Dark Lord
3 Floyds Brewing Co.

22 oz. bottle poured into a snifter. 2010 vintage.

Appearance - Standard stout appearance. Jet black. The small head is actually surprising, considering the ABV. The sugars are damn near visible as it streaks down the glass.

Smell - Wow. Intense aromas. Coffee, chocolate, booze. The booze actually smells great, despite that it's practically burning my nose. Fruity aromas as well. Not as roasty as I would expect.

Taste - Tingly alcohol throughout. Incredibly sweet. Coffee flavors and chocolate malts through the middle. Slightly bitter in the finish and an alcohol burn that lasts for a few moments. It's a pretty complex flavor, but it's immensely sweet.

Mouthfeel - Pretty well carbonated for a 15% stout. Pretty boozy, too, though. And the sweetness just makes it so hard to drink. Small quantities is the most I can muster with this thing.

Overall - Sure, it's good. But it's so insane that it's barely drinkable. I don't think I'd seek this out again. Either that or I'd need to split the bottle four ways.

 

 

 

 

 

I shared a bottle w Beer Advocates July 2025.
It had the magenta glitter wax top. Quite sweet with chocolate notes throughout. Barrel, dark fruits, it is slightly drying but as a sipper it doesn't ask that much. Booze taste is very light. An incredible beer.

A rich and decadent imperial stout with a very powerful taste and smell combining Mexican Vanilla, Indian Sugar, and Coffee. Only the most worthy drink Three Floyd’s rarest, darkest, and baddest beer.

 

A friend gave me a bottle of 2009

A - Pours an opaque black with brown highlights. Minimal dark brown head, no lacing.

S - Nose is dark fruit, rich chocolate, vanilla over sharp booziness.

T - Follows the nose, an opening with bright dark fruit, raisin and plum, the middle bring dark chocolate and vanilla, and a bit of dryness as the raisin and chocolate trail with booze present on the tongue.

M - The age has stolen all carbonation. Though still, the years also reduce the weight, so it is probably more drinkable than fresher versions.

O - The age has reduced many of the stout features, adding barleywine notes. The booze is big, and chocolate is strong, with dark fruit at the core.

Had a 2019 vintage at Fabled Brew Works for my birthday.
2021 at Fabled Brew Works from secret stash Tuesday

Bottled in 2012.

2014 vintage opened 6/18/25.

Pours black with faint red hues. Trace amount of mocha head that quickly vanishes into a small ring of bubbles. Nose is vanilla, dark rum, and brown sugar. Taste is milk chocolate, vanilla, anise, cassia bark, and sarsaparilla. Syrupy and sticky mouthfeel with low-to-moderate carbonation, which makes sense given the eleven years of age. Finish ends with a somewhat bitter dark chocolate note. This has held up wonderfully although I cannot take credit for storage conditions as I purchased it from someone else that indicated it was cellared at 55 degrees.

Bottled in 2014