I wasn't able to get tix this year. But, it's fun as long as you're with a friend or two. My advice on bottles to bring is probably don't go nuts on stouts if you're driving. My friends and I normally just brought a few beers that we would normally share with each other.

People in line can be pretty generous too. I remember one guy just pouring BA Speedway stout for anyone passing by him in line.

Another pro-tip, hit up Lem's BBQ or Calumet Fisheries on the way down for food. It'll be better and cheaper than what is there.

Sour fans,

Random Target pricing strikes again:



anyone tried this almanac pluot? I've been wanting to try this, but haven't wanted to pay the $10.99/375 it costs. But target hooked me up for $4.99! Will give this a try tonight.

Value shoppers,



Quite happy with this for $4.99, would be pretty disappointed for the normal price of $10.99.

Very well balanced with nice dry tartness, but pretty mild fruit flavor. It's a very solid sour, but not a great one IMO.

I'm in Chicago for work right now, and I was making tentative plans with a friend of mine from out of state to meet me for Dark Lord Day. But I wasn't near a computer when tickets went on sale, so nothing came of it. Plus Mother's Day.

The web site did have A tickets available for (I think) at least 24 hours in the last couple of days. I think if I still lived in Chicago I would have gone this year. I'm very interested to read people's reactions, especially with the new arrangement for variants this year. (Random assignment of variants instead of first come first served. Plus some people will receive vintage Dark Lord instead of a variant, which will be a horrible outcome.)

Always going to be the case, TDA. The Modern Times beers lived up to expectations; haven't yet opened the Alpine; most of the rest below par although I enjoyed the Hop Hunter and the Devil's Canyon. The Cloudwater (and Omnipollo) beers were always going to win out and I doubt that'll change unless some of the NE breweries start distributing over here (which they won't, obviously).

That order was from Beerhawk - figured I'd give them a shot after being gifted a better than expected beer advent calendar at Christmas. My local store is Hop Burns & Black and I think they do mail order too. Which city are you in these days? I think I have a referral code for Beerhawk (and possible HB&B) so if you feel like ordering from either PM me.

had this today. No snowglobe so maybe this is newer. Not sure on actual hops but it says new zealand and agree, big lemon/lime element to this beer. I enjoyed it but didn't blow me away either.

After this revisted Nightshift's "The 87" DIPA. First time in prob a year. Super bitter and a bit of citrus. Reminds me of old school stone DIPAs. I enjoyed it. Def a very solid DIPA.

Nightshift Awake: another revisit. It's fine. Quite thin for a 6.5% coffee porter, imo.

Singlecut Are You Ready Steve IPA (7%): This I really liked. Bit of the fusel notes that I get in singlecut beers. OK amount of citrus, some spicy notes, some stonefruit. If I had to guess, some mix of Citra, Mosaic, and Columbus.


sidenote: anyone know anything about anything when it comes to InBev blocking micros from getting South African hops?

Finally got to check out Cigar City Jai Alai since it now being distributed in NC. A good session IPA. Look forward to some of their other brews.

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That's a 7.5% beer

I'm all about the 7.5% session beer

I heard about that and my first thought was that I couldn't even name a SA hop. It may be an example of what can happen when one brewer can be so big and vertically integrated that they can command a whole market, but as a practical matter I don't think it's at all significant.

Dark Lord Day was fun!

I took it easy drinking-wise because wife told me if I came back as drunk as I did from FoBAB she'd axe murder me. $60 for all you can drink with hundreds of beers and short lines (effectively, FoBAB has tickets in theory but no one takes them) in 3 hours vs $5 for 9oz pours at tents with lines + 1-2oz pours from randoms all day (for me, about 6-7 hours) wound up way less drunk. Largely because there were time when I was not actively drinking 10%+ beers, unlike FoBAB.

Started with a 2016 Dark Lord, which is tasty but very straightforward. Just sweet, sticky. Pleasant, no alcohol taste at all (which at 15% is impressive!). Idk, I mean, I sometimes eat candy. I didn't find it difficult to drink. One of the most interesting things about the festival was how many people just outright discussed the fact that they don't like Dark Lord! Most of those people LOVED any barrel aged, or any of the flavored variants, but the base beer is too simple for their taste. Meh!

Had a bunch of good stuff throughout the day:

Cigar City Hunahpu
Side Project Derivation
Jackie O's (idk, some stout here)
Speakeasy Syndicate 3
Heady Topper
Focal Banger

Idk, lots more.

Didn't spend much/any time in the sharing tent. No idea what goes on in there aside from it being the only shady spot.

Biggest complaint: all the people predatorily trying to buy up variants from drunk people. Offering like $50 for some ultra-rare beer they are going to put up on craigslist for $400-500. Seems very out of line with the feel-good everyone's friends vibe the rest of the festival had. I guess it's hard to have a lot of people in one place and have zero sons of bitches? Most people were pretty great. Made fun with a caber tossing champion. Relatedly, no one bumped into me or my friend for the rest of the day.

Overall a good time. Would go again. Pretty expensive at $180 for entry + 4 regular + 1 variant, but even if you put regular bottles at $25 and variant at $50 (which both seem very lowball prices on the open market) you're then just paying $30 to hang out, drink people's cellars, and listen to death metal for the day. But I can understand generally deciding that that's too much money to spend on beer in one day. Or that you have no need in your life for 4 bottles of the same expensive stout.

I was in the later in the day group (pick up beer between 5 and 7). This year they totally randomized everything so they just hand you an allotment and it doesn't matter when your group is. With this format I prefer late group so you don't have to carry around your beer all day! Previous years early groups got to select their variants so there was a benefit. Was great showing up around noon and seeing people already heading home totally wasted.

Sounds like the SA hops were newish according to this:

nice Dark Lord Day trip report. my biggest WTF with it (and other festivals I've seen) is the Death Metal component. there is definitely a Ven Diagram of the beer world where Death Metal and Beer are shared loves but that would be a reason for me not to go. even if it's just a background sound - no thanks, that would actively bother me.

.getoffmylawn

what variant did you end up with?

I've really never understood how these two have met. And more to it, why has brewing beer been what older metalheads have gotten into? Just seems odd to me.

it's so bizarre

what you won't find at Hill Farmstead: death metal

one won't find that at Lawson's either. Sean Lawson is a massive phish phan

I think it's a bit of the loudest voices getting the most attention thing - maybe literally, in this case! I know more brewers/breweries that don't obsess over metal than those that do, but the few that make it part of their marketing get a lot of attention.

In CO one of the best under the radar breweries: TRVE Brewing, which is completely metal themed.

I hate them just cuz the V.

They're on tap at armsby abbey fairly regularly but haven't tried any yet.

Double bonus Tuesday! Scored two bottles of Westbrook Mexican Cake and my local Flying Saucer Draught Emporium tapped Founders KBS today.

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I tried Single Cut's Are You Ready Steve? IPA. I quite enjoyed it! That is all.

also, was planning on going up to Portland next Weds due to needing to be in NH that day anyway, and Bissel Bros is doing some remodeling and won't have any cans. LAME.

Indiana/Chicago locals: I had a buddy bring me some fresh cans of Nefarious Harbor from Evil Czech brewery. Really good NEIPA. Highly recommend.


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have had a few OK beers from them. I'll keep an eye out.

Had a Skreeeech! from 18th street last night that was really good. DDH IIPA that was hazy, but not true NE style. maybe a bit on the sweet side.

also scored a bottle of 17 Dark Lord yesterday, so excited to try that.