Adultsizedbeverage
3 Floyds Brewing Co.

Had on tap at DLD 2026. Still a bit sweet, but has mellowed since its release.

special edition of the acclaimed dark lord, aged in rum, cognac, and sauternes barrels, super elevated, and its not at all subtle, yet also not at the expense of the coffee and vanilla that define the original, way cool beer, enormously alcoholic and unapologetic, a rare one to find on tap, my lucky day. i love the sauternes aspect of this midnight black monster, its really forward and identifiable to me, with its own little alcohol presence, sweetness, and woodiness that stand out through all the roasty dark grain, bitter coffee, smoke character, and the also very robust cognac aspect. the rum is also cool, it highlights raw sugar and has a molasses element that works in well right in the center of the aroma and flavor of this, pretty darn woody and thick overall, bitter and sweet, a lot of back and forth, and actually its balanced very well for its size, which is also true of the original of course. this goes vinous and fusel with a little temperature, has notes of port wine, burnt marshmallow, and blacktop sealant, its smooth and long but not diabetic, its got spiciness from the cognac, a soy-like umami aspect there as well, some oxidation that works, and subtle butterscotch and even apricot in the sauternes which gives this a neat fruity side that the base beer never has, way cool variant! black pepper and burnt coffee and booze to finish, on the palate and breath awhile, fun and different and cool, all three barrel treatments are fully appreciable in it, and overall i feel lucky to have been able to partake, colossal and distinctive, better refined than i am making it sound, its not kitchen sinky at all, beautiful vanilla folded all through it, just delicious!

 

 

 

Appearance - The beer was black with tan bubbles clinging to the sides of the glass.

Smell - The sweetness of the dark Lord was seemingly dried by the rum barrels in the nose. It was somewhat like an antiseptic.

Taste - The base beer did not seem as sweet as usual. The rum seem to have dried out some of the sweetness in the taste. There were also notes of grapes, molasses, and sweet coffee. The overall profile was very accessible.

Mouthfeel - The body was thick, clinging to the glass like used motor oil.

Overall - It was not an elite variant, but it was very drinkable.

 

 

 

2021 vintage; drank on draft 11/1/22 @ the Hopleaf.

Black appearance.

Minimal dark tan head; no lace.

Oak, port wine mild dark chocolate & faint notes of cognac, rum & caramel.

Thick, sticky mouthfeel.

Port wine. dark chocolate & cognac flavors up front; big oak notes on the finish.

Rich, sweet & enjoyable. A few ounces is enough though...

 

 

Look - black and thick with a great rimming and lacing
Smell - chocolate barrel and slight wine grape
Taste - about like the smell and super sweet
Feel -thick creamy light carb
Overall - not bad, not the fondest of the slight wine grape taste

Pours black with a finger of khaki foam. Heavy oily legs form on the glass at the slightest swirl. Aroma opens with heavy tart green grapes, which is a bit off putting, but it quickly breaks to land a swirl of jammy cognac and dark fruit rum, with barrel, and molasses backing it up. The foundation is set by the firm and dense roasty and toasty malts. Flavor profile leans into heavy liquor notes via cognac and rum, with some dark fruit and molasses accenting it later. Roasty and toasty malts are laced with heavy funky green grape underneath the liquor notes. The density of this one is near overwhelming, and yet everything flows together nicely. Mouth feel is thick, full, and viscous, with a smooth liquor finish. Overall, big time liquor notes, and yet still retains a wonderful barrel character in every sip and whiff. The base stout is a little difficult to find thru the fog of mixing liquors each sip.

Served from a 750mL bottle. Light blue wax. Allowed to warm ~45 minutes outside of fridge before serving. Reviewed from notes.

Mildly viscous tar black with a dense mocha head of moderate height settling to a bubbly blanket and a creamy ridged collar.

Smell is actually roastier, more savory and even nutty relative to most Dark Lords, with mild accents of port-like nougat & a brandy heat.

The smooth medium-full body steers just shy of syrupy due to a fine but persistent carbonation delivering lots of dark fruits with hints of char and hickory.

It's no where near as fruity and sweet as I expected based on past experiences with wine barrel aged Dark Lords, as it seems the rum and cognac contributed a welcome balancing presence to the mix.

 

 

Wow, stating to think that 3 Floyds does everything really well. But maybe that’s just Dark Lord and it’s variants.
Poured black as the base beer and topped with a brown head that left little lacing.
Aroma was mild, which was surprising, but what I did get was malty and rum and biscuits and dark fruit- virtually no hop bite at all.
Taste followed, still no hops but truckloads of flavors- no idea what Sauternes is but it didn’t hurt the flavor of this. Rum was mild on the flavor, cognac might have been there, I wouldn’t know. What was there was really good.
The feel was excellent, ideal for the ABV of this heavy hitter.
OA, thankful to friends who have contacts I don’t and the wallet to take advantage when the opportunity arises. This was flat out amazing.

poured from a 750mL bottle into a snifter. pours jet black with a creamy, mocha brown head. not as motor oil thick as most DL & BA variants. very “regular DL” on the nose. at first sniff, i would have guessed this was a non-BA DL with a year or two of age on it. as it warms up, the Sauternes barrel makes its presence known. it’s for sure the dominant barrel and adds a stingy sweetness to an already sweet beer. flavors of bitter chocolate, roasted coffee, raisins, cherries and of course, a mouthful of sugar. not quite as thick as most vintages of DL and their corresponding BA variants. overall, not the greatest variant. was a little hopeful for more complexity and more barrel presence when in fact it’s got a light wine barrel component and a whole lot of DL going on. not a drain pour for sure, definitely enjoyable and perhaps a little age will help. however, i have my doubts about that since the already muted barrel will most likely mellow out even more. 4.5, 4.25, 4.25, 4.25, 4.25; 4.27

revisited 5/26/23 and maybe it’s just bottle variation, perhaps it’s age, but this thing is so much better than i remember it being. pours thick, dark motor oil with a finger of dark brown foam that reduces down to a similar colored ring around the glass. spirit barrel, port or dessert wine, chocolate, slight vanilla, dark fruit and even a hint of coffee on the nose. taste follows but it’s got a lot of regular DL in the taste. the barrels are there but not enough to transform this to next level stuff. still, it’s very good. full, thick mouthfeel with that DL low-carb feel to it. this is tasty.