Adam Drinks Beer

Salud!

It was not until I spent a year in Belgium that I truly discovered the wonder and possibility of beer. The variety and complexity was nearly overwhelming, and I found myself needing to learn more. Thus I drink beer, many beers, different beers, so that others may also know the depth of creativity and tastiness of this most versatile beverage.

I am by no means an expert on beer, but I do love to try every new kind I can get my hands on. This blog is my attempt to record the beers I have tasted, support the breweries, and redistribute all of the knowledge that I have and will gain.

  • Posted 2 weeks ago

    @3Floyds Dark Lord Photo Set part 2.

    One of the most memorable things about the 3 Floyds brewery has got to be their artwork. Every single beer, without fail, has some interesting, crazy and even creepy artwork that makes it stand out on the shelf. Not that you’ll find many on the shelf…. Blink and chances are they’re sold out at your local purveyor of crafty delights.

    I feel like someone once said, and if it was someone famous let me know (so I can feel like an idiot for not remembering), that one of the things that separates us from the animals is that we naturally know to get in lines. I don’t know how or why we have this intrinsic knowledge, but if you want to be an elite line-stander and can’t afford the ticket to Disney… look no further than Munster, IN. on Dark Lord Day.

    The beer featured above was a Peche n’ Brett from Logsdon brewing. It gets a lot of hype, and is rated 98 on Beer Advocate, but it didn’t quite get me there. Maybe if it was super chilled it would’ve been better. Mine was a little warmer than I’d have liked.

    The gentleman on the grass was passed out next to a police car. Classic.Being a big fan of Belgium, I saw the Westvleteren bottle cap earrings and just had to ask for a picture to show the world. Not only do these people love beer, they are also extremely creative. Finally, the Alpha King stationed right out front marks the entrance to the brewery.

    Stay tuned for part 3.

  • Posted 3 weeks ago
    @3Floyds Dark Lord Day 2013. #craftbeer #Dark Lord I have a fair amount of pics that I’ll be slowly leaking out over this week. Thought I’d kick off the series with some thoughts on the day. So another Dark Lord Day has come and gone, making this my second time to one of the biggest bottle release parties in craft beer. They nearly knocked it out of the park too. Not only was the weather FANTASTIC for 80% of the day, but they also hired organizers and volunteers. Instead of having the whole darn thing crammed into the parking lot and property of 3 Floyds, the festival stretched across the street into an additional lot with outdoor stage, merch, food, and several beer tapping hubs. Also, there was a lot more parking with many of the lots donating proceeds to school groups or charity. I was able to get there a mere 2 hours early (which for DLD is kinda late) and park in a lot almost right next to the brewery. Thus for the morning, drinking in line with friends, and well into the afternoon hanging out, having food and sharing some rare brews, we all had a very good time. Then came the line to purchase our Dark Lord (3 bottles this year, down from 4). While things seemed like they might be better this year with 5 groups instead of 3, and some separation between them….. it just didn’t happen. Now I don’t know how well the first few groups made it through, but we poor souls stuck in group E were in line for a little over 3 hours. Coincidentally the sky clouded over and a cool breeze started to roll in making the line fairly chilly. I’m not sure how they could’ve fixed this short of setting up two separate distribution lines or just adding a crap ton more people, but it did cap off the evening on a slightly sour note. So with aching feet and fond memories of the mostly glorious day we hurried to the car and made our way home. These guys really listened to their fans and stepped up their game big time. If they could find a way to make that line a little smoother…. they’d be batting 1.000. **NOTE: This year’s Dark Lord is amazing! Most of us agree it’s much better than last year.**

    @3Floyds Dark Lord Day 2013. #craftbeer #Dark Lord

    I have a fair amount of pics that I’ll be slowly leaking out over this week. Thought I’d kick off the series with some thoughts on the day.

