there's a post on chicagoist today about DarkLord Day... they didn't seem too happy

http://chicagoist.com/2008/04/28/chicagoist_at_d.php

FFF is a small brewery -- I'm guessing maybe 12 full-time employees, excluding the restaurant -- and they have committments for the 4 year-round beers, and 11 or so other seasonals they produce beyond DLS. The DLS would have been brewed 2-3 months ago, at least. From what one of the brewers told me, too, it's not an easy beer to make, either. There is certainly room for improvement, but that's going to be the case for any event (how many years has the Taste of Chicago been run, and how many problems continue to show up?). All things considered, I think they did a decent job of running the event.

Then again, I was able to actually buy the beer. It's unclear if the Chicagoist contributor did. And if he didn't, it might contribute to the bitter tone of the article.

At the end of the day, too, it's just beer. I feel bad for those that made long drives and rented hotels, but... it's just a beer (albeit a very good one). FFF could always decide not to make it anymore -- problem solved!

danimalarkey wrote:1. Show up earlier than you think you need to -- I showed up at 10am, and didn't leave until 2:30pm. And I was lucky; anyone showing up past 11am was not able to get the Dark Lord Stout.

I drove by at 6:30 and there was 50-100 people in line already. I came back and got in line at 9:30.

I'm sad to hear all the negative comments on Beer Advocate and the like, but I understand. People don't realize that this isn't a huge corporate-run event, and so there are going to be kinks. This event grows outside of everyone's expectations every year that it is held.

But, as you said, I got my beer. If I wasn't, I'd probably be bitter too.

It was 3.5 hours in the sun for us last year. Major sunburn, rather horrid barbecue in the food tent, but the line stories and the final product were completely worth it.

I arrived around 9:15 and got to the front of the line around 1:20. Had a lot of fun drinking and sampling beers with all of the people in front of and behind us. I liked the Vanilla Bean aged Dark Lord a lot. I didn't bring a ton of cash so I only picked up 2 Dark Lords, 2 Hvedgoops and 2 Dreadnaughts.

I didn't see anyone cutting, but assumed it had to be happening as the line was moving so slowly until we got towards the front. I thought it was about as well organized as it could be given the fact that there was around 5,000 people there. I'm sure a bracelet type system would help negate some of the cutting, and it's possible they will implement a better system after what happened this year.

Just to clear up a few misconceptions thus far.

You could buy all of the beer inside the bar and restaurant area by the glass until at least 10pm when I left. You could also use credit cards inside if you had a table.

Outside was ridiculously crowded
Outside was cash only
They sold out of all of the special beers early as they advertised they would (and as they did last year)
the line cutting seemed to me to be much reduced from last year

All in all I was most impressed by the fantastic crowd which was something more akin to a Saturday at Exit on North Ave than an afternoon in Munster. I was also impressed by the lack of problems I witnessed given the small staff and the huge turnout amid all of the strong beer. We actually ate again at around 9PM and while I expected the kitchen to be burned out the burgers were really perfectly cooked and extra tasty.

This was a great event for an indy brewery. I just hope FFF is as small and ill equipped to handle the throngs of beer hounds

Breaking news on Dark Lord Day 2009!

Big update on FFF's newly revamped website (about time, too), DLD09 will be on April 25 and will feature a pre-registration system. A full set of FAQ's is available here, but the gist is that if you sign up through their website, you will be sent a link on/about St. Patrick's Day. This link will allow you to buy up to 2 'golden tickets' which can be redeemed on DLD for bottles of Dark Lord Stout (specific amounts remain unknown at this time). Each ticket will also have a window of time when you can show up and pick up your bottles. The cost of the golden tickets -- since it reads like you will still need to purchase bottles of the DLS -- will go to local charities. Many of the details still need to be worked out, but I'm a huge fan of streamlining the process and making it more about enjoying beer/food/music.

I am worried about people 'gaming' the system and signing up for (and receiving) more than their fair share of tickets -- but it looks like they will take information on addresses, etc. and everyone will have to show an ID to actually buy the beer, so I will be optimistic.

The "Golden Ticket" system for buying bottles of Dark Lord went live this morning.

http://www.darklordday.com/

I'm interested to see how it works for them. Even if it doesn't work well, I'm glad they're trying something new.

I'll be there, as always, to get my bottles.

Props to 3 Floyds. I got my tickets when I woke up this morning. Super easy. Probably won't be so easy in the next couple of hours.

