Dark Lord Day 2015?

[grrickar]

Who's going, who's been and is it worth it? Looks like tix go on sale this Saturday and the event is April 25th. I love Old Rasputin and Mendocino Stout, but never had Dark Lord. I only recently had the chance to sample some Three Floyds brews, and I really liked Robert the Bruce, Back Masking and Gumballhead. I wanted to like Alpha King but I just didn't find it to be that unique...

So at DLD do you get to sample all of the 3F brews? Also it looks like with each ticket you can buy up to 4 bottles of Dark Lord, and if you get a lucky ticket you can by a bottle of Barrel Aged Dark Lord.

Event is in Munster, IN: http://darklordday.com/

 

[pdm1982]

I went last year. I had a hell of a time until I blacked out. Fortunately nothing bad happened to me and all ended well. There are a lot of people trading beers, and many people sharing beers in the Dark Lord line. Three Floyd's also had a booth set up where you could go up and buy a cup or two of some of their best beers that they had on tap. I think they had several beers available at any given time until the keg ran dry. They use a chalk board to keep you informed of what's on tap. Keep you eyes peeled on this because they will randomly put out some rare aged Dark Lord kegs (possibly the vanilla, bourbon, and other variants) and people will bull rush the booth for a chance at buying a cup.

Good luck tomorrow on buying tickets. I'll be trying for some as well.

 

[LandoLincoln]

I went last year and plan to go this year. Yes, it was a heck of a good time. Don't bother bringing homebrew, though. This is a commercial beer whale party. I brought some homebrew last year and most people were off-put by it. Kinda sad, but oh well.

As for trying all of the 3F beers...well...chances are that you will not be able to do so. But there is an ocean of other beers to choose from. If you're a sociable person and you have a couple of interesting bombers, you'll have no problem finding tables covered with pretty much any craft beer you've heard of and can schmooze your way into trying whatever you like.

Last year was freaking COLD. Dress warm.

If you are lucky enough to get one of the "golden tickets" then buy that beer and sell it for a minimum of $100 at the fest. You will most likely be able to find someone that will happily fork over the money within minutes.

 

[b-boy]

Is there a trick to getting tickets? I've been trying for 3 years. I was in there right when it started. I had multiple people trying this year. Nobody got tickets.

 

[pdm1982]

I was able to get some. I had 5 tabs open and none of them were getting through after about 10 minutes. I then opened a new 6th tab and selected a later group and within 2 minutes that one got through. I'm not sure if it was luck or if those earlier ones just never had a chance.

 

[b-boy]

I had my PC and my phone going. I tried selecting a later group too. Both errored out after about 15 minutes. Maybe server issues?

 

[TallDan]

Wife and I got tickets, several friends did as well. I've only missed two DLDs out of the last 8 years.

 

[b-boy]

Any reason not to try to get General Admission tickets?

I know I can't get any Dark Lord, but are there any other restrictions?

Is it still worth the trip?

 

[TallDan]

Any reason not to try to get General Admission tickets?

I know I can't get any Dark Lord, but are there any other restrictions?

Is it still worth the trip?

I think so. (That said, "the trip" for me is a little more than an hour in the car.) If I didn't have tickets already I'd be trying for general admission. You'll still be able to buy a glass of DL there (if you can find it, maybe even a BA variant if you're lucky). If you have some rare beers to trade, or don't mind overpaying, I'm sure you'll find someone there that will part with a bottle or two. Even if you don't have a drop of DL it's still a great time IMHO.

 

[LandoLincoln]

Any reason not to try to get General Admission tickets?

I know I can't get any Dark Lord, but are there any other restrictions?

Is it still worth the trip?

Yes, it's still worth it. No, there's no other restrictions. Yes, you'll find people that are willing to sell you some of their bottles of Dark Lord if you really want some.

 

[pdm1982]

I think it would be worth it. I was in group D last year so I was there later in the day. They still were randomly putting kegs of Dark Lord and variants on tap even as the sun went down. I was able to buy several glasses throughout the day. Don't be afraid to throw a few elbows in line though...people will cut.

 

[LandoLincoln]

Don't be afraid to throw a few elbows in line though...people will cut.

That's just what THAT day needs. Throwing elbows in throngs of extremely drunk people.

 

[pdm1982]

Heh maybe a poor choice of words. I'm not advocating violence, just be aware of people who are very...excited...

 

[b-boy]

That's just what THAT day needs. Throwing elbows in throngs of extremely drunk people.

That's called a punk concert.

 

[b-boy]

dup

 

[pdm1982]

That's pretty much what it was like.

I had a guy put both his forearms into my lower back and push until he got me out of the way. Then kept doing it to others. He got to the front of the line two or three times before most people did once. He was taking his cups and emptying them into a growler that his friend was holding. The servers seemed amused by it and said, "That was fast!" each time he made it up. As irritating as that was to watch, it really didn't stop me from buying my cups or from having a fun day.

