2013 Dark Lord Day

My negativity for Three Floyd's was abandoned Saturday, April 27.  The combination of the company, the beer, the weather, and the overall atmosphere made this one of the best beer events I have ever attended.

Three Floyd's expanded the festival grounds this year, working with the Town of Munster and their neighbors to essentially double the size of space for attendees.  The brewpub was closed, but there were plenty of tables available with food and beer, especially with Dark Lord being poured from the tap for those willing to pay $10 for a 10 ounce cup.  Yes, I was one of those people.

Two entrances allowed for traffic to be spread about and the ability of beer buyers to break away from the general admission pack during their allotted time made the flow of patrons work wonderfully.  The one drawback was the Dark Lord bottle allotment went from four to three, but price was the same.  

The name on the ticket philosophy seemed to have worked, but I will readily admit there was a loophole that was easily exploited.  I was the guest of a group A buyer and he was my guest as a group B buyer.  I did walk away with six bottles of Dark Lord, but I also sold three for face value for a guest who was unable to attend.

Personally, my friends and I had a great plan and it worked to perfection.  We arrived on the scene at 5:00am and was blessed with a relatively close parking spot.  We set up our grill and tables and cracked open a Founder's CBS at 5:15 to celebrate the day.  At that point, there were already 40-50 people lined up  at the north entrance camped out and enjoying their brews.

Our position was right in the pathway for everyone parking at Centennial Park and walking to the festival.  Let me tell you, bacon is amazing leverage that early in the morning.  We garnered a lot of attention from passersby with our tailgate and we were afforded the opportunity to meet people from across this great country and try beers we would never have the ability to buy.

Aside from the much loved April 27 sunburn, one sorry sap of a soul that maliciously stole our 2013 Barrel Aged Vanilla Bean Dark Lord, and some choice words from the love of my life about dedicating 16 hours of my weekend for beer, Dark Lord Day 2013 has made me look forward to Dark Lord Day 2014.

In Anticipation of Dark Lord Day

Tomorrow is the big day.  The weather forecast currently is looking infinitely better than the rain and cold that plagued last year's event.  Three Floyd's has published some more up to date information on darklordday.com.

This is all good and well, but the information provided really does not lend any further insight to those who may be new to the event and even seasoned veterans.  I even asked a lawyer to review the post and decipher the meaning behind the words but he also was dumbfounded.

Do not cross railroad tracks except at a designated crossing.  This is always sound advice and FFF throws it out there from the start.  I believe this is the result of patrons parking in the residential area behind the brewery and just climbing up and over the embankment.  A nice warning, but one that may go unnoticed.

The festival grounds are not well defined.  FFF tells patrons the way to line up and enter, but not conveying where the gates will be other than with directional language (for example, line up at the north, the line for sales is on the west, etc.).  If you are unfamiliar with the area it would be worthwhile to use your favorite GPS mapping program and review your compass use.

Parking is also up in the air.  Centennial Park across Calumet Avenue made $3,700 last year with patrons parking their cars and hiking over.  Always a viable option.  My understanding from the help of beeradvocate.com discussion threads is that FFF will have Indiana Ave completely closed off.  Not sure if that's true, but until I have my scout finish his drive-by I will keep this as purely speculative.

Finally, congratulations to Mike Cate who scored himself the 15 year anniversary Three Floyd's Baller Stout with this submitted story:

Craziest thing I ever did for a beer? Not sure if I would define it as crazy but it was definitely unlikely...

I'm a big St.Louis Cardinals fan and love going to Milwaukee a few times a year to catch Cards/Brewers games. The fans up there are a blast to be around. Truly professional drinkers. And what makes it even better is that they're drinking delicious New Glarus, Lakefront and Central Waters beers. Can't beat that! Anyways. I went to Brewers Opening Day last year against the Cards and befriended several people in my row. Shot the shit about beer, homebrewing and baseball. I was living the life.

Turns out this old man who can barely get around is a huuuuge beer fan. As in he goes to all the big beer festivals across the county (Hunaphu Day in Tampa, KBS release, GABF, etc..). We got to talking about Dark Lord and he said that's the one he's never had (tickets selling out so quickly and all). I told him I go virtually every year and could help him out next time I'm up. He liked the sound of that.

