Hope you weren’t planning to use the internet much Saturday at noon. Because it’s likely to be a bit crowded.
Three Floyds Brewery has announced that tickets for its annual Dark Lord Day beer sale/festival will go on sale Saturday, March 14 at 12 noon, Central Daylight Time. Tickets will be sold through the ETix site. Purchasers will be allowed to buy two tickets, at $40 each.
Dark Lord Day takes place Saturday, April 25th at Three Floyds Brewery, 9750 Indiana Pkwy., Munster, Indiana. DLD is the only chance to buy Floyds Dark Lord Imperial Russian Stout, a beer weighing in at 15% abv, brewed with coffee, vanilla and molasses, which is one of the most sought after beers in the midwest.
Tickets will allow entry to the brewery (the brewpub will be closed) at one of five two-hour entry periods between 10:00 am and 8:00 pm. The usual allocation has been four 22 oz. wax-dipped bomber bottles at $15 each. Each ticket will also have a scratch-off area that may give you the chance to buy bottles of specialty Dark Lords at $50-$60 per. Over 6,000 people have turned up to purchase Dark Lord, hear live bands, try other beers being sold by Floyds and some guest brewers, and to trade beers with other attendees.
Those planning to go should stay informed at the Dark Lord Day website, since attendance and parking requirements have changed.
As I said, if you thought you might be on the internet for something else, you might as well go to a St. Patrick’s Day Parade instead.
Also today, Haymarket Pub and Brewery announced that they have purchased a property in Bridgman, Michigan (on Lake Michigan, southwest of Benton Harbor) and will begin construction immediately on a production brewery. A news release from Haymarket explained:
The property is a former state police post on Red Arrow Highway. In addition to a production brewery, the existing structure will be remodeled to include a taproom and kitchen serving wood-fired pizzas and house-made sausages. The future brewery sits on 17 wooded acres, and will feature a large outdoor beer garden, as well as space to host a variety of outdoor events.
Haymarket was opened in the West Loop in 2010 by brewmaster Pete Crowley, previously with Rock Bottom Chicago, and partner John Neurauter. The principals will be involved in the buildout of the new brewery, which will make Haymarket beers available at other bars and on store shelves for the first time. No opening date has been set yet.
In the midst of this news, we will be saying goodbye to a few favorite beers from out of town. Stone Brewing Co. has announced they will be streamlining their regular offerings, and are dropping three popular beers from their lineup:
- Levitation, a light amber ale. An article in the L.A. Times claims Levitation was crowded out by Stone fans demand for hoppy IPAs, especially their Go To session IPA
- Sublimely Self Righteous Black IPA. Originally introduced in 2007 as the brand’s 11th anniversary offering, SSR was made a regular beer in 2010. Stone has announced they will have a Black IPA in rotation as part of its Enjoy By… series of fresh IPAs.
- Stone Pale Ale, the first beer made by found Greg Koch on his homebrew stand in 1996. Though it set the trend for hoppy West Coast pale ales, it was decided to reformulate a new pale ale with a drier finish and a more “modern” hop load, which will go under a different name.
