Dark Lord Day (2023)

I think they shipped a small amount as a hype status thing. Not sure it makes business sense to eat up your margins on international shipping (in potentially 100 degree plus shipping containers) and taxes/tariffs.

 

I totally missed this. Did anyone mention this on the FFF thread? Wow.

 

3Floyds definitely exported beers to Japan (at least). They were in stock at a number of craft beer bars in Tokyo. I have photographs.
If they are still present in 2023, I will let you know. (But I doubt it.)

 

I’m not going to quibble over terminology. I’m referring to their kiosk. In my opinion if they serve draft beer to go(which they do) it’s a tap room.

 

Well, that's quibbling.

 

I've seen Dark Lord variants on-site at War Pigs Brewery in Copenhagen too. Was very surprised, but they definitely had them if you were willing to fork over some serious $$$ for an on-site bottle.

 

Starting to see the posts trickle in on the socials of people ISO tickets who missed out.

 

Maybe it’s my imagination (it’s been awhile) but the last time tickets lasted this long, they pulled the plug themselves like they did this time and just did multiple weekends of on-site ticket sales.

I *personally* (to prevent myself getting accused of witchcraft and/or math) think “event stouts” are dead, or dying. The beer bubble burst awhile ago but they must have been reliably selling drive-thru dark lord to where they thought they could fill out a fest.

Also something-something inflation, yadda yadda no taproom to introduce the mid 20s locals and bands the vast majority of people don’t care about, the decline of the craft beer industry in general coupled with Floyd’s themselves phoning it in and trading on zombie dusts reputation with nothing new have probably all culminated in where we are now. The entire industry is making money hand over fist selling DDH hazies and Floyd’s rolls out cheer team. So they got comfortable and boring and lost the status they used to have in the industry.

Hope I’m wrong but this is probably the last year for the fest. It’s probably my last year regardless. I’m going to hang out with some friends, but more than half the people that used to come had no interest this year so even my own admittedly small sample size (from ~16 to 5) has shrunk.

As an additional death knell, note that this thread would normally be 50 pages by now in years past, and hasn’t even hit 10 a little over a month before the event. There were only like 3 cringe-inducing dragon abortion jokes so far. Sad times.

 

Ya know, I was fine with the counterpoints, until this. What the fuck are you even talking about? Phoning it in? They've put three world class barrel aged stouts INTO DISTRIBUTION, and now this year on repeat, showing they can do so with consistency.

Sucking at hazies has buried more brewery reputations than not. Why go out of their way to do something they not only aren't known for, but don't need to produce in order to be successful? Most people I know are sick of hazies at this point, and enjoy a little clarity of expression in their beers. Most breweries who make excellent NEIPA focus so heavily on it that they suck at everything else. And Barbarian Haze is fine for what it is--a cloudy ZD, and better than most distro hazy, which is still a style that's a fairly iffy proposition to chase at grocery stores to this day.

Zombie Ice was a shot across the bow putting everyone on notice that they still excel at traditional IPA. Sure, some people weren't expecting the outcome or aren't into the style or strength, but I found it very good. When we're spoiled here in NEO with excellent WCIPA, letting very little of it even leave the state, it held up well to the local competition.

Valid points, but you're also saying this on a web-based forum patronized most likely by an older cohort who historically trends away from consuming beer to wine or whiskey, in a world that is absolutely dominated by social media. I don't think we can extrapolate too much from our friends' lack of interest or BA threads being less active these days.

 

Just one idiot's opinion that you may be laying it on a little thick, here.

 

I asked Chat GPT to write a letter about dark lord day

Dear [Name],

I am writing to you today to convince you to attend Three Floyd's Dark Lord Day, one of the most epic beer festivals in the world. I understand that you may have reservations or conflicting commitments, but I truly believe that this event is not one to be missed.

Firstly, let me tell you about the beer itself. Three Floyd's Dark Lord is a Russian Imperial Stout that is brewed only once a year, and is considered by many to be one of the best beers in the world. The Dark Lord Day festival is the only time that this beer is released, and the opportunity to try it fresh from the source is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

But Dark Lord Day is much more than just the beer. It's a celebration of beer culture, a chance to meet like-minded individuals who share a passion for craft brewing. The festival brings together some of the best brewers from around the world, as well as thousands of beer enthusiasts. It's a chance to taste some of the rarest and most sought-after beers, and to learn from the experts themselves.

In addition to the beer, there is also live music, food trucks, and other entertainment. The festival is a full day of fun and excitement, and is sure to be an unforgettable experience.

I understand that attending Dark Lord Day may require some planning and logistics, but I promise you that it will be worth it. The festival takes place in Munster, Indiana, and there are plenty of hotels in the area to accommodate visitors. Additionally, transportation to and from the festival can be arranged through various services.

In conclusion, I strongly urge you to consider attending Three Floyd's Dark Lord Day. It's a unique and unforgettable event that offers a one-of-a-kind experience for anyone who loves beer. I promise you that you won't regret it, and that you'll have memories to last a lifetime.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

 

Anyone who is complaining about FFF's hazies didn't try Lunar Throne in October '22. Up there with the best hazies coming out of the Midwest. Hopefully they brew another batch for DLD. DLD may evolve and change, but it isn't going anywhere. At least until NWI gets some more top tier breweries.

 

Chat GPT is already trying to buy my variants...

 

I was thinking the same thing here:

Crushing Mass, Cocomungo are certainly above average for a shelfie BA stout, but “world-class?” And Dismembers Only was very average, nothing standout.

Is it nice that FFF finally caught up to the other big players to put a BA stout in distro? Of course, but years late compared to their similarly sized peers. But let’s also not pretend these are winning some competitions or are highly sought trade bait.

 

Point conceded re: Dismembers, but the other two? Absolutely world class. Shitty BA stouts are a dime a dozen. Almost no BA stouts that can be found on shelves are worth a shit. Mass/Coco stood head and shoulders above anything else you can get in grocery stores. What other big players distribute BA stouts that are as good as those two? I'd be floored if you can name more than 5, ergo world class.

I said this back when they first released: those were the types of stouts that would have been line worthy and trade bait not even 5 years prior. These day's hardly anything moves trade forums besides Side Project, Anchorage and Toppling Goliath. To say something isn't trade bait these days is to say water is wet.

 

I would take Crushing Mass over any of the major ba coffee stouts in distro- BCBS Coffee, Deth Tar, etc. it’s like an amped up version of whatever that controversial barrel aged beans stout (can’t remember the name, but it had something to do with a metal band and suicide prevention) they released 7+ years ago.

Dismembers Only was world class on the pilot system and then they dumbed down the recipe for distro to something that I imagine would resemble a Torani Syrup called Sweet Stout Flavoring…

 

I found Crushing Mass & Deth's Tar practically identical. Again, I'm no supertaster or anything.

 

Your fallacy is that you equate “world class” BA stout as one that is mass distributed and you can get in a grocery store. Comparing it to other shelfies does not elevate it to “world class,” as by definition, world class is the total universe of BA beer made.

The Dark Lord variants are world class. 2/3 distro offerings have been high quality for the price but not approaching DL variant level quality. It’s not much different than Rev who has high quality distro with world class brewery only stuff.

To the larger point of reduced interest in DLD, it may be nothing they did as a business to deserve it, but just a product of the huge variety of local regional offerings that are on par with barrel aged dark lord variants for a similar or cheaper price. Plus when things changed to have years go by with no fest, people found other events to put on their calendar and travel to, which are now weighed in comparison to DLD.