To make a long story short, his son called me a few months back out of the blue and said his dad wanted me to go ice fishing with the 2 of them. I guess his dad wasn't doing real good and held trying a Dark Lord pretty high on his bucket list. So after a few days of trying to explain to my wife the unlikely scenario of driving up to Wisconsin to go ice fishing with an old man and his son whom I met 9 months before (and only hung out with for the duration of a 6-0 Brewers victory), I went up and had a blast. I went ahead and brought all the vintages of Dark Lord I had, shared some beers, caught some fish and had a good time.

I didn't leave empty-handed either. The old man gave me several vintages of Surly Darkness which I've always wanted to try (but the trading pricetag is always too unreasonable) as well as a Goose Island King Henry.

Another Dark Lord Day?

Oh yeah, I volunteered for it.  I didn't volunteer, I set up my laptop right next to my desktop and loaded the ticket site for Dark Lord Day on both at approximately 11:45am Central Daylight Time.  I frantically hit refresh on both as the minutes approached: 11:56, refresh; 11:57, refresh; 11:59, refresh. 12:00, here we go!

The Facebook brigade was in full force today.  First, Three Floyd's didn't post the ticket sales link in their status until 11:57am.  Honestly, if you were on Facebook waiting for that to appear you were not going to secure tickets.  The bevy of comments that ensued spanned from, "I got mine" to "FTS!"  But this is what Three Floyd's does, this is what it has been doing as of late.

At 12:49pm the Facebook status indicated tickets finally sold out.  Of course, after I secured a pair on the laptop I tried for a pair on the desktop and not a single group had a ticket available.  This was at 12:03pm.  Server problems? Sure.  However, if you didn't time that refresh just right, you were screwed.

The ticket sales medium that Three Floyd's has chosen does have issues, but I can't think of a fairer process, especially now that they are trying to affix the purchaser's name to the ticket and will be checking identifications at the door.  But the major flaw in this year's ticket sales was the missing Group A.

Upon entering the screen to buy tickets, any chance at selecting Group A was gone.  I know there are people who bought these tickets online, but the option was never presented to me.  I really didn't think of it at the time because the brewery does a very good job treating their ownership and VIPs so I just assumed that these tickets were reserved for them.

The ticket distribution system is set up like you're going to see a concert.  I complain a lot about Three Floyd's, but in this regard there is no suitable alternative.  If you insulate yourself and just sell tickets to the local patrons you isolate your brand and it might not have become the global phenomenon that it is.  But if you open the availability to the masses, the surest way is selling the tickets like any band performing in concert.  Here's your chance, good luck!  So you've been to 9 DLDs in a row but now your screwed.  Get over yourself.  Heaven forbid you share in your good fortune for nine years and let someone else try a beer that is one of the best in the country.

The one downfall is admittance onto the grounds.  Although I was lucky to get Group B tickets, I know I will be resting on the pavement in the early A.M. that morning because getting into the brewpub is half the battle.  All ticket holders are welcome at 10am, regardless of group.  Last year I had Group A and by the time we made it into the festivities and in line to purchase the beer, we had a half hour left in our buying window.  So this year, more of the same.

I am a seasoned veteran by now and am prepared for all Dark Lord Day entails.  My friends secured their tickets with little hassle as well so it should make for a good post in the future.  I promise I'll try to be more positive this time around.

If you are reading this, please leave a comment.  I want to know the most outrageous thing you've done for a beer (could be dollars spent, distance traveled, etc.).  You must leave a comment with your full first and last name with a valid email address.  The week before DLD (April 21st) I will consult with IndianaBeer staff and we will pick a winner.  The winner will receive their choice of Baller Stout, 2012 Dark Lord, or 2013 Dark Lord.  I know they might not be the rarest beers, but they are the ones I have at my disposal.

