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

LilBeerDoctor

New York

3.9/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Reviewed on 9/2/08. 2008 bottle courtesy of iowaherkeye (thanks Joey!!). I've been wanting to try this for a long time now. I didn't think that it would, but it lived up to its reputation. Pours an inky black with a thick but quickly disappearing dark tan head. Aroma of super rich sweet roasted malt, caramel, molasses. Flavor of burnt malt, toffee, molassess, caramel, vanilla with burnt toast in the aftertaste. Super sweet and pretty heavy, but somehow super drinkable! Not overpowering at all. Very smooth palate! The flavors really mesh together so well that it's actually quite hard to pick them apart (and I'm sure I've done them a great injustice). I will have to try this again soon! My 2nd rated imperial stout, just below Expedition. 8/4/9/5/18

Update 9/20/08: Second time around, this just wasn't as good. Tasty, but much too heavy. Had to downgrade my rating.
8/4/8/4/18 (4.2/5)

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2008 22:10:28 | More by LilBeerDoctor

bluejacket74

Ohio

4.7/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

22 ounce bottle, 2010 vintage (olive green wax). Big thanks to TrebleStauter for this brew, I've been holding onto this for a while now and figured I'd finally try it. Served in a snifter, the beer pours black with a half inch brown head that didn't stay around for too long. Small amount of lacing left on the glass. Very sweet and rich aroma, it smells like dark fruit, chocolate, coffee, roasted malt, vanilla and some molasses. Taste is pretty much just like the aroma, it's very sweet. It tastes like roasted malt, dark fruit (cherries), milk and dark chocolate, vanilla, coffee, molasses and a bit of charred/burnt malt. Mouthfeel/body is full, it's viscous and coating with low carbonation. It's very smooth and extremely easy to drink. The alcohol is pretty well hidden, it certainly doesn't seem like it's 15% ABV. I think this is a very good brew, I'm glad I was able to try it. If you like sweet stouts/RIS's, then this one is a good choice. Definitely recommended!

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2011 22:01:41 | More by bluejacket74

hopdog

Pennsylvania

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

22oz bottle. '05 vintage acquired in a few trades. This rating is based on that vintage. I've had all other vintages except the '04 (saving that one for a 5+ year vertical!).

Poured a dark as night black with an averaged sized brown head. Aromas and tastes of stronger coffee, chocolate, roasted malts, smoke, some dark fruits, and molasses.

Tastes came through and got better as I drank more. A burnt roasty quality and dark cherries came out. Very light alcohol in the finish. Smooth and creamy body.

Notes from and tasted on 6/24/05.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2008 19:07:33 | More by hopdog

AgentZero

Illinois

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

Thanks to my friend Abby who busted out a bottle of this on a random Sunday afternoon.

A - 2009 vintage poured from the bottle into a chalice. Poured black and thick like motor oil, brown around the edges. Was split up amoung 4 people, so the pours weren't long enough to generate any type of head, not sure if there would have been otherwise anyway.

S - Not what I was expecting, a lot of fruit in there. I smell currants and cherries right off the bat with some roasted coffee, toffee, and little cocoa. Quite a bit going on, and you can definately smell the stoutness to it all through that.

T - Taste of chocolate covered cherries hits me right away, followed by some underlying dark fruits. The initial sweetness was quite shocking, but faded into coffee and cocoa and finished up with a nice roasted malt taste. Hint of vanilla, almost an afterthought in this rings through at the end. Maybe I'm just missing it, but I can't taste any alcohol. Amazing, full, and complex flavor.

M - No carbonation on this one, very full bodied and syrupy thick, but not unpleasant. Really what it needs to be with the flavors it's bringing out.

D - This one is a sipper for me, and can't do a whole lot of it, which is probably a good thing at 13% abv. Amazing flavor though will keep me coming back for more whenever I can get ahold of it.

