exceptional drinkability for a IS. At a few weeks after bottling and a week to rest in the cellar, this beer is so ready, imo. Sure, it may be different and perhaps better in 6 months, but than you will not know how it is in its current state...raw and uncut. If you have 2 bottles of this nectar you owe it to yourself to crack one open now!

OK, so with my second glass of this I left the bottom 4 ounces in the bottle, and than I poured that into the last 2 ounces of "beer" to make my liquid malt shake! The appearance became less opaque and quite sludgy. What a slut of a beer! The aromas were definately hoppier and more boozy with the addition of the yeasties. The taste was also hoppier, more raw, boozier, and less raisiny with a more pronounced chocolate and coffee flavor. There was also a more pronounced raw leafy hop character, as well as some resins. The most important change, however, was the mouthfeel. When clean, this stuff is almost light in the mouth, but with the yeast in there this beer becomes absolutely thick. Thicker than any other beer that I have sampled in my life. This stuff sticks to the inside of your mouth, and makes your lips seal shut. This really is the consistency of pudding! The drinkability remains excellent for this malt shake, and makes this beer even cooler, as you can have two distinctively different glasses of the same beer!

All, in all I thought that this beer *did* live up to the hype. It was pricey, and hard to get, but it also provided me with a nice drinking experience where I got to sample a beer in two completely different forms. I can already tell that this beer would be a world-beater on tap or cask, and I hope to sample it that way soon...but for now, the dark lord has risen, and I am very glad that I got to try him in his infancy. Now, only time will tell how he will mature as he takes the thrown as the king of darkness! (and the king of imperial stouts...) 13%, you have to be kidding me! What an interesting experience! The Courage Russian Imperial Stout of a new generation of beer enthusiasts!

I can just imagine what a 2004 Dark Lord will taste like in 2025!

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2004 17:32:10 | More by francisweizen

deejaydan

Michigan

4.38/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 3.5

Wow.. definately dark and thick. I would compare the thickness to that of tomato juice. It clings to the sides of the glass. The head comes from the bottom, and never gets very big at all. If anything, it looks as if there might be a small oil slick on top of the beer.

Aroma is that of fresh dark roasted coffee. My girlfriend could smell it from 3 feet away. The taste kept reminding me of chocolate covered cherries, until near the end which it switched to heavy roasted grain flavor. Mouthfeel is thick and viscous.

My only fault with this beer is the fact it is far too intense to enjoy the full bottle by yourself.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2004 04:58:56 | More by deejaydan

ngandhi

Illinois

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

So you've gone out to dinner, but, for whatever reason, you've decided to give up the silly idea of "appetizers" and "main courses." Enough of that; a balanced meal is so fucking cliche. And you're different. You're changing things. You open with desert.

"But he's the finest chef in all the land. Please, sir, may I start you off with a proper meal."

"Cherries jubilee. That will be all."

You snub the local gourmand. "And a shot of espresso. With a teaspoon of foam."

With a pocket full of cash and whatever sick joy is borne of doing things your way, you catch a cab to the country and visit the local winery. It's late, yes, but the vintners are awake somewhere. "I need a glass of pinot!"

The 30-something winemaker rustles out of bed, so stunned he gives you a glass of the reserve without comment. You pound it. "And a shot of grappa."

"You've come all this way and woken me up in the middle of the night for my marc? The very scourge of my barrels? I don't even touch that stuff."

"Grappa."

You hit the city again. Dance. Catch a late-night porn flick in uptown. Hit the hot new French/Creole bistro for bananas foster. You come home, 4 or 5 in the morning; work is in two hours.

A night cap. Some dark Nicaraguan rum. A snifter of port. The chocolate syrup that you bought three years ago when you thought you might have kids.

And you bury your head beneath the covers, hiding from the impending sun. But you won't be going to work. You won't be seeing any sun. The only thing rising out of the corner of your eye, tinted red through the feathers of your down, is the Dark Lord. You don't know what it is yet, but suddenly you're a brewer in northern Indiana. And you have found your calling.

Relax, relax.
ng

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2004 00:59:24 | More by ngandhi

truthbrew

Minnesota

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

Served on cask at The Map Room in Chicago. Perhaps the thickest beer I've ever sampled. Pitch black, wish I would have had a small flashlight to view with. Carbonation was nil, as was head, which was not unexpected.Smells of heavily roasted malt, hints of coffee and chocolate. Very sweet, I have a feeling the low carbonation of the cask really hid any hop bitterness that may have been there. Given the sweetness I experienced, was surprised to read here that this beer is 13% ABV. Little perceivable alcohol presence.