Why you should consider (or reconsider) going to Dark Lord Day 2013


This year Three Floyds have made a lot of changes to their annual event marking the release of their famed Russian Imperial Stout Dark Lord. I have not been able to make it to one of these events yet, mostly due to the demand for tickets being astronomical the past few years. The tickets are released on St. Patrick’s day every year online. This year they go on sale at 1 pm EST (12 pm CST) Sunday March 17th. However its the changes to the tickets that are going to, in my opinion, improve the festival. There is a limit of 2 tickets per transaction online, however the most important part is the fact that the tickets will be printed with the name of the purchaser. It will be, and has been for the last few years at least, against the rules of the event to resell or trade the tickets. However this hasn’t stopped many people in the past from selling the, previously $15, for upwards of $100. On the Dark Lord website Three Floyds has specifically said that anyone with a ticket must have a valid government issued ID that corresponds to the name on the ticket to be granted access to the event.  Also Three Floyds has increased the number of sales sessions from 3 last year to 5 this year. I am certainly going to attempt to get tickets this Sunday, and good luck to all you out there who are going to try to get some too.  Below I’ve listed some of the rules from the Dark Lord website.

• Tickets are non-transferable (no resale or trading)
• Valid state or federal ID or valid passport of the original purchaser of the tickets required
• No children or pets (strictly 21 and over)
• No coolers (although beer trading/sampling is allowed)
• Tickets are $30 per ticket (limit of 2 tickets per person)
• The event is cash only (there is an ATM on site)
• There will be food vendors, as well as live music
• Dark Lord day is April 27th from 11am - 11pm EST (10am -10pm CST)
1. Group A 11am - 1pm EST (10am - 12pm CST)
2. Group B  1pm - 3pm EST (12pm - 2pm CST)
3. Group C  3pm - 5pm EST (2pm - 4pm CST)
4. Group D  5pm - 7pm EST (4pm - 6pm CST)
5. Group E  7pm - 9pm EST (6pm – 8pm CST)

Beers, Cheers, and Sneers – September 27

Can’t find anything to do Saturday? Then you must not like beer! We have the return of Brew Bracket with a special showdown of local bourbon barrel aged beers and additional events in Bloomington, Indianapolis, Nashville, Noblesville, Terre Haute, and Valparaiso that you can find on our calendar. I’m throwing in the towel the minute word comes out about a beer festival in Flora. But on a serious note, there is so much going on these days that we do welcome and appreciate any tips from our readers. So here we go……

Federal and State permits have been approved and equipment is starting to roll in at the new Planetary Brewing Company located near Old Town Greenwood. Check them out at the linked Facebook page to monitor their progress. Thanks to William Breuninger for the tip.

Congrats to the Hopcat in Grand Rapids, MI for being named the second best beer bar in the country by readers of CraftBeer.com. For good measure Founders’ Taproom (within walking distance) was second place in the North Central region. The HopCat was previously named the #3 Beer Bar in the world by Beer Advocate magazine. OK, so it’s not Indiana news but you’re not really living without an annual trip to Grand Rapids……or maybe I just have a problem.

We hope to avoid making stories like this a trend, but the weather of 2012 has claimed its first victim. Bell’s seasonal Cherry Stout will not be brewed this year after early warmth followed by multiple frosts damaged Michigan’s tart cherry crop this spring. Some kegs from last year’s batch are still in storage and will be released in limited numbers.

Attention “beer collectors” – your days on eBay are numbered. The site will begin removing listings for beer and liquor after 20/20 decided to save modern society by hiring a teen to buy vodka from their marketplace. Bloodsuckers dreaming of $250 for a bottle of Dark Lord are not stoked.

According to The Economist, the average U.S. worker has to work five minutes to afford 500ml of beer. Things look pretty good for Americans compared to the other countries in the study with Indian workers facing nearly an hour of toil for their brew. It also doesn’t paint a pretty picture for the rational few who threaten relocation to Canada or Mexico if the election doesn’t go their way.

Indiana is well represented on a recent top 10 list of the best beer website underage redirects. Earning prestigious spots on the list were Black Acre (He-Man singing 4 Non Blondes), Sun King (the Muppets take on Rick Astley), and Upland (redirect to Justin Bieber’s site). But my vote goes to Trumer Pils for subjecting youngsters to dancing men in painfully short lederhosen.

