Kilt Watch 2010 AKA Dark Lord Day

I hope you brought some entertaining friends and a cooler of good beer with you to Dark Lord this year, because that was the only way you were going to have any fun. The general consensus of people I spoke to in the line to end all lines was that this year's festival was a bit of a mess.

The lines were all exponentially larger than last year (45 minutes to get some lukewarm mini perogis? 30 minutes to take a piss? 3 1/2 months to get three bottles of Dark Lord?) and they were completely unorganized. I spoke to someone, who will remain nameless, who just walked up to the front of the line and purchased their bottles! This just shows how this event has outgrown what Three Floyd's can handle, which is only partly their fault.

The limited beer itself was, of course, excellent. This years Dark Lord had noticeably less alcohol warmth but definitely had more flavor going for it. My buddy Andy disappeared for quite a while and came back with a few glasses of the glorious motor oil. The caramel in the finish popped out at me, but he stated that this year had more coffee going on. This beer is so complex that everyone who had a glass of it had a differing opinion of what was the most significant flavor. I wish Dark Lord was available in the winter, the season it would pair up with best, but that would eliminate any festival (which might be a good thing at this point).

We also played a game which can only be played when 4500 of the 5000 people around you are white males- spot the kilt. Unfortunately I only got pictures of these two gentlemen, but my count at the end of the day was 6 or 7. Yes, one kilt was 'questionable'.

Three Floyd's Alpha King

' American Pale Ale with citrusy aroma- a hop lover’s cult beer and Three Floyds’ flagship beer Brewed with Cenntennial, Cascade & Warrior Hops.'

Now this is a killer beer! I am not going to lie, this has been a favorite of mine for awhile now I just never got around to writing about it since I was too busy 'exploring'. Don't get fooled by the APA tag- this kicks like an IPA. An extremely flavorful, full bodied, so good its decadent IPA that is. few buddies of mine have tried this at my place and they all looked at their glass and did a Keanu Reeves style 'whoa'. Sadly a price increase has made this stuff harder for me to fit into my budget otherwise this would easily become my go to hoppy beer.

Some lemon, some orange and hops that might as well be burnt before thrown in the hopper they taste so smokey. If I was a Doctor I would prescribe this beer to you. If I was a Doctor I could also afford $11.99 for a six pack (ouch!). Price be damned, you have to at least give this stuff a try. The only way it could be any better is if it had a sweet Bugbear on the cover.

Musical Pairing: Rainbow- Rising (just listen to 'Tarot Woman' and tell me otherwise)

Three Floyd's Robert the Bruce

"A big malty body from chocolate and roasted malts, well balanced withjust the right combination of hops. Robust yet smooth, a true malt-lover's delight. AROMA: Full sweet malty nose, highlighting by roasted malt notes."

The first time I tried Robert the Bruce was at the Three Floyd's Brewpub on draft, and it was amazing. Every other time has been just as enjoyable, it actually makes me happier when drinking. I'm really happy that I tried this out at the brew pub since I'm typically not drawn to Scottish Ales, and if you're skittish on this type of Ale I'd recommend you try this.

Robert the Bruce is a smooth Scottish Ale, it has a hint of sweetness, is robust and somewhat malty but not overwhelming. It's red in color and smells good, supposedly it smells like malt, alcohol, and coffee, but all I'm smelling is pure greatness. After enjoying this beer, I'm interested in exploring similar ales of this variety.

Dark Lord Day

We showed up too late to buy any bottles of the stuff, but still had a good time nonetheless. Hanging out with that many beer enthusiasts was a good time, people kept on giving us free beer! Gotta love that!

It was nice we were able to at least try the Dark Lord that they had on tap. It was really good, but not as good as the insane hype surrounding it, which I was expecting. Still a great beer that has a fun fest surrounding it. I wish i could have snagged a bottle so I could 'research' why there is such a craze around it. Oh well, always next year!


This is Andy, my partner in crime on this blog. This is right after eating a great barbecue sandwich and right before some guy walked up and handed us a bottle of Hopslam for no reason at all other than to be nice.

I am actually somewhat glad I missed out on the lines since a good half the people there had pretty intense sunburns. Long lines + sun + the most white people I have seen at one place= lots of red faces.

All in all Dark Lord Day is something I plan on attending annually. Plenty of beer, its closer to Chicago than you think and there is an Arby's and a White Castle on the way back to the interstate. What more could you ask for?

Well, maybe they could make a little more of it next year.

Three Floyd's Brian Boru

'Ireland's first and last Ard Ri (high king) of the whole Gaelic race, Brian Boru was born in Munster Ireland around 940. His mother was killed by Vikings when he was a child. He spent his life uniting the Irish tribes to become the first king of Ireland, only to be killed at Clontarf on Good Friday, 1014 putting down a rebellion by the King of the province of Leinster. Brian Boru Irish Brand Red Ale is a very rich caramelly ale with toffee, citrus, and pineapple aroma. Brian Boru is brewed with several malts and Amarillo hops. Slainte!'

I really should be drinking this stuff from a mug instead of my sissy glass, but I wanted to show off that intense color. Doesn't that look beautiful?

Brian Boru comes at you strong as hell! This stuff is hands down one of the most roasted beers I have had the luxury to drink. The initial flavor is very sharp but once the aftertaste sets in is when the real fun begins. I can taste some caramel, some nuts and something akin to maple syrup in there. I like this beer much more than I thought I would. Its much better than the other Irish Red Ales I have had in the last few years. I am happy just smelling this stuff. A great way to kick off 'fake Irish beers' week. I have a feeling its only downhill from here!