Three Floyds - Dark Lord 2009

Mysteriously dark - like a black hole in space - with minimal head, Dark Lord 2009 was impressive. This is the biggest Imperial Stout that I have ever enjoyed. It's on par for density and richness with Bourbon County Stout. I can only imagine what the barrel aged version, Pappy Van Winkle must be like. The malty aroma meets a 'cocoa sweetness like brownies in the oven' according to Jay. I noted a carrot like flavor like Brooklyn's Black Chocolate stout with notes of ketchup. Overall this brew is excellent, extremely sweet and full bodied, it lacks the complexity of Founders CBS. I would rate CBS above Dark Lord because of its balanced complexity. But this a somewhat unfair comparison because CBS is barrel aged and therefore no longer belongs to the Imperial Stout category - in fact I am not sure that it is considered an Imperial Stout to begin with. Dark Lord is what I expected Brooklyn Black Ops to be. But Black Ops while decent, is highly disappointing if you are in search of big beers. Dark Lord definitely lives us to its reputation.