The blog STL Hops hosted a contest for readers to apply their Microsoft Paint talents to a Three Floyds Dark Lord theme. The winner is below and all finalists can be viewed here. The winning entry was submitted by Tyler Dumey and depicts Dark Lord Day with (as described by the blogger) “beers attacking bunnies and flowers, lava, brimstone, and sperm falling from the sky”. It’s unclear what events at Dark Lord Day inspired visions of electrocuted flowers and sperm in the sky, but next year you might want to make sure the guy standing next to you in line doesn’t answer to “Tyler”.

Cheers, Nathan

A Tale of Two Beer Releases

So it has been over two months since Dark Lord Day 2012 and neither Indianabeer.com reporter present at the festivities has anything to say about it yet.  Maybe it is the fear of the Three Floyd's torch bearers amassing an angry mob and setting out to destroy any human being on the planet who mouths a bad word about the assumed god of beer; maybe it has taken this long to shake the hangover of the festivities as it is a marathon of drinking; or maybe, just maybe, there was not anything really worth writing about it.

Rather than relay the tales of my adventure, I thought it would be better to lend more of a perspective on the run up to the release of Dark Lord in comparison to the release of another Three Floyd's beer.  This is not a criticism or critique of the brewery, but an observation that I find rather interesting that made the topic click in my head today.

On January 10, 2012, Three Floyd's offered a blog post simply offering the public the following information, "We're working on Dark Lord Day details."  This post on their Dark Lord Day website elicited 19 comments from readers.  I'm not sure an Indianabeer post has ever received that many (but I'm fairly new here so I'm sure I could be wrong).  The aura of Dark Lord is so powerful that radio silence was freaking out people because they hadn't heard information about an event more than three months away.

On February 13, 2012, www.darklordday.com finally informed the public that the date was set for Dark Lord Day and 59 comments followed.  So we were about two and a half months from the event and some ground rules were offered for those who would be fortunate enough to attend.  March 8 announced ticket sales for St. Patrick's Day, March 18 announced some brewery ticket sales, March 26 was the band announcement, and April 26 were final ground rules.

This is a beer that has been dubbed by more than one prominent person the best beer in the United States and/or world, so there would be a certain level of pomp and circumstance surrounding its release.  The interesting fact is that this beer is released every year at the same time of year and people have gone to this event every year of its existence.  The odds of procuring a Dark Lord are fairly good.  Even though secondary ticket sales were ridiculously priced and the amount of Dark Lord that flooded eBay and craigslist immediately after the event (and in some cases before the event) were gouging those unable to attend, it is not out of the realm of possibility of obtaining this beer.  Even if you attended Dark Lord Day you were given an allotment of four bottles and could even walk away with a barrel aged specialty beer.

Let's juxtapose this beer release with another Three Floyd's release today: Battle Priest. 
"The first all Brett beer from 3 Floyd's, named Battle Priest, which has been fermented in Pinot Noir barrels is available in 750 mL bottles for purchase today. Limited release today with one bottle per person allotment."

Dark Lord is a known quantity, Battle Priest is an experiment, a rarity unlike any other, the first release of a beer that may or may not get famous.  This matters not, as Three Floyd's has already established itself as a brewery that excels in providing beer that is decidedly, "not normal."  Even if you were a fan of brett beers you would have to expect this wouldn't taste anything like them.  And if you didn't like brett beers you would have to expect this wouldn't taste anything like them. 

Battle Priest's release was announced over social media at 2:00pm CDT.  By 4:00pm CDT it was sold out.  The rumor is that the amount produced was 480 bottles (or the amount set for release today).  Sight unseen, taste untouched to the tongue, this beer sold out in two hours at the brewery itself to 480 different people.  Can any other brewery pull that off?

I was at work, unable to get close to the brewery and my local guy was out of town and couldn't snag a bottle for me.  With such a rare gem, and with Three Floyd's beer notoriously present on the secondary market, I went to eBay and craigslist to find the fetching price.  Nothing.  I got nothing.

Dark Lord is a phenomenon that has grown rapidly and its release takes an enormous amount of effort on the part of the brewery and creates a buzz outside of the beer community that puts Northwest Indiana on the map and brings renowned brewers and chefs into Munster, IN to see a little warehouse tucked in an industrial park that produces wonderful beer.  However, it seems that the cult following of this beer will force any new beer that Three Floyd's could possibly develop into the hands of only an inner circle of people who follow their every move and flock to the brewery every time there is a hint of anything brewing (pun intended).  My hope is that Battle Priest is a successful brett so that more people will get to enjoy it.  My fear is that people gobble up Three Floyd's beer just because of who makes it and refuses to share it with anyone they deem unworthy.