People do some crazy stuff.

 

[b-boy]

That's pretty much what it was like.

I had a guy put both his forearms into my lower back and push until he got me out of the way. Then kept doing it to others. He got to the front of the line two or three times before most people did once. He was taking his cups and emptying them into a growler that his friend was holding. The servers seemed amused by it and said, "That was fast!" each time he made it up. As irritating as that was to watch, it really didn't stop me from buying my cups or from having a fun day.

People do some crazy stuff.

That's just obnoxious.

I'm a very laid-back guy, but one thing that really bothers me is people who don't think the rules apply to them. He and I would have words.

 

[pdm1982]

Lol well I might have been a bit crappy to him when we got off to the side but then I sipped my Dark Lord and it's all good. I got what I wanted.

The Dark Lord line itself was not like that. So many bottles being passed around. Good times.

 

[b-boy]

Well I got GA tickets. Should be a fun trip.

Has anyone ever taken the shuttle they run from Chicago? I'm thinking of doing that.

For now I booked a hotel about 4 miles away.

Are cabs readily available to and from the festival?

 

[conpewter]

I went last year and plan to go this year. Yes, it was a heck of a good time. Don't bother bringing homebrew, though. This is a commercial beer whale party. I brought some homebrew last year and most people were off-put by it. Kinda sad, but oh well.

....

I went last year and people absolutely went wild over my 999 barleywine. They asked a lot of good questions about homebrewing. Too bad that was the 2nd to last bottle, but they can't last forever

 

[conpewter]

I am going again this year, got tickets thankfully! Been every year since 2009.

I've never taken the shuttle, but I live in the northwest suburbs so it wouldn't make much sense. I've also never stayed in a hotel down there. Mostly because I am too cheap. I have slept for a few hours in the back of my car though to get home safe.

If you missed out on tickets and live within a couple hours of munster then keep an eye on their facebook and twitter account (I suggest subscribing to them on some sort of alert system) Generally they have had two in person ticket sales events, but they announce them and start selling immediately. I've had to drive down two of the six years to score tickets.

 

[b-boy]

I have an 8 hour drive, so the hotel is a must. Planning on hitting Fat Head Brewing along the way for lunch. Any tips for Friday night in the general Munster area?

 

[corney]

Well I got GA tickets. Should be a fun trip.

Has anyone ever taken the shuttle they run from Chicago? I'm thinking of doing that.

For now I booked a hotel about 4 miles away.

Are cabs readily available to and from the festival?

We took the shuttle from Reggies last year, awesome time. The buses are these jenky old school buses that sound like their constantly going to break down but they get you there. They have a breakfast buffet in the morning thats pretty decent. They banned drinking on the shuttle but every just ignored them and opened up acouple bottles anyway. I dont remember many cabs hanging around the main industrial drive but its not that long of walk to the main street and I'm sure you can call one.


Might wanna think about bringing a bunch of smaller plastic cups. I did last year and it really helps with the sharing.


***I'm looking for two more GA tix for this year. If anyone has any there willing to part with PM me.

 

[treacheroustexan]

I have an 8 hour drive, so the hotel is a must. Planning on hitting Fat Head Brewing along the way for lunch. Any tips for Friday night in the general Munster area?

Enjoy.

 

[b-boy]

Uninitiated Noob questions (there will be more to follow):

What are the rules for bottle sharing? Are people inside the grounds with open containers, or is it strictly in the parking lot? Are soft-sided coolers allowed, or do I need to walk around with bottles of beer in my pockets?

As far as bringing bottles - I have some old bottles of Vertical Epic (2007-2012), New Glarus Sours, well aged DFH 120, and well-aged Stone, SN, and BoltCutter barleywines.

Is this the type of stuff people are looking to share, or can I just show up with a 6er of Genny Light, a bag of Cheetos, and a couple of Slim Jims?

 

[Spartybrew]

Uninitiated Noob questions (there will be more to follow):



What are the rules for bottle sharing? Are people inside the grounds with open containers, or is it strictly in the parking lot? Are soft-sided coolers allowed, or do I need to walk around with bottles of beer in my pockets?



As far as bringing bottles - I have some old bottles of Vertical Epic (2007-2012), New Glarus Sours, well aged DFH 120, and well-aged Stone, SN, and BoltCutter barleywines.



Is this the type of stuff people are looking to share, or can I just show up with a 6er of Genny Light, a bag of Cheetos, and a couple of Slim Jims?

This will be my first year as well but check out the FAQ section on the dld website, it helped to answer most of my noob questions. Here's a quote directly from the website with regards to bottle sharing:

"CAN I BRING MY OWN BEER?
We allow people to bring limited amounts of beer for trading and sampling with other beer lovers. The idea is to celebrate craft beer, so we ask that you only bring in beers that are unique – ones that can’t be found just anywhere. Please no beers that can be found at any corner market. No coolers will be allowed on the property."

