Dark Lord Day 2010

Yesterday was Dark Lord Day over at the Three Floyds brewery in Munster, Indiana. For those who don't know - and if you like craft beer, I'd be surprised if you didn't - Dark Lord Day is the only day of the year that you can purchase Dark Lord, Three Floyds' take on a Russian Imperial Stout. The only way to purchase Dark Lord is if you have a golden ticket. Each ticket was $10 (proceeds going to charity), and grants you access to purchasing a limited quantity of bottles per ticket. 2 ticket limit per person, 4 per household. Unfortunately I was only able to snag a ticket for myself and a friend before they sold out (which was in under an hour) as the server was being bombarded by thousands of people trying to purchase tickets.

The golden ticket. Notice the 3floyds logo made of orthodox crosses in the top left. METAL

We ended up getting there at 12:30 PM - much later than planned, but my friend decided to sleep in. Although we had plenty of time to get the Dark Lord, by the time we got in to the brewery they had lowered their bottle limit from 4 to 3 per ticket due to them 'running low'. I really want to know how they ran low when they don't set the limit until they know how many bottles the batch is going to yield (by then knowing how many tickets they sold), but that's just me being pissed off and knowing how to do basic math I guess. They did have some bottles of 2009 Dark Lord for sale as well, so that made things a little better. I ended up with 2 bottles of 2010 and 1 bottle of 2009, all of which are now being cellared. Probably going to open a 2010 and the 2009 in a year, and the other 2010 in two years. That is, if I don't get too thirsty before then.

Apparently this year's Dark Lord is 15% ABV. Previous vintages are 13% ABV. Hoping that cellaring it will take away a bit of the taste of the alcohol and bring out more flavors. Some people who reviewed 2009's DL claimed that it tasted too sugary with a lot of soy, but after having some of my friend's 2009 this year I can say that the soy flavor is not as bold over time.

"It's like, how much more black could this be? And the answer is none. None more black." 

(And now I sit here wondering if using my camera flash skunked all the bottles.)

This picture doesn't even begin to show the vast horde of people who were there.

This man put his arm around me in a loving manner and whispered a slurred message about giving away free beer to people and waiting for someone to return the favor. He smelled like an old cheeseburger.

So... close... so thirsty...

While standing in line I did get to try a sample of this year's Dark Lord. I can see why people come from all across the country for this stout, but at the same time the hype and rarity play a rather large role in that. It is very sweet - something I didn't expect for a stout (I tend to expect bitter when I have a stout beer). Definite notes of chocolate, molasses, prune, and some coffee. With each sip I noticed something new. It covers the mouth with a slick and sweet coating, and had the nasty surprise of staining my lips and a bit of my beard. This beer is also VERY thick, and swirling it around will turn your glass brown. It seriously looks like engine oil. Tasty, tasty oil. It is going to be hard to hold off drinking a bottle right away.

I can see where some of the critique about the event not being the best planned comes from. There were lines that started at random points that stretched long distances - but ultimately led nowhere. While standing in one of these lines - in which everyone said led to the spot where you could purchase Dark Lord - my friend went to look ahead and found that it led to a group of people just mingling around in the parking lot. There were at least 3 lines like this full of people.

I did not get to stay very long, as I had to leave for downtown Chicago to drop off some of my artwork that I am hanging in a gallery that premieres May 8th. Reception runs from 5-9pm at the Flat Iron Building (corner of Milwaukee and North) AND has an open bar. Shameless plug etc etc etc.

If you are looking to get a bottle, you can find some on ebay now for about $40 each. Blah.

And one last thing - at the time of writing this post, Dark Lord had 666 reviews on BeerAdvocate. How fitting!

Most. Metal. Beer. Ever.

Chicago Just Got Stoned

Finally, we are worthy.

Stone Brewing Co. - from San Diego, CA - began distribution to the Chicagoland area on April 1st. Stone Week, as the series of 34 planned events in Chicago and its suburbs has been called, will last until April 9th. Don't worry about the limited event dates - Stone beer will still be around for a long time!

Dale (left) and Pam Lewis (right) , owners of Finnegan's, with Greg Koch (center) from Stone Brewing Co.