Indiana Beer News – March 8

We hear there are still a few spots left for the Merchant du Vin Beer Dinner next Tuesday at Oakley’s Bistro in Indianapolis. Jim Blockinger of Merchant du Vin will lead a five course dinner exploring brewing traditions from Orval, Rochefort, Ayinger, Samuel Smith, Westmalle, and Lindemans. Tickets are $75 and can be reserved by calling 317-824-1231.

The much anticipated link for Dark Lord Day tickets is now available. Tickets go on sale March 17th at noon Central time and will cost $15. My esteemed colleague Wilk will appreciate that they’re issuing tickets in three different groups to get people through the lines quickly and efficiently. Good luck with that.

If you’re still looking for a reason to head down to Gravity Head at the New Albanian, this Friday night will be Cavalier & Founders Night with rare beers like KBS, Blushing Monk, and Nemesis taking over the taps. While you’re in the area, head over to Hoosier Beer Helps Hoosiers at the Charlestown Pizza Company on Saturday to help raise money for Red Cross tornado victim aid.

Sun King’s Bitter Druid ESB will no longer be part of the house beer lineup. But never fear, you will still be able to find Bitter Druid as a semi-annual specialty beer.

Molson Coors is launching the new Coors Light Iced T which combines Coors Light and iced tea to create (allegedly) the ultimate summer refreshment. I frequently gaze at my iced tea and imagine how much better it would be with some fermented corn “refined starches”. C’mon man……..

Ball State marketing officials are looking into branding the university’s logo on alcohol-related merchandise. So Ball State grads – how do you think Charlie Cardinal will look on a beer sign? Apparently Phil Ball isn't much of a fan.

Martha Stewart is catching up with the rest of us by declaring that a beer tasting party "is like the new thing". Perhaps insider trading “is like the old thing”.

Kenai River Brewing in Alaska is trying out Gummy Bear Beer featuring 15 pounds of the colorful little monsters. Sounds great, but you may not want to be around when Katy Perry comes looking for her rings ==>

Well, that’s probably enough references to pop culture icons I care nothing about…

Cheers, Nathan

 

Dark Lord Day - 2011

After a reported 10,000 people at last year’s giant tapping party, Three Floyds had to do something to keep the thing sorta manageable. This year, we’re told, 6,000 tickets were issued and you needed that ticket to not only buy some Dark Lord (4 bottles at a pretty darn cheap $15 each), but to get into the parking lot, buy any other beer, food, sample guest beers, etc.

Still, 6,000 people is more than the parking lot can hold. It was thick with humanity and beer. This change did what was intended; to limit the attendance, plain and simple.

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Many smart folks picnicked across the street on the lawns. Worked pretty good. Most groups were 4 to 6 people but it’s hard to pin down origins when people merge into and out of these small communities at will. All you need is an empty glass or a full bottle (or both) and you’ll meet serious beer folk from all over while sharing serious beers from all over. A better day can’t be had.

 

The line for Dark Lord was just as long as in the past, despite splitting into three groups by time. From the corner to the right of this pictures, it went to the front gate, doubled around twice inside, then headed for the back of the building.

The line could have moved faster but it didn’t need to because no one was in a hurry. The only chokepoint was the sole person assigned to the back door inspecting tickets, trading tickets for scratch-offs (later, later), and explaining the scratch-offs.

Dark Lord sellers inside were really a bit bored. Leaving the Dark Lord room, things were right back to gleefully gloriously hectic. Souvenirs, T-shirts, more bottles or cases of other Three Floyds beers, Half-pints of many guest beers, and the band de hour all crowded into the brewhouse itself.

A ton bunch of guest beers poured at $5 each satisfied the “gotta have another rare beer” syndrome. (list at HBG).

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 This guy is showing off his scratch-off – a winning one.

Left – That’s a share bottle with a capital share.
Right – It became a tradition to line up the empties along the street for collectors.