That being said, your vertical epic, new glarus, and DFH beers, etc... sound (to me) like exactly what they are talking about. I've read elsewhere about people bringing in cases of Coors in years past and I'm sure they are trying to stop that from happening again. The site also says you can bring a backpack. Going to be an awesome time, I can't wait!

 

[conpewter]

I've always brought homebrew, it was usually well accepted.
I've also brought vertical epics and Dark Lord from years past, even some brews that are just local (brewpub down the street sort of thing)

I always just bring my backpack, it is built for a laptop with some padding so I put a few bombers in there, plus some 12 oz bottles, then bring frozen water bottles. Basically any soft sided cooler or backpack is fine to bring, but they don't allow big coolers anymore (sadly) In previous years the reason was that they didn't have room, but they reallly expanded last year so there was plenty of room, and no place to sit (sometimes) so a cooler would have been nice.

The bottle share mostly happens within the grounds (as of last year) but there are definitely tables set up outside by some groups, but going in and out of the gates gets old getting your stuff searched.

 

[Vamptrump]

I lucked out this year and was able to get Group A tickets. This is my first year going, so I'm thrilled. I think I'm going to attempt to take some local beers from the Dayton, OH area and a few fun items from my cellar like my Cantillon Classic.

I'm planning on driving up and checking out the Chicago brewery scene on Friday. Anyone have any recommendations? I have Two Brothers, Half Acre, Revolution, and Goose Island on my list so far.

Here is to meeting new people in a few weeks!

 

[LandoLincoln]

I lucked out this year and was able to get Group A tickets. This is my first year going, so I'm thrilled. I think I'm going to attempt to take some local beers from the Dayton, OH area and a few fun items from my cellar like my Cantillon Classic.

I'm planning on driving up and checking out the Chicago brewery scene on Friday. Anyone have any recommendations? I have Two Brothers, Half Acre, Revolution, and Goose Island on my list so far.

Here is to meeting new people in a few weeks!

Hailstorm Brewing is 30 minutes away from 3 Floyd's. Lots of great beers there. One of the owners is a regular HBT member.

From Hailstorm, you've got Pollyanna Brewing (another 30 minutes away) which has some crazy good beers and a really interesting tap room.

As far as inside the city...Lagunitas. Oh my yes.

 

[Vamptrump]

Hailstorm Brewing is 30 minutes away from 3 Floyd's. Lots of great beers there. One of the owners is a regular HBT member.

From Hailstorm, you've got Pollyanna Brewing (another 30 minutes away) which has some crazy good beers and a really interesting tap room.

As far as inside the city...Lagunitas. Oh my yes.

Thanks, I'll have to add these to my list. The Friday before is going to be a very busy day!

 

[conpewter]

If you are driving past 3 floyds on up to the chicago area you may want to stop in and get some zombie dust. I was reading that they won't be selling any packaged goods on DLD this year (except Dark Lord).

So I've never been able to hook up with other homebrewtalk people at DLD in the past. Think we have a chance this year of somehow finding each other?

 

[b-boy]

Maybe I can walk around with my offical HBT growler. I should be 'stylin', and easy to spot.

 

[Spartybrew]

I'll be in the area of stage 1 all day. I'll look for your growler b-boy!

 

[TallDan]

So I've never been able to hook up with other homebrewtalk people at DLD in the past. Think we have a chance this year of somehow finding each other?

HBT bottleshare?

 

[Spartybrew]

HBT bottleshare?

That would be awesome if we could set something up. I won't have anything great to share but will do my best to bring some decent bombers.

 

[b-boy]

I'm in. I've got some mid-range stuff to enjoy. Setup a time and a place and I'll be sure to stop by.

 

[Vamptrump]

I ordered a HBT shirt, so hopefully that will make me easier to find in a massive crowd.

Right now I'm planning on bringing:
Cantillon Classic Gueuze
Fantome Artisit
Funky Gold Mosaic
Honey Green Tea Blonde homebrew (assuming it's ready)
Growler of local Dayton microbrew from an undetermined brewery (or more)

Haven't decided if/what else I want to haul around in a backpack.

 

[b-boy]

I have 2 extra GA tickets. They were $30.

One has my name on it, another has a friends. We're both going to DLD, so we'd need to meet up to enter together. Anyone interested PM me.

 

[Vamptrump]

Looking at the weather for Saturday, it looks like my HBT shirt will be covered for awhile (if not the entire time). Current forecast I'm seeing is high of 48 and 70% chance of rain. Granted yesterday the weather was supposed to be 50 and sunny.

Planned hoodie to keep me warm!

 

[mikeinfo]

Looking for a few cases of Pliny if anyone is coming from where they sell it.