Dark lord day more than a once-a-year brew release party

MUNSTER | The Dark Lord cometh. Beer geeks of the world unite!

On Saturday, Three Floyds Brewing will become the center of the craft beer universe when it releases — on this day only in 2014 — its mysterious yet distinctive batch of Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout beer.

Approximately 8,000 people who have paid the $30 admission for the sold-out all-day event will make the annual pilgrimage to Three Floyds for the opportunity to buy or sample the sweet, syrupy and strong Dark Lord brew.

The allotment for Dark Lord Day has been set. It is four bottles for each group sales ticketholder. The cost is $60. Guests who have general admission tickets do not get the opportunity to purchase an allotment.

The intentional rarity of Dark Lord has enabled Three Floyds to build demand and a cult-like following for the product, traditionally sold on the last Saturday of April, known as Dark Lord Day.

But the beer lovers’ event is bigger than just a single, once-a-year brew release; it’s an opportunity to sample Three Floyds’ extensive lineup of craft brews and other non-Three Floyds products.

Attendees are encouraged to bring their own creations or favorites in limited amounts to trade and sample. Some visitors to Three Floyds will be brewers, others just beer aficionados, but together they become the face and personality of a craft brew industry that has grown exponentially over the past several years — with the celebrated Three Floyds brewery leading the (six) pack.

Noted for an alcohol by volume content of 9 percent or greater, Dark Lord is brewed with Intelligentsia coffee, vanilla, and sugar or molasses, packaged in 22-ounce bottles and capped in wax.

As of February, Dark Lord was ranked the No. 11 best beer in the world on RateBeer, and was ranked No. 166 on BeerAdvocate, according to Three Floyds’ Wikipedia page.

“Dark Lord is not your everyday drinking beer,” said Three Floyds co-owner Barnaby Struve. “It’s something special to drink with friends and family.”

Struve said creating Dark Lord is a labor-intensive process and requires a longer-than-usual time to age. Thus, it’s available only once a year in small batches.

In fact, not all batches of Dark Lord taste exactly alike year after year. Lucky is the Dark Lord ticketholder who scratches off a ticket for a bottle aged in a select number of wooden barrels.

As Dark Lord Day grew in popularity over the years, the brewery had to limit attendance and issue tickets for the event. In the past, people have come from across the United States and as far away as Japan, Denmark and the United Kingdom.

Still, Struve said, Three Floyds didn’t want to forget its local fans whose sophisticated taste buds made brews like Gumball Head and Alpha King famous. So, Three Floyds made a limited number of tickets available to visitors of their Munster brewpub.

“We have to limit attendance, but it’s important to us that people come out and celebrate craft beers, not just ours,” Struve said. “We throw in some music and food, and it’s a great time for everyone and helps our business grow.”

Dark Lord Day isn’t just for profit. The brewery will donate a portion of the proceeds to The American Red Cross, Munster area elementary schools and the Calumet Area Humane Society.