Randy Mosher was signing his Tasting Beer and Radical Brewing books.

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About those scratch-offs. At the last minute Three Floyds announced each ticket would get a scratch-off ticket that could win the right to buy, for $50, a bottle of a hand-signed, numbered, really rare bottle of either Darklord aged in Pappy Van Winkle 23 year barrels, Darklord aged in brandy barrels, Darklord aged in brandy barrels with vanilla beans, Darklord de Muerte, DL aged in bourbon barrels with ancho and guajillo peppers.

The best spot across the street was occupied by a group who met here from both coasts and Chicago. Some were there from The Full Pint blog based in LA. Also met some of the folks behind BeerDownload.com, a podcast going through a 256-beer bracket.

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Bidding on Ebay now seems to run around the $40+ area and a bottle of the Brandy Barrel Aged Vanilla has a bid of $237.50

More reports:

Hoosier Beer Geeks (see if you can find Bob in their panorama). And a second post.

The Chicagoist.

Post Tribune.

Chicago Tribune.

Indiana Beer News – March 22

On Thursday (Mar 24) New Albanian’s Bottle Release Party will be at Keg Liquors in Clarksville. 5-8pm. Appetizers and newly-available bottles of Elector, Hoptimus, and Elsa von Horizon. Coming up: Solidarity Baltic Porter.

Whoops: Todd Antz of Keg Liquors writes: We had to postpone the New Albanian Bottle Launch until next week, on the 31st from 5 - 8PM. They are having some equipment issues and we had to push it out so they can fix things.

This Saturday, a new Crown Liquors on the northwest side of Indy will have a grand opening. 106th St. and Michigan Rd. The Woodford Reserve/Jack/Patron bottle engraver will be there in the afternoon. Goodys, prizes, etc. This location will be joining the Carmel, Fishers, South (US 31 & Shelby) Crowns in their Friday afternoon beer tastings. 4-7pm.

Dark Lord tickets sold out in 22 minutes. Stubhub scalpers are asking from $60 to $250. Craigslist folks want them for $25 or $50 and want to sell them for $100. One guy will take your ticket and buy you the DL for $25.

The hot beer topic in the newspaper today is that three Indiana breweries may soon pass the 20,000 bbl cutoff for a reduced “micro” excise tax. Three Floyds will beat that this year. Upland might. Sun Kin probably in 2012. They’d like the limit raised to 60,000 bbls. IndyStar article

Headline: Oregon home brewers, winemakers can compete again: House gives final OK.

Sam Adams Category 23 Longshot will hit the shelves any day now. It’s 2 each of 3 different Pro-Am winners in the “think outside the box” style. Friar Hop Ale – Belgian IPA. Blackened Hops – Black IPA. Honey B’s Lavender Wheat. press release

And now, your moment of Zen

Indiana Beer News – March 13

We’ve said it before. Dark Lord Day is April 30th this year. Tickets ($10) will be needed to get your allocation  and to get onto the grounds for the swap tables. These will go on sale sometime on March 19th with links at the Three Floyds blog, Facebook, and Twitter sites. (When did everything get so complicated?)

If you know wine and are in Central Indiana, Easley Winery is looking for some people and are having a Job Fair at the College St. location in Indy March 18-10, 9-12pm. Positions Available:

8 Seasonal Wine Stewards/Tour Guides
2 Full Time Winery Representatives who will travel to Farmer’s Markets & Festivals through out the Mid West (Wed-Sun)
1 Full Time Year Round Cellar Assistant (Cleaning tanks, and bottling wine Monday—Friday)
1 Full Time Tasting Room Manager (Tues—Sat)

This years’ Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout had just been released and we should see some in Indiana in maybe even a week or so.

This is an AP Photo, taken by Itsuo Inouye, of the Kirin Brewery.

Other majors, Sapporo and Asahi, have shut down plants for inspection. Suntory and sorta micro Kiuchi (Hitachino Nest) are bottling water at their plants. Info thanks to BeerNews.org

The top 10 brews available at big league ballparks

Hey what? London’s 2012 Olympics have sold the exclusive beer and cider rights to whom? Heineken, that’s whom. That’s like Bud being the official beer of the World Cup in Germany. Oh, it was.