Definately hyped, but it delivered.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2009 15:14:58 | More by AgentZero

Brent

Kentucky

4.5/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Blake for his generosity in sharing the 2010. One would be hard-pressed to find a beer more anticipated and sought out (and, some would say, overhyped) than Dark Lord, so that it is hard not to approach this without quite some sense of anticipation. Putting all that aside, this is a wonderfully well-crafted beer. Even relatively young, this Russian imperial stout already drinks with the smooth character of a nicely aged beer. Redolent with big roasted malt flavors and a complex profile. Is it worth the adoration heaped upon it? One can only say that this a both a very well-marketed and well made beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2010 17:17:26 | More by Brent

blackie

Virginia

4.5/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

appearance: The pour into the snifter produces a persistent, medium brown head that almost has a ruby tint to it. The beer is black.

smell: After dirtylou poured this beer, it's aromas wafted all the way to my nose from the table five feet in front of me. A huge presence of dark roasted malts gives a heavy coffee/espresso note, and a slighter hint of dark chocolate. Very, very slight ethanol sharpness considering the ABV and the warm temperature at which I am drinking this. A generous, bitter Northwest hop aroma pierces through the heavy dark malts...enough to balance the considerable sweetness.

mouthfeel: The carbonation is low, and in combination with the heavy body, creates a smooth and creamy mouthfeel. Though the carbonation is toward the higher end of the low range, but bubbles are very small and gentle on the palate. A little more slickness would please me, but very good.

taste: Just delicious. A nice balance of big coffee/espresso and dark chocolate flavors coats the tongue. Awesome balance of sweetness, a roasted, coffee like astringency and flavor, and hop presence. The finish consists of lingering dark roast coffee bean flavors, a slick sweetness, and a moderate, palate cleansing bitterness. A mild ethanol presence is noticed, unavoidable in a beer like this.

drinkability: Very drinkable, limited only by it's inherent characteristics. I would've liked to have rated higher for smell and taste, but the roast and chocolate character was so strong that it kept any other nuances of the aroma from coming through, which I would have liked.

Halved a bottle of this giant with dirtylou on the last night of my stay in Madison. I suppose this is from the 2005 release.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2006 01:32:53 | More by blackie

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

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

Review 1500!!! ya me!!! 650ml red waxed bottle (2012) poured into tulip 22/10/12 thanks Masterski and Sean9689 for sending me a bottle

A its dark but not jet black, deep cola edge and I didn't expect much foam from a beer this big but it almost pours flat, a dark thin films gone in seconds zero lace.

S chocolate fudge with some raisins, prunes, cherry, smoke, coffee, molasses and a little booze but all things considered its pretty mellow, some leather and tobacco as it warms

T sweeter then the smell, some chocolate liqueur, and lacking some of the complexity of the nose, its good but I was hoping for more with all the hype behind this one

M its thick and no heat impresses me in a beer this strong, could use a few more bubbles but again I didn't expect much carbonation in such a massive beer, VERY sticky on the lips and it takes a little strength to open my mouth

O I'm surprised how well they managed to hide the booze and its good beer overall but I was expecting much more, its Darklord after all.

Good with no questions but for a beer that I'm giving a 4+ rating I still have to admit I'm a little disappointed, I like it and would drink it again but I can think of many better brews that are much easier to acquire

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2012 06:03:06 | More by wordemupg

champ103

Texas

2.9/5  rDev -33%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

I have had several bottles and years of this. Ones with some age, and others fresh. So this is kind of a composite review of my overall experience and opinion.

A: Pours a viscous and opaque black color. A one finger tan head forms and sticks around for a minute. The foam eventually recedes to a ring. No lace is left behind.
S: Sweet malt, charred wood, brown sugar, molasses, soy sauce, hot fusel alcohol.
T: Follows the nose with a ton of sweetness. Over barring and cloying in that matter. Molasses, soy sauce, and alcohol. Way to much residual sugars. I have had the same experience with every bottle and vintage I have tried.
M/D: A huge full body that is low on the carbonation. Thick, syrupy, oily and way to viscous to be enjoyable. Harsh alcohol all the way. Mix the viscosity, alcohol, over barring sweetness, and I am not a fan.

I really have been underwhelmed by just about every incarnation of this hallowed beer that I have tried. Just way to...BIG with no resemblance of balance or nuance. Not something I would recommend.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2011 02:43:31 | More by champ103

alexgash

Connecticut

4.68/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

22 oz. bottle with black wax (2008 edition). Served at 50 degrees F. Big thanks to knight84 for this bottle!

