There is a certain energy that fills the air for those attending a good tail gate party. Well, those who have attended the Three Floyd's Dark Lord Day in Munster, Indiana know that this event is like Christmas for beer geeks. It's the birthday of the Dark Lord Imperial Stout.
You get this crazy ticket weeks before, you eye it, check out the cool graphics, and some take pictures of it. Then you wonder what colour the wax on the bottle will be, will it be any different in flavour, alcohol percentage, etc. Along with this, you know there will be the eve of Dark Lord Day where people travel from all over, stop at every b
rewery, brew-pub and beer store along the way to sample and collect as many tasty beverages as possible. When you arrive, you know there is going to be a pre-party in all the anxiousness. Then the morning of, the line ups, the beer, the sharing, the line ups, the porta-potties, the line ups, the guest taps, the beer, the beer, the beer, the line ups, snacks, beer, the line ups, beer, line ups, and the after party, snacks, beer, check time, and it's sleepy time. Did I mention line ups and beer? There are a lot of them. Prepare yourself.
And what a Time!
Personally there is no better way to start a trip than the night before (Thursday) drinking the previous years batch of Dark Lord while watching South Park's Woodland Critter Christmas episode. Some ho
w the two just go hand in hand. Thanks too Grub (Russ) and Viggo (Eric) for providing the brew.
We were up early in the morning, packed the car with some Canadian beer to trade and set out for Champagnes, a Michigan wine and beer store with a fairly large selection of beers from around the world at a great price. Personally, I felt like a kid in a candy store and picked up a few treats that I wanted to try and then just grabbed whatever I could because it looked like it could be delicious.
After that, off to Kuhnhenn Brewing Co. Which was very near by. This place rules. The beer is pretty tasty, and for the stingy... free popcorn. Awesome. Sampled some of the brews and grabbed a very large box full of growlers (The growler of Aldebaran Belgian Imperial IPA went over very well at the tasting tables at Dark Lord Day).
Now that we had a car full of goodies to share, we were hungry, so we dropped into Jolly Pumpkin Brew Pub for an amazing lunch. I had the Red Chili Tofu (I just drooled a little), and it was a gnarly sandwich. Kimchee on a sammich is always key, at least it will be after this one. I noticed someone order pizza and some other sandwich. I can't recall, I was pretty focused on mine and a tasty Vicious hoppy wheat farmhouse cask ale.
Then it was off to Bell's Brewery in Kalmazoo, MI. Well, in fact it was the Eccentric Cafe and General Store. Okay, I love this brewery. This was the brewery that made beers that just totally smacked me in the face and said "Respect us, because we are delicious and we own your taste buds forever more." Two Hearted Ale was the first to knock my socks off. It may not be the most complex beer in the world, but it's rockin' and could be my "lawnmower" beer, breakfast beer, lunch beer, supper beer, any day beer. Okay, I'd brush my teeth with this one.
Well we popped in a weird time as a band was just about to play and we were really just running in so the non-drivers could grab a pint of something and a few things at the store for the road. Unfortunately they didn't have Two Hearted on tap, bu
t they did have what seemed to be a new "French inspired brown ale" that was super tasty.
And in the blink of an eye we are off again into the setting Sun. Next stop, Munster, Indiana. After dropping our bags off at the Hampton we were off to FFF's Brewery and Brew Pub for some brews and food. Needless to say we were not the only ones with this idea and there was a line up outside. We got in, fish n' chips and a grilled cheese later (American's seem to love large portions) and some tasty victory lap beers, we had hit last call. We hitched a ride back to the hotel and met with some other road trippers looking for someone to drink with in the hotel. Well, who can turn down someone looking for a friend to share their local pride.
The friendly conversation ended in yawns and anticipation for the big day about to come. We said good night, and awaited Christmas, I mean Dark Lord Day.
There are a few things you need for Dark Lord Day:
-Rest
-Water (lots of water, I cannot stress this enough)
-A drinking glass (sturdy, thick rimmed, don't bring your favourite because it might not survive... mine didn't... goodbye Volo Cask Day's glass).
-A liver.
-A big breakfast...even if it's from The Hampton (Seriously, what was the deal with the cheezewiz omlette thing?)
-Snacks. Chips, bread, crackers, cheese. Nothing too strong in flavour, it messes up the palate, you do want to actually taste the beer. Avoid things that might upset your stomach when mixed with beer. Hummus might not be your best choice.
-Water.
-Beer.
-Beer.
-Beer.