Indiana Beer News – March 4

Dark Lord Day is April 30th this year. A big change for the tailgaters this year (from their faq):

“The biggest change for this year is that a ticket will be required to attend the event. This ticket will also guarantee bottle allocation. Regrettably, changes have to be made to ensure the longevity of the event, safety and shorter lines. Without the ticket, there will be no admission to the premises.”

Will the tailgating move across the street? Will the tailgaters who in past years have set up down the block be cleared out? Hundreds or it could be over a thousand folks show up without magic tickets; just for the party. We hope 99.99% of these folks can still be accomodated.

The BoomBozz web site says “BoomBozz Taphouse Coming Soon to Indianapolis!”. They’re a 4-unit pizza chain growing in Louisville that is getting good reports (despite having not one silly Z but two). This picture is of the board of the one at Bardstown Rd at Eastern Parkway (stolen from Roger Baylors’s Potable Curmudgeon) shoutout.

Cavalier has new JW Lee’s Harvest Ale and we’ll be seeing it and more of some old vintages in stores soon.

Greg Koch of Stone says “The great myth of wine and cheese MUST die. Now.”  blog

Jason scoops us on the story about Great Crescent Brewery’s cans.

Fri. Mar 11. Founders, night at Gravity Head. New Albanian's Public House. John Host will be down and 8 Founders will be on tap:

Backwoods Bastard 9.2%
Black Biscuit 10.5%
Breakfast Stout (2009) 8.3%
Devil Dancer Triple IPA 12%
Double Trouble IPA 9.4%
KBS Kentucky Breakfast Stout 2010 11.2%
Imperial Stout 10.5%
Newaygo County Cherry 7%

Half Moon was voted Best of in 8 categories by the Kokomo Tribune: BBQ, Burger, Steak, Wings, Place For Family Dining, Place To Watch The Game, Place To Go And Talk With Friends, and last but certainly not least, Best Place To Catch A Buzz. Jon Templet will tap a Dry Irish Stout on March 10th in celebration of either that or an Irish saint.

We’re obligated by unspoken contract to talk about, or at least link to anyone else’s blog article about an article about another article. Especially friend-of-the-show John Holl’s. But we’re not giving it an entire article. Sorry John.

Oh, and John, we haven’t gotten a review copy of your new Indiana Breweries book. See you at your first Book Signing.  New Albanian's Public House. April 2, 3-6pm. Or the next afternoon at the Bank Street Brewhouse.

Get your copy as a thank-you gift during the upcoming WTIU fund drive. Or at Amazon’s pre-order page. Or, well, it should be everywhere in a couple of weeks.

Zink deficiency and BAC. Hmmm. article

Session Beer and Pub Crawl are trademarks? article

Brew Your Cask Off 80 brewing teams in Atlanta had a really big brew day each brewing a cask conditioned ale at Sweetwater Brewing to have 80 available for a charity festival tomorrow. report and video

It’s not often a review includes the words “brewed specifically for easy drinking in both microgravity environments, as well as here on Earth.” article

Indiana Beer News – Feb 19

Roger Baylor, owner of the New Albanian Brewing Company, is running for a seat on the New Albany city council. If you know Roger, you aren’t surprised. If not, read about why he’s running.

Mark your calendars. Dark Lord Day is April 30th. Golden tickets go on sale March 17th.

The biggest change for this year is that a ticket will be required to attend the event. This ticket will also guarantee bottle allocation. Regrettably, changes have to be made to ensure the longevity of the event, safety and shorter lines. Without the ticket, there will be no admission to the premises. More information on ticket sales will be made available in the coming weeks.

Eric Strader interviews Josh Hall of Belmont Beverages, South Bend. article

Frank Petrarca writes:

“Just an FYI- Upland Brewery has hired a new executive chef named Seth Elgar. He has worked at Conner Prairie with Theresa as their executive chef for a few years. Seth is a really nice guy, great chef and craft beer enthusiast/nut.  And he made the best curried beef stew I've ever had!