Very dark brown to oily black. High viscosity on this pour! Dark cocoa brown head starts at one finger and then settles to a wispy covering. Some lacing. Some sludge at the bottom of the bottle (but I was careful to not pour this into the tulip).

Heavily roasted barley, dark chocolate, scorched overripe fruits (plums, figs, and sweet cherries). I'm also picking up some well-roasted coffee (vienna or espresso) and a hint of vanilla. Perhaps a sharp metallic hop twang as well.

Roasted malt and coffee flavors up front. Intense dark fruit and malt sweetness immediately follow. Wow. Bittersweet chocolate, roasted barley, and yet more sugary dark fruit sweetness. Hints of vinous grapes, vanilla, smoke, leather, and anise. A very big, complex beast of an IS. Very full bodied with a giant, creamy mouthfeel (the only other RIS I've had that is this thick and chewy is Darkness). Smooth and dangerously drinkable. Not boozy, but certainly strong! Worth waiting in line for I do say.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2008 01:41:52 | More by alexgash

woosterbill

Connecticut

4.43/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

'10 bomber into a Duvel tulip.

A: Black body (surprise, surprise) with a finger of lovely brown head; amazing retention and lacing for a 15%-er. Perfectly gorgeous stout.

S: Pleasant solventy alcohol, port, chocolate, coffee, and lots of burned sugar/molasses. Huge and in my face, but still complex. Impressive.

T: Everything from the nose and more, with emphasis on sweet malts up front, followed by plenty of coffee and booze. Crazy good, but still really hot.

M: Thick and viscous, but with plenty of velvety carbonation. Amazing.

D: As awesome as this beer is in every other way, drinkability really isn't its forte. It's perfect to share, though, and pretty damn good for something this ridiculously strong.

Notes: Going to DLD was a major undertaking, and I'm still not convinced that this beer alone is worth it, but if any beer could be, this might be it. I can't get over how well-balanced and complex such a bruiser can be. I can't wait to see how this brew ages. My suspicion is that it could be epic.

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2010 02:06:58 | More by woosterbill

JoeyBeerBelly

New York

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

I got this brew because CrazyMacHarris99 went to DLD '08 and got it for me, Thanks Jason!

Served in a snifter this brew is pure black with a creamy brown head that left a few globs of lacing on the glass.
Aroma is full of sweet molases with a hint of roastiness.
Sweet molases flavor with some chocolate and roasted malt flavors taking a backseat.
Full bodied, thick and creamy feel.
A sipper and a very sweet tasting one at that.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2009 00:54:05 | More by JoeyBeerBelly

ffejherb

Pennsylvania

4.22/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks for breaking out the Dark Lord, Deuane!

A - Pitch black body with blood red head that receded into a wispy thin veil and left very minimal lacing. Not much carbonation to report, but who can see through that thick, opaque darkness?

S - Quite a complex aroma with hints of prunes, dried apricots, soy sauce, beef jerky and dark chocolate.

T - Kicks off with a prevalent beef jerky and soy sauce flavor, but segues into a sweet flavor with lots of dark fruit and chocolate.

M - Extremely smooth, oily texture with a viscous quality. Very soft carbonation, if any at all. Bit of heat from the high ABV, creating a warm feeling on the palate.

D - Definitely a sipper, but I can see what all the fuss is about. Big, bold flavors and an exceptional mouthfeel make this one of the best RIS offerings out there.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2008 23:26:30 | More by ffejherb

merlin48

Kentucky

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

Thanks to kmpitz2 for picking this gem up for me, and to clvand0 for safekeeping it until I could pick it up in Lexington, Ky, on May 21,2005. Enjoyed with mtnlover on the evening of May 21.
Appearance: Tension mounts as the orange wax seal is finally scraped away to reveal a standard TF swirly bottle cap. Served slightly chilled, the body is an opaque ebony color with a medium brown head with ruby highlights. Head begins at about one finger in height, slowly dropping into a persistent film and collar of lace. Nice coat of lacing is left on the glass. Very attractive and inviting.

Aroma: Coffee, dark chocolate, vanilla, molasses, cherry esters, and other fruit esters that I can't pinpoint. I need another bottle in order to nail down all the nuances of the complex aromas present in the nose.

Mouthfeel: Thick, coating, and very full bodied. Mild alcohol burn, but the mouthfeel is exceptional, insistent on pulling you into the experience of this exceptional stout.

