Monday, April 30, 2007

Dark Lord Day 2007



As it turns out, the #2 rated beer in the entire world (at least according to one list) is brewed at Three Floyds Brewery in Munster, IN - a mere 1.5 hour drive from my home. To make this even more interesting, the brew is available only ONE DAY A YEAR for purchase - Dark Lord Day - from said brewery.

The beer at hand is the Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout. I could go into a weighty review from my own palate - but that would just be too geeky - so here is the excellent description from the bottle's label:

Dark Lord is a gargantuan Russian Style Imperial Stout, with a reverse cascading head that starts out billowing the color of burnt oil like the Dark Lord rising from the black primordial beginnings. Its Resonant vinous aroma has been described as cherries, sweet malt, molasses, burnt currants, plums with a port wine alcohol undertow. Mochachino notes buried within. Motor oil consistency, hellishly smooth yet divinely burnt and vinous. The first sip coats your palate with a palatial charred fruit and chocolate blanket. Alcohol burn wiggles its way down your throat with a thick body.

(and by the way, is this stuff is viscous! It haaaaaangs on the glass like nothing you've ever seen.)



I attended the event with 3 good friends, all of whom have a similar tastes for hoity-toity beers (cough, beer snobs all of us, cough). The line was about 4 hours to purchase the stuff - at $15 per wax-sealed bottle. Doors opened at noon and there had to be at least 1,500-2,000 people go through the line before I left (around 4 pm). There were also picnic tables set up all around with open bottles of home-brews and BYOBs that anyone could walk up and sample. I got to try a number of beers that I had been wanting to try for some time.

So does the Dark Lord live up to its hype? Definitely. It's not every day you get to taste something as wickedly complex and delicious as this thing is. Especially since I only bought three - and they have to last until next year.

5 comments:

Jon said...

Well! I thought this was going to be about Vader or Voldemort. I'm not a beer geek, just a geek.

isaiah said...

Sweet! Dude, that stuff's expensive!

Uhmm...eer, ahhh... when are you guys coming back down this way? Bringing any beer with ya?

Dedication- brother....dedication.

Anonymous said...

Sounds nice. Too bad I'm so far away, and I'd have to wait til next year anyway to get some.

That top 100 list looks delicious. I might have to start traversing it.

Dan Price said...

Man, i wish I could have been there. I'm going to Chicago next week, i may hit up Three Floyd's on my way back. Robert The Bruce is one of my favorite Scotch ales.

Unknown said...

There was a glass available for purchase at Dark Lord Day 2007. Any chance you have it and are interested in letting it go?