Posts Tagged ‘three floyds dark lord’

Three Floyds Brewing Company Dark Lord 2009 (365 Day 151)

Sunday, May 1st, 2011

Three Floyds Dark Lord Logo

How quick Dark Lord Day seems to come and go. The only part of it that seems to take forever is waiting for it the next year. Some consider Dark Lord, the beer, one of the finer Russian Imperial Stouts out there, while others consider it a sugary mess of an interpretation. No matter what side of the fence you are on, Dark Lord Day is an even to behold for American craft beer.

Dark Lord by Three Floyds Brewing Company is released each April. It is a highly sought after beer in the beer geek world because of the high praise it receives, the rarity of the beer, and the overall craziness of Dark Lord Day itself.

I have had the privilege to try a couple of different vintages of these beer with the 2009 being shared by Tim, a beer geek that I met while waiting in line for my turn to scratch (and lose) and pick up my allotment of four beers. I have also had the 2010 vintage. I will have to say that beer number 151: Dark Lord 2009, is much better than the 2010 version. Obviously 2009 had two years of age on it, while 2010 was less than a year old when I had it. It was mellow, not cloying, and actually easy drinking for such a big beer. It was surprisingly carbonated for a two year old beer but this did not take away from the appreciation of the beer. Enjoy!

Useless Fact: In third-century China, kites were used as games, ritual objects, musical instruments, transmitters of messages, distance-measuring devices, weapons and parachutes.

Dark Lord Day 2011 Recap

Saturday, April 30th, 2011

Dark Lord Day 2011 Scratch Off Ticket

Because it happens only once a year and it is one of the biggest get together for beer geeks in the Midwest; on why Dark Lord Day is such a big deal. This year everything changed. I would say for the better.

When days like this start to get out of hand, as they did last year, more rules are good. The rules really helped to keep the day running smoothly, get rid of some of the over crowded goofyness, stop a lot of line jumping, and just make the day easier and more enjoyable for people like myself just picking up beer and leaving.

Yes, I had to leave early as there was a family communion. Stinks but family is important. My wife already informed me that my middle child will be having communion next year and could quite possibly land on Dark Lord Day 2012, not allowing me to even attend. YUCK!

It took us a mere two hours to go through the entire line and get our beer. Chuck and I met two Illinois locals: Tim and Brendan, that were kind enough to share a few beers with us while we were in line. After numerous people in line helped solve today’s cross word puzzle, the four four of us talked home brewing, Dark Lord Days past, American craft beer, trying to open a brew pub, and various other tidbits. The addition of their conversation was appreciated.

After getting our beers we huddled up around my car for a Goose Island Bourbon County Stout (2010), Founders Nemesis (2010), Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout, and a Three Floyds Dark Lord (2009). A quality selection of beers.

In all the day was great. We had an hour of sun light to warm the air, people were courteous, and the process of getting a beer was fairly quick. My only gripes are the fact I couldn’t make a day of it and that Rich had a different time, not allowing me to have a few brews with a good friend. Enjoy!

Videos of how big the crowd was:

Useless Fact: In medieval China and parts of Africa one method of enforcing chastity was to sew up a girl’s vaginal labia as soon as she reach puberty. The stitches were not cut until the marriage; the husband then had the option of sewing them up again if he was called to war or on a long journey.

Project Finished – Time for Beer Again!

Monday, June 28th, 2010

It is hard for me to believe that it has been two weeks since I said how busy I have been and that I would be writing on a regular basis. So much for that idea. I will not apologize as life brings us all the unexpected; learning to deal with it is part of life.

This past Friday, while speaking to Rich, I told him that I was done with this huge project, so I stopped by to discuss beers and he went and did it: grabbed a bottle of 2010 Three Floyds Dark Lord from the cellar. Unfortunately, my wife gave a call and we had to put the tasting aside for another day. Just so the wife doesn’t get a bad name, she didn’t ask me to come home, I wanted to.

I guess when you finish a tough project, luck is on your side. The wife and I found our way over to Rich’s house around 10:00pm on Saturday night. This time the total and complete intent of the visit was to have Dark Lord. And have Dark Lord we did.

Outstanding is the easiest way to describe it. The aroma and flavors are deep and complex: dark fruits (raisin, plums, cherry), roasted malt, coffee, chocolate, some booze, and even smoke. It is thick, heavy, and a meal in a bottle. I will have to have another soon as I didn’t review the beer, I just wanted to savor the beer.

Now that that episode of my life is over, I can get back to more home brewing and American craft beer reviews. I think I might still be on target for 365 reviews this year. If not, it is catch up time. This weekend will find me in Minnesota for a Surly tour and a visit to Flat Earth, Town Hall, and Summit. Enjoy!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...