Taste: Very rich and complex, with vanilla, chocolate, smoke, cherries, burnt roasted coffee, fried grapes(a new flavor), some fruity hops. Flavors become more compelling as it reaches room temperature. Alcohol is hidden away in the layers of flavors, impressive considering this is 13% abv. Truely, a world class experience here.

Drinkability/Impression: This monster stout seems to change aromas and flavors with each sip, very playful on the palate. Best stout I've ever had and worthy of its hype. I could drink this all day, every day. Drinkability limited only by availability and price. Wow! Get your paws on some of these if you can find it.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2005 10:51:04 | More by merlin48

Mebuzzard

Colorado

4.25/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A bottle of 2007 consumed just about one year later.
Black. Dark. Evil pour. Motor oil is lighter than this. Smooth looking as well. Head stayed a bit low, built up to about 1 finger, dense off brown/tan and sticky.
Coffee, chocolate, powder cocoa, anise, plum and alcohol round out the nose. Not one is dominant or too strong. Nice blend. Mix could be confusing.
Coffee and anise at the start of the taste. Followed close with unripe black plum, some prune and molasses. Ends with a touch of caramel, but mostly powder cocoa and silk chocolate. Not as complex as I thought it would be. Not as outstanding as I thought.
A good brew, but not worth the trade and effort to obtain.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2008 05:27:37 | More by Mebuzzard

Deuane

Pennsylvania

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

A 2007 vintage bottle enjoyed almost at a full year old.

A-motor oil, the very darkest of black with dark caramel head that leaves mucho lacing.

S-Big roast with vanilla, caramel, alchohol. Twinges the nares a bit if you inhale too hard!

T-A cornucopia of all the good things in a RIS.
This brew has them all! Cocoa, nuttiness, dark fruits, robust coffee, licorice, soy sauce, etc.. This is one complex MF'er!

M-Big, bold, robust and full of body...like you thought this would be thin! Ha...more like 10-W40!

D-With all of it's BIGNESS it is extremely smooth, and that is the genius of this beer. The ending alcohol burn lets you know what you are dealing with! This one fresh is a bit much...but with almost a year under it's belt well, this Dark Lord is all grown up!

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2008 09:46:46 | More by Deuane

Jwale73

Rhode Island

4.43/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

2008 vintage courtesy of Session1979. Beer #1 served during the 'Motha of All Stout Tastings' on 4.17.09. Pours pitch black with the consistency of 10WD30 motor oil-a real glass coater. Pour reveals a thin, tan-colored head that quickly dissipates into a skim, with a tight band around the perimeter of the glass. A thick ring of lacing formed and was retained during the tasting. Nose suggests dark malts, molasses, caramel and chocolate. Taste follows nose, but dark fruit and brandy also comes out in the mouth. In terms of mouthfeel, this is the densest beer I've ever had. The first time I have ever experienced such a full-bodied beer. Minimal carbonation, silky, chewy and buttery, all at the same time; it's like drinking syrup. To say Dark Lord is a huge beer is an understatement, and it really defied my expectations. Alcohol was very will hidden, but this is definitely a sharer. Well shared amongst four friends.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2009 12:42:37 | More by Jwale73

mynie

Indiana

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

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

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

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

"What?"

"You ever felt like a real man before?"

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

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

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

"I—I guess not."

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

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

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

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

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

Mean Joe laughs.

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

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

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

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

"Gee, I guess you're right."

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

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

"I will, Mean Joe. I will."

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

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

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

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

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

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2006 04:26:57 | More by mynie

onix1agr

Pennsylvania

4.8/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

2008 version into a large snifter. Shared with Birradr14,oglmcdgl and mary. Thanks goes out to Thomas Hardy for the bottle. I could not attend this year so I figured if you cant join them, drink with them in spirit. Drank on DLD 09'

A- Taking off the black wax and unsealing the cap I got a faint whiss of noise from the bottle. What came out of the bottle was a different story though. I never used this term for a RIS review before because i've been saving it for this one, DL is motor oil in it's very essense. DL has the look of texas tea, sludge, goop and swamp like, oh yeah it's black in color. A nice sized dark brown cap of head graced the top with nice lacing.

