Dark Lord Day 2k8

[Virgil G]

Man, what a great time. The day started out cold and windy and did i mention cold. There were these 2 motorcycle guys who had little bonnets on, they looked so intimidating and cute.

Me and the GF got there around 930 or so. about 20 minutes after meat and his buddy. and therye were about 10 car lengths ahead of us. The line went south instead of north this year, and made it to the school building (that looks like a firehouse) and then back and started to almost wrap around the brewery.

When the doors opened right at 11, there was a huge surge where everyone lunged forward, almost like the start of a rock concert. There was a noticable YEAH when it happened. Some people had been waiting since 5 a.m.

Inside the main brewpub area they had Vanilla DL and Bourbon DL (and 2k7 dl) on tap. Also had food you could get if you were lucky enough to sit at a table.

After i got settled into my line spot, went inside the brewpub and saw the gf of a guy in line near us sitting in there with 2 glasses. (you couldn't take the glasses outside at that point) so she gave me a vanilla. I said we could send her guy and my gf in and my gf would buy that round. as we were sipping, a guy hands us a glass of the bourbon aged. he hadda drive and didn't want to finish it. Those were $6 for an 8 oz glass, and it was AWESOME.

thick, chocolate, smoke, coffee, vanilla (lots of vanilla) bourbon (in both the vanilla and bourbon there was lots of vanilla and bourbon flavor). it coated the glass. not much carbonation to clean it off the tongue, so it sat there... tasting great. after waiting in line longer, the guys gf comes back out and she has 3 glasses and gives me one, which was nice.

we were in line with a group of beer bloggin kids from college in stl. 2 guys from texas, the guy and the gf from cleveland area.

inside the warehouse there was a wall of casked beer "real ale" (which i didn't get any of). also there was the guest tap section with stuff from avery, russian river, pizza port (i think) and several other things. I had the offering from Russian river which was a nice tart brew, as tart as grape seeds. and the thing from black flag.

i managed to get to know people who weren't buying and am the proud owner of 24 bottles of DL. Well, they aren't all mine. a couple will go to my buddy in stl. who couldn't make it cuz his wife's 30th birthday party was saturday. I'm'a give/sell a couple to the manager of one of my favorite bars, cuz he couldn't make it. i think i haveta give a bottle or 2 to a guy who just got married last weekend. the gf i think has told someone at her work that she'd get them a bottle. so 24 bottles goes pretty quick. Last year i came home with a 12 pack and had sold 6 of them (at cost) (to the workers at a bar who couldn't make it) within 15 minutes of getting back.

They also had Hvedegoop which is 3floyds and Mikkeller wheat wine. there was a 2 bottle limit, so i have a 6 pack of that.

waiting on meat and his buddy to pick up their beer, also have a 6 pack from a guy who hadda take the train into chicago, but will be back to Champaign later this week, so i'll take him his beer.

all in all, a great time. even if my face got totaly sunburned.

mark your calendars for next year, it should be just as good, if not better.

V

[Chipper Dave]

I saw a picture of the line outside of FFF's. Wow. It stretched for a long way and some people never got any. if this event gets any bigger they had better ensure they don't run out!

[Virgil G]

i don't feel too bad for the people who didn't get any (if they existed). I'd think those who wanted it got there early enough to get some, or at least know someone who got some. I doubt there was any real beer drinkers who didn't get any, the people at the end of the line (my guess) would be the ebayer's who are trying to get $90 a bottle. i saw some guy getting in line with bottles of miller lite in his back pocket, if he didn't get any, and i got 24 bottles, i'm not gonna complain.

[Scott]

If you have never been to Dark Lord Day, it is truly an experience. Virgil’s blog was right on and yes I had the leather hat on but in my defense I road 120 miles in 39 degree weather to be that at 9am. So yes I was freezing when I got in line. I was not as fortunate as Virgil and never made it into one of the Dark Lord Tap lines. I did get my 6er of THE LORD, a Hvedegoop and a 6er of Gumball Head (for the Wife). I was however able to get my hands on, Russian River Compuction, Beer Valley Black Flag Stout, Harrison’s Brewing Red, Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery Black Snow Coffee Porter, Surly Brewing Bender Pseudo Brown Ale, and South Shore Brewery Rhoades Scholar Stout.

All and all I had a great time, next year going early bringing, beer to trade, food and chair.

[Kimberly]

We will have to plan a meet up for 2009 Dark Lord day. This April will be our 3rd DLD and it can't come soon enough. Any sugestions?

[Virgil G]

flossmoor has something the night before.

also, if you go over to illinois on 80, and then turn up 45 (la grange) there's 3 brewpubs up that way.

rock bottom
Granite City (uh... no)
Harrisons

also, just off 355 is a Gordon Biersch.

I'll be staying at my sisters the night before, and she's right near all of them... so i could do any.

in indiana, a short ways away from 3f is shoreline.

Kimberly said:

We will have to plan a meet up for 2009 Dark Lord day. This April will be our 3rd DLD and it can't come soon enough. Any sugestions?

[Kimberly]

Thanks for the info Virgil. We're trying to get the 24th off so that we can take our time on the way down, so for now we'll have to play that one by ear. We're driving from the Minneapolis area so if worse comes to worse and we can't leave until Friday night, we'll just drive right to FFF's and sleep for a few hours before we get in line. We'll definately be staying in the area on Saturday night though.

[Virgil G]

beernews.org/2008/12/how-to-solve-three-floyds-dark-lord-day/

not sure if that's still the plan though.

if so, have everyone you know that can go, send in email

Kimberly said:

Thanks for the info Virgil. We're trying to get the 24th off so that we can take our time on the way down, so for now we'll have to play that one by ear. We're driving from the Minneapolis area so if worse comes to worse and we can't leave until Friday night, we'll just drive right to FFF's and sleep for a few hours before we get in line. We'll definately be staying in the area on Saturday night though.