Dark Lord Day (DLD) 2015

How do you know it will be available on Friday before DLD?

 

For those who have used the buses from Chicago before, how much do the buses typically cost?

 

Has been the last three years

 

Just booked Fri-Sunday at the Comfort Inn in Schererville. Will be using the same cabbie who shuttles us in a large van over to FFF every year.

 

Don't worry about that. There aren't any checkpoints because most of the area police are actually patrolling the event. And plus they're not going to set up checkpoints just because of DLD.

 

Wait, how come I didn't see this Bottle Share thing come up? What is it exactly? I went last year and drank where the hell I wanted.

 

We are going to party in group c. I might have some Pliny clone to pass around. I Will Have B CBS Half Acre And Revolution For sure. Any one want to meet up let me know.

 

Scored four total tickets for Group C, can't wait!

 

This is going to be my first dark lord day. Does anyone have any tips for hotels where there will be good bottle shares on Friday night?

 

Group A tickets easily secured while drinking some delicious raspberry Berliner at Huna Day. Fucking great weekend

 

Here is my list of tips from last year. I believe most will hold up for 2015, but there's always the chance for some of this stuff to change. Let me know if anything looks amiss.

Friendly reminders/tips for the uninitiated/already inebriated:

CASH ONLY:
- $80 for Dark Lord (maximum 4 bottles* at $20/apiece)
- $50 for Barrel Aged Dark Lord (pending your scratch-off)
- $50 for beer on tap (most run $5, select are $10)
- $20-30 for food (though you can leave to eat and re-enter)
- So basically, bring $200+, or $150 at the least if you sell your scratch-off.

WEAR APPROPRIATE CLOTHING:
- Check the weather forecast and dress for the temp/precipitation expectations.
- Wear something comfortable that you don't mind getting muddy.
- Wear COMFORTABLE shoes you don't mind getting muddy.
- Bring a small towel to wipe yourself/your stuff off in the event of spilling.

ARRIVE EARLY:
- Doors open at 10 a.m. but the party starts long before.
- People will be cracking beers in line around 7:00 a.m as the sun rises.
- The line is always half of the fun - meeting strangers and sharing beers.
- Tickets are checked and armbands are given in line to let the entry process occur smoothly.
- Last year there were food trucks to make your early inebriation in line a little slower.
- Dark Lord was on tap as soon as we walked in last year, the first round was gone before even 1/3 of the people had made it into the grounds.
- Re: re-entry: From what I recall last year, you can re-enter freely once you have a wristband. You have to be together to get your wristband as you stand in line. From there, it's free for all.
- If you have a guest that can't be in line with you early in the morning, it is fine as long as the person whose name is on the ticket leaves (with wristband/hand stamp) and re-enters with the guest at a later time.

SHARING BEER:
- It is recommended you bring a handful of cool beers to share.
- Beer should be brought in a SOFT cooler - I use a backpack cooler that I got for cheap on Amazon.
- Bring a plastic cup to drink out of that you're not afraid to break.
- Beer on tap is served in flimsy cups, so the cup you bring is vital.
- A good bottle opener is crucial (some recommend a pocket knife, too, but I don't know that you'll get it past security or what the rules are).
- Pro-tip: Water is vital to your survival. Bring it, drink it, and freeze a couple bottles to keep the beer in your cooler nice and cool all day long.

YOUR HAUL:
- Parking at the event is the easiest way to handle ferrying beer to your car after your group, but it will cost you a pretty penny.
- If you don't park nearby, you can cab it, but that's likely even more expensive.
- You can park in Centennial Park across Calumet. I don't remember what it was last year, but it's usually around $15-$20.
- If you get boxes for your haul from the brewery, they are known to be crap boxes that will come unglued at the bottom. So bring tape, or only carry the box by the bottom, not the handles.
- To expand on that, have a plan on how you are going to carry your beer. A related tale from last year: "I saw a guy a few years ago try to re-arrange his backpack and accidentally drop a DL onto the cement floor in the brewery. It immediately shattered. To top it off, it was his barrel-aged one. I was heartbroken just watching." RIP.
- I transport beer in knee-high white tube socks. Usually one will cushion the beer quite well, but you can double-wrap for extra protection. They're cheap and can be compacted down quite easily, and they do a great job.
- Be prepared for people to accost you on your way out, offering all manner of beers for trade to get their hands on a Dark Lord.

YOUR EXPERIENCE:
- Everything above is subject to change. This is the third event company running the event, you just never know what is going to happen.
- You can get a shuttle from the Holiday Inn for not too much. We left one car there overnight. The bottle share there the night before is the best place to be if you don't know any locals.
- Watch out for theft! Do not leave you bottles alone. It has been bad in the past, and could only get worse with GA tickets. Now there will be people there who have no chance of getting DL, so they could be looking to grab yours.
- Dark Lord Day is what you make it - you can show up for your group, buy your beer and go home, or you can trade, share, drink, chat, meet and do all manner of fun things, surrounded by like-minded beer zealots. Just make sure you have a ride home.

That's what I've got for now, I'm sure I'll edit this at some point with a few things I may be forgetting.

 

The Hampton Inn usually has a big share, but that hotel books up a year in advance.

 

Not that I've ever seen. Don't jinx it.

 

In previous years I had no problem booking one of the Marriotts after getting tickets. This year they were all booked and had to go with the Comfort Inn instead. Do they have a shuttle as well? Also, I assume plenty of people booked at the Marriott who ended up getting shut out....feel free to release those rooms

 

For those of you that weren't fortunate enough to get a Group Ticket, FFF just announced that at 8pm Central Time on Tuesday 3/17 General Admission Tickets go on sale through Etix. They are $30 a piece and include everything that a Group Ticket does, EXCEPT a Dark Lord Bottle Allotment.

 

I'm coming from Los Angeles (DLD is icing on what is shaping to be a great trip) and bringing a few bottles to share. Group D!

My first DLD. Very excited.

 

Super excited I scored tix online. So glad I don't have to get them at the pub. I'll be there with my Dad and we get to keep our 7 year tradition going.

 

I have a question regarding the sales of general admission tickets. I had planned to use DLD as a meeting place for myself and my father, but because of my inexperience and excitement I apparently only bought one DLD ticket for Group B when I was certain I had purchased two. My question is this: In your experience and estimation how possible is it to get a general admission ticket for my dad, and where should I be looking/watching? I have heard that they have been a lottery in prior years. I am interested and quite willing to trade beer or compensation for a general admission ticket or a guest pass to get my dad into the festival, neither he nor i are obsessed about the actual dark lord bottles, we simply want to part of the festival and the sharing. Thank you for you input and I supposed if a GA ticket is impossible I likely have a Group B ticket that I will not be using.

 

Good tips, only thing I'd add is bring extra money if you want to purchase cases of regular beer I.e. Zombie Dust ect..... Also extra money if you want any DL/3F merch.

 

They posted on their Twitter GA tix go sale March 18 at 8pm. You should must likely be able to score one.