Got mine, we'll see how it all works out .... and while this possibly annoys me, why is DLD on the first day of the NFL Draft?

SSDD

I got mine without a hassle as well. The line last year was nuts, gotta say I'm glad they changed the system.

It would have been nice to know how many bottles a ticket get you, but it sure will be nice to be able to wander around and not stand in line the entire time.

Just checked the link to see:

Golden Tickets Sold Out!
March 17th, 2009
We’re still pretty overwhelmed here, but it looks like all of the Golden Tickets have sold out. In a matter of about four hours we’ve had over two thousand people purchase Golden Tickets for Dark Lord bottles for Dark Lord Day 2009.

At just before 5:30AM eastern time we flipped the switch on the sales page and within three minutes the first die-hard Dark Lord fan made the first Golden Ticket purchase. Since then we’ve had almost a dozen purchases every MINUTE - and we really don’t know what to say other than Thank You…

Wow, I'm glad I thought to get mine before I went in to work.

I got mine!
Last year I waited in line for 4 hours, got sunburned, and wasn't able to buy beer

Agreed -- a much more enjoyable way to buy beer. Now I can go and actually enjoy the event. Imagine that?!

And I agree that it would have been nice to know how many bottles each ticket will get you but since they haven't bottled it yet... I'm guessing at least 4? In the past, the limit has been 6.

By the way, the food and beer at the brewpub continue to be spot-on. I went last weekend and while my meatloaf sandwich was serviceable -- I mean, it was good enough meatloaf on a pretzel bun, but didn't really amount to more than the sum of its parts -- the fries and scotch eggs kept my spirits up. In addition to the standards, the new seasonal, Brian Boru, was on draft, as well as the Dwarven Hammer, Banana Split 7" (as debuted at the recent brewer's dinner at the Publican) and the Slave Princess -- a small beer made from the mash of this year's Dark Lord Stout. As I recall, it was still about 5%, pretty big for a "small" beer. It tasted great, if a little thin-bodied, and gives a great preview of this year's DLS.

FYI, anyone looking to take the tour these days should be advised they're a little more strict about settling your tab in the pub beforehand. Also, you cannot take open containers into the brewery (so drink up first). I'm also not sure to what extent you can 'hold' your table while you're on the tour, or if you have to get back in line like everyone else. They seem to be running at capacity on Saturdays so wait times can run a little long. Still worth a visit!

danimalarkey wrote:And I agree that it would have been nice to know how many bottles each ticket will get you but since they haven't bottled it yet... I'm guessing at least 4? In the past, the limit has been 6.

Yeah, a number would have been nice, but I went ahead and bought my two tickets anyway ... either more DL for me, or I'll sell the other ticket to someone else, at face value of course! (and I do mean that)

SSDD

Hi,

Several of us took the Three Floyd's brewery tour yesterday. Remembering this thread, I inquired how many bottles of Dark Lord come with a reservation. They advised two pieces of information: 1) It is Nick's call on how many bottles per reservation, 2) They made twice the volume of Dark Lord this year from last. I commented it took only four hours to settle all the reservations. It was clear Three Floyds were impressed by the internet response, if not overwhelmed. No matter what, they expect some will be unhappy. I am sure, though it beats being unhappy and in your face after a mult-hour wait in line.

Regards,

My first post on this fantastic forum;

I was at a stoutfest at Goose Island this past Sunday and the Dark Lord was present.(in bottles, not on tap.) It was my first time trying it and it was the best thing I tried all day. The Goose Island Nightstalker was the only beer i sampled that even came close as far as overall flavor. If you haven't tried the Nightstalker and are a fan of Dark Lord you may want to stop in Goose one day and try a pint or 3 off tap. (They don't bottle it unfortunately.)

America's brewing had a double bourbon cherry stout that was quite distinct as well. The brewer told me that it was his imperial stout recipe with cherries added in. The imperial stout was tasty as well but the cherry stout was more distinct.

The standout brewery for me (that I'd never tried before) was Half Acre (located here in Chicago) Their Baume stout has a great head on it and a nice dark, rich flavor. This is sold in bottles at places like Binny's and i recommend trying it. They had 2 other beers at the fest; an imperial stout that was very good and a smokey stout that was by far the smokiest tasting beverage I've ever tried. It was very good but I don't know that I could drink a lot of it.