Finnegan's Irish Pub, out here in wonderful Plainfield, IL, hosted an event on April 3rd boasting not only 30 different Stone beers on tap, but also a personal visit from the owner of Stone Brewing Co, Greg Koch. He is a pretty cool guy, and he signed an Arrogant Bastard pint glass for me - which can never be touched or even looked at, as that apparently will cause his signature to flake off. On top of the bookshelf you go, little glass!

 Russian Imperial Stout Flight. From Left to Right: '09, '08 Bourbon, '07, '06, '05

Having the largest selection of Stone beer on tap out of all 34 events is quite a feat. Here is the complete list of what was available - most of which still is, but only for a limited time:

• 07.07.07, 08.08.08, and 09.09.09 Vertical Epic
• 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 Bourbon, and 2009 Imperial Russian Stout
• 2010, Oak Aged, and Dry Hopped Arrogant Bastard
• 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009 Double Bastard Ale
• 13th Anniversary Ale
• 2009 Old Guardian Barley Wine
• Smoked Porter
• Smoked Porter with Vanilla Bean
• Sublimely Self-Righteous
• El Camino (Un) Real Black Ale *(Of which only two kegs were shipped to Chicago.)
• Stone/BrewDog Bashah
• Double Dry Hopped IPA
• Cali-Begique IPA
• Pale Ale
• Levitation Ale
• IPA
• Ruination IPA

 Main level taps

 2nd section of the main level taps

 Upstairs tap selection

My two big favorites were the Smoked Porter with Vanilla Bean, and the Cali-Begique IPA. The porter is a great dessert / finisher beer. Words can barely describe how wonderful it tastes. So far, it is the only one that Finnegan's is out of, and I can see why. Goes great in a float. The Cali-Begique is a very tasty Belgian style IPA, and pairs well with food. I was blown away by it. Both are definitely repeats.

And to finish things off, here was the menu from that night:

Flight and Food Pairing Menu

Cheers.

You Sunk Mein Battleship!

Why not kick off the blog with one of the most interesting beers out there?

About a week ago I had the opportunity to try BrewDog’s Sink The Bismarck!. For those playing the home game, it currently holds the record for the highest ABV beer in the world. Sink The Bismarck! was created to counter German brewer Schorschbräu’s 40% ABV Schorschbock, brewed in response to BrewDog’s earlier record holder for the world’s strongest beer—Tactical Nuclear Penguin, a stout weighing in at 32% ABV.

Promo Video from the BrewDog website:

There is such a high demand for this beer that the next batch, which will be ready on April 15th, will be filling orders that were placed early March.

Although I’d hate to review a beer from a week ago, as my memory of it is not as fresh, I doubt I will have a chance to try this again anytime soon.


Sink The Bismarck!
Brewery: BrewDog
Country: Scotland
Style: Quadruple IPA
ABV: 41%
IBUs: Unknown
Cost: £40.00 per 330ml bottle ($60 per 11.15 oz bottle)

Appearance: Filtered, clear copper color. I do not recall seeing any head after it was poured. No carbonation.

Taste: Initial taste is rather sweet. Then, the flavor became intensively hoppy, but not as bitter as you would think. You can taste the alcohol (after all, it is 41%), but it isn’t anything close to as strong as expected. I thought it would be like drinking whisky, but it was much smoother and had more of a noticeable taste than hard liquors.

Mouthfeel: Slightly oily.

Drinkability: Very drinkable, in very small quantities of course. Not recommended on an empty stomach, as you will feel it sitting in your belly, burning away at you.

BeerAdvocate Rating: A+
My Rating: A. Not something I would buy regularly, even if it was affordable, but it was very good and would be an occasional repeat.

Oh Hello There

Hello there, Internet! Welcome to It's Never Miller Time, a blog about beer for people who love beer by a man who loves beer.

Here you will find information about different beers from domestic and foreign craft breweries, personal reviews of craft beers, beer news, and any other beer-related topics. I am open to suggestions, so if you want to see something posted on here, or have some critique, please send it my way.

Cheers.