-Patients. There are a lot of line-ups. A lot. For just about everything. 7,000 people in a parking lot waiting for different things. It's confusing, so keep your wits about you.
-Rain gear. It can happen.
- A Cooler. Holds beer, keeps it cold, and you can sit on it.
- A Golden Ticket... it's anything but golden.
- Cash. Cash only place... Only!
- A friendly smile and a generous heart.
Enjoy.
This event may even take some training. Not quite Beer Fest style, but tolerance is needed, especially if you don't have will power. Also, forget that fad diet you were on before because you know someone is going home with a Double Down at some point (who was in the elevator with those things?!). Now that I think of it, there is probably someone out there with a survival guide to the Double Down.
This is a huge party where (some) people start drinking in the early hours of the morning if they ever stopped the night before. Eat a big breakfast. It will do you good. Even if there is food at the event, the bbq options tend to be pricy and not that filling. Also, the line up for the pub is crazy long and it could take you hours to get food if you ever get i
n the door. This is also where chips may come in handy if you are set on getting the pub food.
Be patient, talk to people, take your time drinking, and have a bit of will power. You may see a load of beer you want to try and very friendly people willing to share every ounce. For each sample of beer you might as well have that much or more of water. Just think of someone lining up a Westy 8, Westy 12, Pliny the Younger, Vanilla Bean Dark Lord, The Bruery beers, etc . Some people wait a life time to try each one of these, some people are willing to share very openly at one moment. You know it won't last long, so small samples (be generous, offer something back, and save some for everyone) and drink water in between. This also helps you rinse your glass and
get ready for the next brew. The first beer of the day was Denison's Weissbier. I'm sure that would make Mr. Handcock proud.
Also, make sure you bring your own local brewers beer with you. People are interested even if it seems over done where you are from, others are willing to try and you'd be surprised what others like. Also, picking up growlers along the way is perfectly acceptable to offer up. Again, this is a very civil event where people share. A great way to make friends.
Conversation is also a good way to keep your mind in tact and judge your alcohol intake. If you are slurring words and can't remember your last sentence, you may want to chill out for a while, grab food, drink water, and relax. It's a long day and a longer life, and you know the event will happen again next year.
Also, don't forget to stand in line to buy your bottles. This year everyone was supposed to get 4 per ticket, which then got reduced to 3 later in the day. Which is a drag for those who waited too long. Oh! When you get your bottles, hold them by the bottom. Not worth risking dropping your limited share of very expensive beer. I let my glass fall out of my pocket and break rather than risk dropping the case of beer. When you get it, find somewhere to put it. Do not just lay it down anywhere. There are people lurking around everywhere who do not have tickets. As much as I'd like to think people will not do bad things, they do, no need to have your beer taken from you. Keep in mind, it cost you CASH!
While all of the madness is going on, awesome bands are playing. For example, Imperial Battle Snake and Pelican. They both rule! It wouldn't be Dark Lord Day without metal. Plus, Randy Mosher is more metal than you! Never forget that. The metal man of craft brewing was there to chat, sign books, drink, and enjoy the event.
It makes you wonder sometimes when you see large men passed out, cup in hand and they even miss their turn in line to buy Dark Lord. It's not all about Dark Lord, it's the event, the social gathering, the travel, all of the other local brews from all over being shared. Just make sure you get your tickets worth. The beer is well worth all of the hype. Yes, it's that good. Though if they bottled the Vanilla Bean Dark Lord, I might get in line a day earlier.
It's truly amazing to see the attention this brewery brings to the craft beer world. Not only do they make killer sales on one beer, they are making the beer world a smaller community. All brewers and beer geeks are in this game together. We might as well get along.
After the event we went to a restaurant across the street from our hotel that had Alpha King on for $3 bucks a pint. Now that's a deal! The lobby of the hotel was a tasting room for the survivors.
In the morning we made a line towards Dark Horse Brewing Co. in Marshall, MI. Man, this place is cool with the mug club. Mugs are everywhere on the wall and people take them to drink from whenever they are there. A great idea, a cool niche, cool vibe, and great brews in the place. Their Imperial Stout is crazy good, not to mention the Crooked Tree I.P.A and Double Crooked Tree. Well worth the visit.
Customs are not that fun, but be prepared to claim what you take back. Some people are lucky, some are not.
This is a lot to take in during one event. It's hard to make sense of it all as it quickly becomes a blur. Just remember, you can have the time of your life at this event. More so, I believe this event becomes more enjoyable if you take some time the day before to hit a few brew pubs along the way, go sight seeing, eat good food, and relax.
I look forward to next year.
Cheers!
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