Flossmorr Station had a couple of good selections as well and I'm forgetting a slew of others that I tried but it was a fantastic event overall. $30 got you a wristband and there were no tickets. It was drink to your hearts content from 1pm-5pm. My buddy and i made it until 4:30ish and we outlasted at least 75% of the room. Those heavy beers wear on you quick.

Anyway, I plan to head out for the Three Floyd's Dark Lord fest (even though I know I won't be able to purchase any as i didn't get a golden ticket) and I was wondering if anyone knows what the area is like around the taven? Any chance of getting a hotel within walking distance, I want to go and sample quite a bit but be responsible about it of course.

you must have had last year's Dark Lord, I don't think any 09 has come out of the tanks yet.
hmmmm, good idea about the hotel. this place is just over a mile down the road...the brew pub is in a non-descript industrial park, strip-mall sprawl madness abounds...it might be difficult to walk to the hotel down calumet (don't know if there are sidewalks), especially after 6-12 drinks at FFF. cheers!

Hampton Inn and Suites
8936 Calumet Avenue
Munster, IN 46321
(219) 836-5555

There are sidewalks on Calumet.

The hotel is not a bad idea as parking is always horrible.

If any LTH'ers are going to be at Dark Lord Day, I'm planning on cracking open a bottle of "07 and "08 Dark Lord along with this years lot. I'm always up for sharing.

jmc wrote:you must have had last year's Dark Lord, I don't think any 09 has come out of the tanks yet.
hmmmm, good idea about the hotel. this place is just over a mile down the road...the brew pub is in a non-descript industrial park, strip-mall sprawl madness abounds...it might be difficult to walk to the hotel down calumet (don't know if there are sidewalks), especially after 6-12 drinks at FFF. cheers!

Hampton Inn and Suites
8936 Calumet Avenue
Munster, IN 46321
(219) 836-5555

According to people on Beer Advocate, this place is already all booked.

Llama wrote:There are sidewalks on Calumet.

The hotel is not a bad idea as parking is always horrible.

If any LTH'ers are going to be at Dark Lord Day, I'm planning on cracking open a bottle of "07 and "08 Dark Lord along with this years lot. I'm always up for sharing.

If anyone gets an '09 (we missed out on the lottery this year), I have '08 and '07 available for trade. (I also have '06 and '05, but those supplies are very, very low).

I can't pull up a room at that Hampton but I'm going to check around for places that are maybe a cab ride away. Either that or talk my friend that doesn't drink into going for the bands. Thanks anyway jmc.

Next year I will make sure to be on top of trying to get a golden ticket. The festival itself I assume is still a good time and worth going to?

Llama wrote:There are sidewalks on Calumet.

FYI. The sidewalk crosses to the east side of Calumet just north of the CN tracks, partly to avoid a pedestrian crossing at westbound 45th, and partly to give easy access to Centennial Park. If you walk from the Hampton Inn, you will be crossing Calumet twice. That's not something I would want to do sober, and I doubt whether many will be sober on their way back to the hotel...

That particular Hampton Inn is expensive and always crowded because it's across the street from Community Hospital. There are a number of good, inexpensive motels/hotels on US30 just west of Indianapolis Blvd. There's also the Marriott hotel complex at the Kennedy Ave. exit of the Borman...

I believe Quenchers will be sponsoring a bus ride to/from Dark Lord Day. For all I know, though, tickets are already sold out, but it's worth giving them a call or stopping by the bar and asking them. Maybe they can direct you to some other options, too.

People can also ride their bikes there -- I'd suggest taking the Metra from South Water to Flossmoor station (as in the Metra station, not the brewery -- though they do share a building in addition to the name), then taking back roads to Munster. Very doable! Just make sure you don't miss that last train back into the city!

Even if you can't buy DLS, I think the event is absolutely worth attending. Lots of good bands, good food and a ton of beer (as in, many attendees bring their own and FFF rounds up some great guest breweries, too). Last year, I wasn't really able to enjoy any of these things because I had to stand in line to get my DLS -- I'm glad I'll have a little more freedom this year to walk around!

If their schedule is conducive, I would strongly suggest spending a few extra dollars and taking Amtrak to the Dyer station. It's a little more than a mile (make sure to cut through Hartsfield Village and the Hammond Clinic to save a half-mile...), but one can walk from that station to Three Floyds.

Or some of us in this thread could all pitch in for a limo or a chartered bus

There's a nice video posted on the Dark Lord Day website today.

http://www.darklordday.com/

Dark Lord tickets arrived in the mail today!