S- I just get overrun witha huge chocolate presense with mounds of fudge batter and some coffee underneath that. A huge roasty aspect comes out plus some char as well. Big notes of black roasted malt. Some faint vanilla and not a lot of hops, perhaps they faded. Dark fruits with minimal raisins and a bunch of molasses.

T- I was turned on by the smell but once I tasted DL it was all over from there. This stuff is worth all of it's weight in gold. Rich deep chocolate layered upon fudge chocolate chips, you name it. The malt base used in this really adds another layer to this which makes it stand out with some wood like taste thrown in for good measure. The hops are not the focus point in this very sweet brew. Im getting some licorice and molasses. Some dark fruit and a bit of alcohol which is fine by me. Why havent I been drinking this for years?!!??!

M- DL just coats the mouth without hesitation. From the looks of this beer I knew it would be thick. DL is full bodied with some carb trying to make it's way throught the swamp of stout. Not at all bitter in this one year old bottle but it is very sweet, there's no getting around that. Like others have said this is the thickest beer I have ever consumed thus far. Thick and chewy this one takes a little patience to get through but I m up for it.

D- While the 13% is expertly hidden in the sea of blackness, it is indeed in there so sharing this would be the wise thing to do. Maybe down the road i'll drink a bottle to my head to test my stamina, I just wont drive afterwards. For a 13% beer it is amazing that I did not get a lot of alcohol burn although I could taste some booze. With that said I finished my portion in no time and I was sad to see it go.

My 1st offering from three floyds was the bomb and I intend to try more from this brewery. Now only if they made it back into PA all would be right in the world, A man can dream cant he.

Edit- Had the 2009 vintage and it pales in comparison to the 08. It was difficult to take down even with a 6oz pour. Too much dark fruit, needs alot of time.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2009 17:43:37 | More by onix1agr

Bierman9

New Hampshire

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

Enjoyed from a 22oz bomber. Didn't find any freshness info anywhere... I believe this is from 2005, obtained in a trade for some Andechs Doppelbock with AKSmokedPorter (RIP) at the BA American Beer Fest in June of that year. Waxing over the cap is shaded a light orange hue.

Dark Lord? Dark is right! Poured into my Rapscallion snifter, it was most definitely dark, like inky, North Sea crude. Held up to a nearby lamp, light still failed to penetrate. Black hole, eh? I'll call it deep, deep, dark brown, for shits and giggles. The head is a rich tan, initially about 1/3", slowly ebbing to a fine, thin layer which maintains itself enough to cover the bier for the duration. Lacing is solid, leaving attractive patterns down the glass. Aroma is replete with heavy coffee notes, some dark chocolate, and a lovely layer of dark fruit action. Has a little floral hop activity going on as well. Wow! What a smooth and creamy bier! Thick, full-bodied, chewy and satiny slick over the tongue. This is a top-shelf mouthfeel!

Flavor? Whoa! Espresso, roasty coffee, and more dark chocolate kick some serious ass. There's some "burnt" action going on here, too, and smidges of molasses. On a more subtle level, some currants, raisins and figs come into play. What a hell of mix! The palate doesn't know where to concentrate it's attention. Damn!! Hoppage is on a major-league floral level, and quite pronounced, lasting long and hard after the bier itself has hit the stomach. The lupulins also have an earthy lean to them and, did I mention, they really stick in the nooks and crannies of the mouth. There is a definite warm feeling in the belly, though it's not really representative of a 13% abv bier. Worth the wait? Damn straight! And the hype? Deserved, without a doubt. My apologies to those naysayers out there, but this is one fine, tasty bier.

One caveat, of course - I didn't pay $13-15 for it. As mentioned, it was the byproduct of an Andechs Doppelbock trade. Would I pay that kind of coin for it? Perhaps once in a while (when/if available). But not regularly; biers like Portsmouth Kate the Great or Smutty RIS are, dollar-for-dollar, far and away a better value. But that's not the point here, is it? Dark Lord tastes superb; it's a lovely bier.

Now, I know numbers are (mostly) irrelevant here. But they are fun to fuck around with now and then. That said, I'm glad I saved Dark Lord for my review #1000.

