Chicago Bites

When Three Floyds changed ticketing for this year’s Dark Lord Day to three groups, I was worried that it would kill the happy camaraderie that made me love this event so much. Time slots and limited access sounded so corporate. I shouldn’t have worried. People still hung out in camps, sharing beer, pouring home-made brews and holding spots in line while others made runs for more beer. Lots of great beer made people happy and the increased organization made people even happier.

I heard nothing but kudos. The lines were still long, but there wasn’t nearly as much line cutting and no mad-rush as in the past. The bottle allotments dropped from eight max/per person to four, but everyone with a ticket was guaranteed to get four bottles if they wanted them. Last year those at the end only managed to get two bottles, which squandered a lot of good will.

Three Floyds adopted a scratch-off ticket that allowed a fortunate few to purchase rare variants of Dark Lord. I happened to get one bottle and another person in my party did as well. The only question now is what special occasion is going to live up opening a $50 bottle of beer? I may have to invent one.

Trying guest pours from other craft brewers is a huge part of this event. Unfortunately for this review of DLD, I didn’t go too far afield after I sampled Three Floyd’s own Zombie Dust — a hoppy American Pale Ale with pine and bitter citrus notes that I absolutely can’t wait to drink on a hot summer day. The presence of the other breweries is still a great draw for the event. I only wish I had the line fortitude to manage more. If you’re interested, Three Floyds has a list of guest breweries on their site.

I hope to do this event again next year because the best part of Dark Lord Day is tailgating with my friends and making new friends in line and around the event. Beer people are the best.

I have pictures from Dark Lord Day on Facebook. While you’re there, give the page a like, thanks!