Serving type: cask

03-09-2004 15:10:50 | More by truthbrew

TheDM

Indiana

4.38/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

OK, on to the Dark Lord. I had heard so many things about this one that I almost shit when I heared they had an aged growler of it for me to try. It poured a small head of dark brown fine to large sized bubbles. It has a mild coffee molasses aroma. The body of this brew is something to behold. It is dark, thick and I mean thick! 70,000 mile old motor oil thick and black as a black hole in space. It has a very strong coffee flavor that was suprisingly smooth initially then finished with a lingering burning sensation from the alcohol. It is definately in a class of its own! Truly a masterpiece! All hail the Dark Lord!

Serving type: bottle

07-27-2003 17:30:34 | More by TheDM

jcalabre

California

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

Originally Sampled on 14 December 2002. This baby is thick, malty, w/ tastes of cocoa powder & chocolate on the palate. Dark Lord has a wonderfully soft mouthfeel. You can easily spend lots of time sipping this one. I just wish that Three Floyds would bottle it.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2003 07:53:31 | More by jcalabre

Andy

Massachusetts

4.8/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

I write only to confirm that it is true. This beer is the reason I roadtripped down to Three Floyds around Christmas and I was not disappointed. This is by far the thickest, most viscous beer I have ever seen. To say it rivals motor oil is to speak truth. This is week old coffee, sludge -- delicious, malty sludge. Drinkable this beer may not be, at least beyond a few ounces. But those few ounces are a true marvel. I'm sure the flavors were wonderful -- but the mouthfeel is the main event here and all my mind will allow me to remember.

Serving type: on-tap

01-28-2003 20:17:09 | More by Andy

Myk

Massachusetts

4.9/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

OIL, if you are looking for something thick, your can't get thicker than this. it is so thick it is chewy. over the holidays, my brother, our friend sue, and i took a short trip down to indiana from chicago to go to three floyds. good time. kinda weird atmosphere though, imagine snow outside and cold, everyone inside the brewery, not the brew pub or restaraunt, but the brewery in coat and hats and gloves, drinking great beer. self guided tour. fun indeed, but back to the beer. ok this beast was malt malt malt. hints of chocolate and carmel, but not much else. poured with amazing thick brown head that did not depleate at all. no alcohol flavor and the tiniest hint of hop bitter. the mouthfeel as i said before was like drinking oil. the only downside to this beer would be the drinkablity. i had two and was so worked out that i was ready for a nap. if you get a chance to have this amazing stout, DO NOT pass it up.

Serving type: on-tap

01-04-2003 20:00:23 | More by Myk

Jarod

Pennsylvania

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

Growler ½ gallon
When poured into the glass from the big glass, it was black, black and powerful as the name, and thick like a bottle of 10W 40. When held up to a high intensity light I noticed that the black wasn’t actually black, but a blood brown black. Dense was the color. The head seemed to bubble up towards the end, like the dark lord rising from the black primordial beginnings, its color was a medium brown color, thick but not deep. As I stuck my finger into it to see if it was as sticky as it looked, I swear I felt a pulling sensation. It was sticky but left no lace on the side of the glass. The aroma was intense! I nosed cherries, sweet malt (molasses), tobacco (like skoal or coppenhagen), wichester sauce and as I stirred it, the alcohol peaked its nose up at me and whispered “I’m here too”. The taste was thick and creamy. If there was carbonation I missed it. Not flat, just thick. I noticed flavors of sweet molasses, spices, port wine, fruit (cherries) as it warmed I also noticed hints of chocolate and more cherries and alcohol. Like many beers of this type this only got better as it warmed, warmed from the fires it was born from, stirred and created from the Dark One himself. Truly one of the greatest brews made. I felt different after only consuming 2 ½ pints of this potion, different like I was possessed. The wife said that she was either going to call a priest for a exorcism or take me straight to church because of the look on my face. It was an experience all its own. Thank You 3 Floyds for this beer. Thank you

Serving type: on-tap

01-02-2003 08:41:03 | More by Jarod

cretemixer

Indiana

4.9/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Incredibly smooth. Fresh out of the tap. Ebony liquid flows like cough syrup. Caramel colored head. The aromas are intense, sweet & malty. The first sip coats the mouth and throat with a sweet blackberry brandy-like warmth. Next thing I know, half the glass is gone & I already know I'm taking a growler home with me.

When they finally bottle this ambrosia of the damned(fall/winter 2003 if the rumors at Three Floyds are true) I can already picture the label. Lost souls lined up awaiting their turn to suckle at the teet of the Dark Lord.

Serving type: on-tap

12-23-2002 09:19:01 | More by cretemixer