Thanks AK ;-)

Zum Wohl!!

overall: 4.9
appearance: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | mouthfeel: 5 | drinkability: 5

1000

Serving type: bottle

07-28-2007 22:33:25 | More by Bierman9

GCBrewingCo

North Carolina

4.8/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

The beer poured like motor oil into the glass. The color was pitch black and no light penetrated the murky darkness. The head was deep dark brown and frothy. The head was nearly noexistent when first poured and slowly rose in the glass to overflow with a two fingered pour like a volcano erupting in slow motion. The head than took the time to coat the glass as it fell back to the surface of the liquid.

The aroma was strong chocolate and very strong molasses. Also present was a huge dark fruit presence of cherries and prunes and raisins. Alcohol was present in the aroma and added complexity as did a nice biscuit presence and a nice vinous aroma. The aroma was bready and interesting.

The flavor was chocolate and coffee when the head was slurped to avoid spillage from the growing CO2 release as the beer was poured. The head was very thick as was the beer. The flavor of the head was molasses. The flavors of the beer once consumed were coffee and chocolate and a nice roasty character. The fruits of the aroma existed in the flavor and were raisins and prunes and once again cherries. Chocolate and coffee ruled the aroma and a slight molasses flavor added complexity. A slight bit of alcohol was present, but mainly just to even out the flavors and never detracted.

The finish was malty and chocolate with coffee and those same raisins and prunes lasting long into the aftertaste with a slight vinous characteristic. The body was full and viscous similar to motor oil. With the alcohol being so high, it was interesting that it did not detract from the beer and was only highly present in the alcohol warming after consumption.

100% worthy of the hype. At $15 per bottle including shipping, this beer was a steal. Thank goodness 3 other bottles lurk in the cellar awaiting the light of day. This beer was astounding! Almost my first 5 but I couldn't drink more that a bottle in a night.

22 ounce bottle, 2005 release. Thanks to beerinator for purchasing and sending the beer and to AKSmokedPorter for receiving the bottles for me and bringing to his place of work for me to pick up.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2005 23:41:16 | More by GCBrewingCo

dbrauneis

New Jersey

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

Bottle share in Hoboken, NJ.

2011 Vintage.

A: Pours an opaque midnight black in color. The beer has a very thin dark tan head that quickly reduces to nothing. There is no lacing observed with this beer.

S: There are aromas of cocoa, vanilla, bourbon, caramel, and milk chocolate. A very nice complexity to the aroma of this beer. Some dark fruit sweetness from the plum/dark cherries and just the slightest hint of soy.

T: The flavor of this beer is quite interesting with a good amount of sweetness. There is some definite dark fruit, plum and dark cherries, contributing to the sweetness upfront. After that, the flavors of the vanilla, bourbon, chocolate, and caramel come through next. After that, there is a slightly unpleasant soy sauce taste that comes and then goes. Finally, the finish of this beer is a little of bitter chocolate.

M: On the lighter side of full bodied with light amounts of carbonation. A little thinner than I desired.

O: Very enjoyable and I'm glad that I had the opportunity to try this one. Maybe a little more highly rated that I expected after tasting it but definitely a good beer. I found the hints of soy sauce a little unpleasant but otherwise the complexity of the flavor/smell was great.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2012 20:58:52 | More by dbrauneis

Metalmonk

North Carolina

4.68/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

White wax, 2009. My 1000th review, and Dark Lord seems an appropriate beer for this personal milestone. Thanks a ton to GbVDave for this bottle!

Poured into a Lucifer snifter (also seemed appropriate). I'm going to give a half-point bump just for the head. Not because it's big and fluffy (it's not) and not because it retains well (it doesn't) but because what you do get, for a short time, is a skim of foam that looks like aged gold splattered with motor oil. A really, really unusual and interesting color that had me swirling and swirling some more so I could see it again. The black liquid looks like any other RIS worthy of a good reputation--utterly deep and abyss-like in its darkness.

Aroma is molasses, honey, port, s'mores, raisins, coffee, and all kinds of burnt dark fruits soaked in sherry. Balanced, with lots of depth. Wonderful.