We met last night for a beer and talked a bit about his plans for Upland. He would really like to include more local meat and produce in his dishes. He's a really huge proponent of all things locally grown & brewed.  All of his family is in Bloomington so this is a homecoming of sorts for him. So after the first of March be sure to say hi to Chef Seth Elgar. He has a true passion for good food & beer and I know his skills will be an excellent fit at Upland but we'll miss him here in Indy!”

Dark Horse is making a beer using baby formula instead of lactose. Because doughnut beer is so passé. article

Colorado is trying to change their laws so beer under 4% ABV can be served in bars and restaurants. article

Dark Lord Day reports

Dark Lord Day. Your golden ticket allowed 4 bottles this year until that became 3 and then 4 again (complaints are starting to be blogged about that). 15% ABV. 700 calories.

Pictures:

• Dark Lord Day Live Blog - All Hopped Up – Chicago Post Tribune

and articles:

• Dork Lord Day 2010 – Hoosier Beer Geeks
• DarkLord Day 2010 - Perspective and Pictures – The Full Pint
• Frothy fellowship – NWI Times
• Festival draws thousands for rare brew – Chicago Post Tribune of Northwest Indiana
• $12,800 for Dark Lord?! – Chicago Beer Travelers
• The most fun you'll have standing in line – South Bend Tribune
• Move Over Wine, Here Comes The Dark Lord – Chicago Public Radio
• A Visit To Three Floyds – Brookston Beer Bulletin
• Dark Lord Day 2010 – Gapers Block
• Dark Lord Day 2010 In Retrospect – Thank Heaven for Beer – A sad story.
• Dark Lord Day 2010 – ValpoLife.com
• Some Dark Lord Day Thoughts – Chicago Beer Travelers

None of the promised tasers appeared but one person was transported by EMTs after he jumped off the band stage.

Misc News – Mar 17

The newest brewery in Indiana? Not Figure 8. It's New Boswell Brewing Company. Named for the first commercial brewery in Indiana. Where? Right where the first Boswell brewery was, Richmond. It opened yesterday.

The full story is at the Winchester News-Gazette, but here's the highlights.

Rodrick and Kiera Landess have started this production brewery to supply restaurants first in the Richmond and hope to expand to others in the eastern part of the state.

Their flagship is The Hoppit, an American Amber. They are also making an American Brown, Cream Ale, and a Pilsner.

WELCOME TO THE FAMILY.

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In other news, Dark Lord Day's Golden Ticket sales are over. It took less than an hour. Even with a full crash of not only 3Floyds.com and DarkLordDay.com, but the sales site they used, Shopify.com, and even Twitter.

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Or you might even be interested in Coors Batch 19. Pre-Prohibition lager. "A true, authentic, original beer". article

Misc News

From Great Fermentations comes this blatant ad:

Just  in time for the warm weather Brewer's Best has released its Summer seasonal. This crisp and refreshing Summer Ale is pale in color and a small addition of wheat malt contributes to its slight haze. Pleasant citrus notes come from the bitter orange and lemon peel combined with two additions of cascade hops. This beer finishes clean with lingering flavors of citrus and spice. Perfect for a hot Summer day!

We have added some exciting new flavor extracts to favor your beers. Now in stock: watermelon, chocolate and ginger. These new 4 oz. bottles are now formulated for 5 gallons so there is no more measuring.

After about a 2 year absence we are pleased to announce the return of Northern Brewer hop pellets. They should be in the shop sometime later this week.

Lastly, we are pretty excited to be able to get 2 new German malts. From Briess comes Munich liquid malt extractfor all of those malty Fest-style beers and from GlobalMalt comes Kolsch grain. The latter comes from the only malt house in all of Cologne. Both of these new malts are in stock.

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(old news) Muncie native Tonya Cornett had a high honor last month when she was picked to be one of 6 guest brewers for J D Wetherspoon's International Real Ale Festival. There are Interviews with the 6 brewers including Tonya available in pdf. She's doing an enchore performance to brew Independence Ale at Shepherd Neame but don't worry, she'll be back at Bend Brewing in Oregon (sadly where we can't get her beers).

Speaking of Rad Red, A bit of Mad River Double Dred Red will be finding its way to Indiana around the end of the month. That will hopefully be followed by Mad Belgian Golden Ale.

 

Yike