Darkness Day 2014 Thread

Just give me $40 in cash when you get there.

 

No. You just buy beer tokens (if you want beer) and bottles (if you get a wristband).

 

Are wristbands a first come/first serve sort of deal?

 

just posted on instagram



"Yes, your eyes are not deceiving you. Cask preview for Wednesday is showing you that Darkness 2014 dry hopped with Simcoe and Amarillo will be poured Wednesday at 3."

 

Its not the barrel aged version

 

No need to panic. Last year they had extra wristbands to hand out at 9AM or so the next morning. Not saying that will happen again, but with the big production number, I suspect there'll be enough to go around.

And no, the BP Police wander through & let us do our thing.

 

Correct.

 

I plan on attending Friday night for the first time. I'd like to bounce around between tables, meet other BA's and try some good bottles. How many bottles should I bring with? What is standard etiquette at each table?

 

As long as you bring something to share to what ever table you stroll up to, you will be all right man. At least you will be at my table. And you know what? Bringing food around to tables usually gets you an "in" just as easy!

Just... for the love of Bob... have a glass/cup on you I can pour beer into. Every year I bring cups of some kind, and every year they disappear into some weird cup taking black hole that resides right over BP.

 

Awesome, thanks for the advice! I should have about 50 bottles of HF stuff ready to bring by then...lets party!

 

Best post ever.

 

Thinking about going but i have no real craft beer friends,will I just feel awkward being there alone?

 

Sounds like the best time to make some craft beer friends to me.

 

I would say definitely go for it man, the Friday night is even better than getting your allocation and tasting what is on tap for Saturday, in my opinion. Last year was my first year I am a pretty quiet/shy person and everyone I met couldn't have been nicer or more generous. I was able to try so many great new (to me) beers and there was an almost infectious sense of sharing/generosity. I would bring some beers to share, but in retrospect what I brought last year was an embarrassment to what was shared with me, and this year I have been hoarding hoping to pay it forward to whomever I may encounter.

 

Thank you! Yes I'm definitely thinking of bringing extras IE:heady and PTE. but sitting In line alone still seems so weird to me

 

I have gone alone the last two years and have had a blast. I think I actually have more fun on Friday and then brag to my lazy friends who show up on Saturday all the beer they missed. Plus, no offense to whom likes it, but it also limits the punishment my eardrums have to take from the "music" they play during the festival.

 

@Justdoit1234, I feel ya. Last year was my first Darkness Day and I had the same reservations. Had a great time. Seriously, don't feel awkward. You'll fall in with a group or find people to chat with. Good folks, great beer.

 

You won't really be alone. I've made friends with everyone around me before. I guess as long as you're not a douche canoe

I also find that walking towards the back end of the line later in the eve you can find some great suprises. Last year I stumbled upon a small group from Iowa that just brought 6 or so growlers of homebrew. They had one of the better Pumpkin Ales I've ever had and man holiday/pumpkin beers fall way to the bottom of my list, there's only a very very few I enjoy enough to want to seek out (bummer most of which I cannot get here and 2 are homebrews).

Not sure what I'll have ready at the time for Friday, but expect the Habanero Chocolate Stout to return with force (I think I dialed the recipe in now to the point I don't want to mess with it anymore) and if my rhubarb continues to go batshit crazy I'll have some more of my Rhubarb Wheat ready. Also playing with a gallon of my rhubarb wheat and infected that sucker with some bugs and brett, but I doubt that'll be ready this year.

I won't be camping out though, to much crap going on. Hoping to land a few bottles still though.

 

It's one of the most friendly and open group of people I've ever been around, no lie. You'll have zero issues settling in with a group, or just hopping from group to group, chatting with lots of great people.

A few years ago, we had a random guy walk up to our canopy and ask if he could join us, and he ended up hanging out with us all night. If you're a decent guy, take the chance - you won't regret it.