I had to sit and contemplate my first few sips, and then take a larger drink to make sure I didn't overrate this with a perfect 5. But it is a perfect 5. How could it be better? A perfectly-balanced alcohol underscores and brightens all the elements detected in the aroma. It's also one of few beers I can think of where high-alcohol is a feature of the flavor and not at all overwhelming or boozy (DFH 120 Minute is another). The alcohol lays its supreme hand on the graham cracker, plum, marshmallow, coffee, chocolate and molasses and pops the flavors on the tongue in perfect harmony. (The burps are vinous in their big purple grape-iness.)

The texture is equally mind-blowing (palate-blowing?). Slick, with notable roundness and creaminess yet not overly thick, it delivers the flavors with a sublime glide. Perhaps it's thinner than some people expected, but it seems completely perfect for the flavors, which lean on the rich, sweet, creamy side.

Dark Lord has everything going on, right down to the label art and white wax. It deserves its reputation as one of the finest beers in the world. The rest of this bottle and I are signing off for the greener pastures of hi-fi adventure.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2009 22:40:19 | More by Metalmonk

KarlHungus

Minnesota

3.5/5  rDev -19.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

2008 vintage. This beer pours a thick used motor oil black. The head is minimal, and recedes into nothing within seconds. The aroma is of roasted malt, dark and milk chocolate, and graham cracker. The is a very strong aroma, but it isn't a very complex one. I keep smelling hoping for something more, but come up empty. Still, there is enough there that it is enjoyable. The taste is big and burly, but again there really isn't much complexity. There is lots of roasted malt, and oily chocolate, and more than enough hops. In fact the hops here just aren't sitting well with me. They seem to be taking away too much from the malt profile. The mouthfeel if very full bodied with appropriately low carbonation, and an slick, oily texture that is almost slimy. I really don't like this mouthfeel. Overall, I think this is a decent beer, but certainly not one of the best. I'm glad that others might live it, but I certainly won't be recommending it to anyone.

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2009 20:51:38 | More by KarlHungus

GbVDave

Illinois

4.53/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 22oz bottle into two pint glasses. Thanks to HeatherAnn for the assist!

2007 version.

A: Pours with the consistency of junkyard engine motor oil or incredibly thick cough syrup. The cascading head has to be seen to be believed. Shockingly pitch black with a small and creamy head that looks like the color of espresso crema with rust sprinkled on top of it.

S: Huge sweet nose of rum soaked raisins, plums, and blackberry preserves. Also noted were cherry, vanilla, a touch of bitter coffee, and a slight undercurrent of alcohol.

T: Tart cherry and chocolate strike me right off the bat. Then comes the huge dark fruit sweetness. Bitter espresso appears briefly at the finish along with some bitter sweet chocolate.

M: This baby is so thick and rich, it coats everything in the mouth (lips, teeth, tongue, everything!) like latex paint.

D: So incredibly complex, this is definitely not a beer to be trifled with. The alcohol is very well hidden but by the end of half of the bottle you are already looking for a place to lay down and by the end of the whole bottle, you're lucky if you can even find out what the hell happened to your pants. Yeah, it's that good.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2007 04:51:46 | More by GbVDave

brewdlyhooked13

Ohio

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

With Dark Lork Day '08 only a few days in my rear view, it's high time I sampled the '07! Originally slated for Thanksgiving, it has been re-scheduled time and again. Finally, time to see if this beer backs up the hype...

Appearance - pours properly thick and black. A thin wisp of dark mocha lacing on the Belgian glass matching the thin layer on top of the beer. Didn't get a reverse cascading head, but it looks good still.

Aroma - the aroma is big. The malt is intense enough to have a soy-like quality. Dark roasted coffee and an undertone of abv heat. A little too much soy for me but the other smells are huge and mouth-watering.

Taste - sweet candyish dark malts envelop the palate. Abv is already stating its presence. Dark fruit in there. Massive roasted coffee and dark chocolate. The swallow allows a tickle of hop balancing, but not for long. A rush of fresh brewed coffee takes over the aftertaste, wow, what a powerful flavor so late into the tasting. Bittersweet chocolate follows the coffee for a delicious finish. The abv heat is there but you'd never guess it at 13%.

Mouthfeel - oh so thick, rich, and smooth. It wants to adhere to everything in and around the mouth.

Drinkability - worth the money and the hoopla...and the wait. Looking forward to this year's edition...

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2008 03:02:11 | More by brewdlyhooked13