Ronaldo (2016)
3 Floyds Brewing Co.

Bomber at share. yet another Three Floyds monster to celebrate my retirement. Black pour, adequate beige head. Aroma is dark malts, grapes and cherries. taste featrurs mild sour cherreis, more of the wine barrel and the sweet roasty malts. Another ABV monster.

 

 

 

 

2 years. Looks like Dark Lord. Smell is off but chalking that up to being outside at the lake. Tastes like we opened just in time. Cherry was prominent but not overpowering or distracting, same for sweetness. Smooth body and incredibly easy for 15%. Really glad we got this variant.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dark black body, half finger mocha head, fair bit of retention and no lacing. Smell is cherries, more cherries, sweet sugar, fortified wine, dark chocolate, more sugar, a bit of tartness as well. Flavour follows, the sweetness is a bit more subdued on the palate, but the fortified wine and chocolate have stuck around reasonably well. Mouthfeel is full bodied, slightly sticky in the true Dark Lord tradition.

 

 

2016
A- Jet black like all Dark Lord. Tan head
S- Normal DL nose is toned down, but some dark fruits layered with sweet and tart dark cherry, maybe a bit of coffee, brown sugar, vanilla
T- Tons of cherry up front... this is a cherry beer for sure. After the taste buds align to the cherry, the complexities of the sweet wine and base DL start layering. Really amazing and easily drinkable. Feels so much less sweet than the base
F- Thick and fluffy
O- Awesome DL varient. I loved it.

2017
A- Jet black like all Dark Lord. Tan head
S- Cherry, almost cherry wine
T- A rich cherry note replaces that annoying raisin note from the base beer. Tons of sweet cherry with a bit of coffee and vanilla.
F- Thick and milkshake like
O- Throw the rocks, but this is my favorite DL varient. Its like drinking a cherry milkshake!

 

 

This variant retains that classic viscous black pour, but the head is a subdued mocha, a little less dark and rich in color, leaving a creamy, chunky collar and thin film on top, which clings and smears on the glass even when the beer is swirled over it.

That signature big and sweet Dark Lord roasted malt is still very present on the nose, followed by chocolate syrup, molasses, mixed roasted nuts, and a hint of alcohol heat.

Taste changes things up, ushering in maple syrup, prune, various notes of fig, and raisin. The Madeira is very present here, and while there is a touch of savory, dark cherry skin, the "tart" cherries aren't as prominent. I guess it's a good thing that the tart cherries do not create the impression of a sour beer, as I've seen other cherry stouts see mixed results, but I wanted a greater impact from them regardless. As it warms, I get a hint of char, chocolate cherry cake, and aged balsamic without the pucker. The booze is completely hidden and Ronaldo totally starts to feel like a very substantial but multifaceted dessert.

Obviously, this one is really sweet, maybe at times moreso than the base beer, but that definitely doesn't turn me off. Mid-palate, the feel is divinely velvety, yet tingly. It is exceedingly smooth, with no alcohol burn, yet features a Madeira wine aftertaste, which helps provide a little drying and tries to balance out the DL sweetness a hair, but this is still a sticky and syrupy beer.

I've been known to call regular DL the chocolate covered cherry beer, but was hoping Ronaldo would show me a next level. However, I'm finding this more of a step removed from Dwarven Power Bottom, which I didn't like as much, as I found it much less complex. In contrast to Dwarven Power Bottom, Ronaldo provides more chocolate, fig, barrel, and even cherry notes (however light), which keeps it from becoming a cup of prune juice. Oddly enough, I still think regular Dark Lord hits those chocolate covered cherry notes harder, but I'd never turn down another swig of Ronaldo.