Dark Lord Day: 2014 Questions

At Dark Lord they sell Dark Lord. Last year the bottle limit was 3 per person. If you have a golden ticket you get to buy one additional variant bottle for $50. You can choose from whatever variant they have left.

You can get there as early as the gates open but you can't buy beer until your ticket says so for whatever group you are in. Expect to wait in line 2-3 hours once they announce your group.

You can also buy any other beer 3 Floyds happens to have for sale....just like any other day.

Tickets for Dark Lord Day sell out within 1-2 minutes usually. Scratch that. Last year they sold out in SECONDS. There is one hotel close to the brewery and its likely already booked full for the next event dates (dated that are speculative since they haven't announced anything yet).

None of what I typed above matters because it only applies to Dark Lord Day 2013 and they usually change it up every single year in some way.

 

1. Event Date. Almost always the last weekend in April on a Saturday.

2. What is for sale. Dark Lord is available for purchase. And some regulars, usually they make sure some Zombie Dust and a few other good things are available. Occasionally some other BA stuff is available.

3. When to get there. It depends on what group you get mostly. You get a group which has a designated bottle sales time, but you can enter the event as soon as it opens with any group. Get there at least an hour before your group sales go on sale. If you want to gain entry earlier and just get some drafts and drink beer you can come in any time. An hour or more before is a good idea if you want to go all day. Good stuff will be going on tap all day, rare BA Dark Lord variants will go on tap randomly throughout the day and it is just luck if you get them as there will always be a big line for the Dark Lord draft line.

4. Allotment Usually 4, but last year it was 3 ($15 a bottle). If you win the scratch off you get to pick the variant ($50 a bottle), but the variant you want might be sold out already so you pick what is left. Vanilla will sell out first. If you don't have Group A or B you could very likely miss out on the chance to get Vanilla.

5. Tickets. They were $30 last year IIRC, before that they were $15, and then $10 so they have been going up. They sell out in seconds, but usually if you keep trying you have a chance of getting them for at least an hour after they go on sale (some peoples carts expire and the tickets release), after that they will be 100% gone unless you can make it to the brewery when they release some tickets for sale on site. They will announce on site sales same day, maybe an hour or two before they go on sale. Earlier groups sell out faster.

6. Hotels. There are some hotels close, but they fill up, so if you score tickets make sure to secure reservations. I think the closest is like a 20-30 minute walk or a 5 minute drive. Watch BA, people will put their rooms up for grabs when they inevitably fail to get tickets. This is easy to google, just look up hotels.

7. Re-entry. Yes it is allowed. Many people get their allotment, return it to their car or hotel and then come back and drink. Dark Lord bottles and other bottle share bottles have been stolen before, so watch your bottles or return them somewhere safe.

8. Bands. As for number bands it has varied between 3 and 6. It's pretty much all speed/death metal, but you can ignore the bands if you want, tons of beer to drink.

As MNPikey said, they change it up every year. Prices change, number of groups change, rules change, organization and layout of the event changes. So expect stuff to change, you won't know most of the details until weeks before the event. The event has improved every year in many ways, this last year was a huge improvement in the amount of space.

 

"are they the same time every year? or do they change it?"

It's usually the last Saturday in April. The past few years tickets have gone on sale online around St. Patrick's Day.

As much as people complain about FFF's lack of customer service, they always tell you what to know when you need to know it. Start keeping an eye on their FB page early next year, and there will be no shortage of threads on this forum.

 

DLD was the only time I've ever blacked out. Immediately forgot the golden rule. Stay hydrated and eat A LOT

 

Don't rely on just yourself being able to hit refresh in time

 

This year I drove past all the $20 lots and parked at the hospital (didn't know it was there actually). I had to walk a little bit but it was free and I guess safer.

I brought in a cooler that was slung over my shoulder. You can also bring lawn chairs.

Best advice: Scan the forums for bottle shares. DLD is all about the bottle shares.

 

Don't get your hopes up too high. If FFF didn't throw us locals a bone by selling tickets at the pub on two separate weekends, I would have been SOL. It gets worse every year. Good luck in your endeavor!

 

I just wish they'd throw the rest of Indiana's "locals" a bone. That two and a half hour drive from Indy isn't worth it if tickets are sold out by the time I get there.

 

I think it is meant mostly for people who live in Munster and the neighboring suburbs. That's why they announce it with such short notice, any more notice and it would be all people from Chicago camping overnight.

 

(emphasis mine)

How about, try looking up threads about this year's DLD since there is no shortage of threads on this forum:
http://beeradvocate.com/community/threads/dark-lord-day.80395/
http://beeradvocate.com/community/threads/dark-lord-day-2013.74977/
http://beeradvocate.com/community/threads/dark-lord-pricing-thoughts.89236/
http://beeradvocate.com/community/threads/dld-2013-retrospective.85676/
http://beeradvocate.com/community/threads/dark-lord-day-2013-new-site-info.75623/

 

Yeah I know. It just seems that Indianapolis kind of gets the shaft. A solution to that issue, open a brewpub in Indy but that would be a huge headache for them I'm sure. Out of towners assume the state capital will be a treasure trove for FFF and it isn't.

 

FFF is more-or-less a Chicago brewery that's in Indiana since land and taxes are cheaper. Hell, there are commuter trains that run from Hammond to the Loop. It's like how Kenosha, WI is a bedroom community for Chicago despite being in another state... or how parts of New Jersey and Connecticut are suburbs of New York City, despite not being in New York.

Sorry. This "why doesn't FFF take care of Indy" thing gets old, especially since it's been answered time and again. It's not like Indy doesn't have a few great breweries.

 

I'm pretty sure tickets were available on some days throughout the entire day. Granted, you run the risk of them selling out, but I'll make the 3 hour trip out there if I miss out on online sales.

 

its all logistics when you think of it. Chicago to Munster is 30 miles where as Indianapolis to Munster is 150. 2.7 million in chicago, 800K in Indy. I know we tend to think off things on state levels but from a logistical standpoint, a market three times the size of indy is 120 miles closer.

But this is all way off topic, lets get back to hypothesizing Dark Lord 2014.

 

How much sweeter will it be this year? Hoping for a cinnamon roll variant dipped in caramel instead of wax.

 

I actually saw Nick in Chinatown buying a barrel of soy sauce and a barrel of molasses. I've also heard no wax dip this year because wax isn't metal, I think its going to be a fake gwar blood & foam mixture.

 

Yeah I know, but at some of the days that they were announced it was getting dangerously close to DLD.