    So another Dark Lord Day has come and gone, making this my second time to one of the biggest bottle release parties in craft beer. They nearly knocked it out of the park too. Not only was the weather FANTASTIC for 80% of the day, but they also hired organizers and volunteers. Instead of having the whole darn thing crammed into the parking lot and property of 3 Floyds, the festival stretched across the street into an additional lot with outdoor stage, merch, food, and several beer tapping hubs. Also, there was a lot more parking with many of the lots donating proceeds to school groups or charity. I was able to get there a mere 2 hours early (which for DLD is kinda late) and park in a lot almost right next to the brewery.

    Thus for the morning, drinking in line with friends, and well into the afternoon hanging out, having food and sharing some rare brews, we all had a very good time. Then came the line to purchase our Dark Lord (3 bottles this year, down from 4). While things seemed like they might be better this year with 5 groups instead of 3, and some separation between them….. it just didn’t happen. Now I don’t know how well the first few groups made it through, but we poor souls stuck in group E were in line for a little over 3 hours. Coincidentally the sky clouded over and a cool breeze started to roll in making the line fairly chilly. I’m not sure how they could’ve fixed this short of setting up two separate distribution lines or just adding a crap ton more people, but it did cap off the evening on a slightly sour note.

    So with aching feet and fond memories of the mostly glorious day we hurried to the car and made our way home. These guys really listened to their fans and stepped up their game big time. If they could find a way to make that line a little smoother…. they’d be batting 1.000.

    **NOTE: This year’s Dark Lord is amazing! Most of us agree it’s much better than last year.**

  • Posted 1 year ago
    2012 @3Floyds Dark Lord. I forgot how sweet this stuff is. Molasses flavor definitely picks up as this brew warms up. Definitely worth the trip down to Munster.

    2012 @3Floyds Dark Lord. I forgot how sweet this stuff is. Molasses flavor definitely picks up as this brew warms up. Definitely worth the trip down to Munster.

  • Posted 1 year ago
    ‘09, ‘10, ‘11 vintages of Three Floyd’s Dark Lord. Reactions to come…. So I’ve thought about it for a couple days and have come to the conclusion that I am not a fan of the Russian Imperial Stout. Personally it’s just not my cup of tea, or perhaps my palate has not evolved to the point of actually liking it. That being said, I do have to say I really appreciate the beer. We tasted 3 vintages, 2009-2011, and while there was some common thread between them, they were all very very different. The ‘09 was very sweet and syrupy, while the ‘10 had a significant bite to it, and finally the ‘11 portrayed more of the coffee taste (Intelligentsia by the way, which I’m told is good coffee, because I don’t drink coffee). All in all I’d say it was definitely a good experience, but I probably won’t be drinking it again. What I would like to do is visit the annual Dark Lord Day festival next time. After you purchase your ticket you are granted entry and the right to buy some Dark Lord. What is really interesting and very cool is that people come from all over with rare and home brews to trade for Dark Lord and its former iterations, sometimes fetching high prices for the right to taste these exceptionally unique beers. Dark Lord hails from Three Floyd’s Brewery in Munster Indiana. The brewery started in 1996, and since then has become one of the best members of the craft brewing community. They have a seriously diverse variety of both regular and seasonal beers that will run your taste buds through the gustatory gauntlet. If you do get the chance to drive down to Munster, you should definitely check out their small yet awesome brewpub. Hidden in an industrial park, and often packed to the brim, there is nothing better than tasting a beer in the place that it comes from (They have some pretty delicious food too). Trust me, having some Stella Artois in Leuven or Straffe Hendrik in Brugge creates a totally different experience. That may be a bit of a stretch, since it’s way cooler to go to Belgium, but after living there I never miss a chance to mention it. When all is said and done, if you want to try a very complex beer with flavor that evolves uniquely as it ages, Dark Lord is a pretty awesome experience and will destroy your narrow preconceptions of what lives in the realm of beer.

    ‘09, ‘10, ‘11 vintages of Three Floyd’s Dark Lord. Reactions to come….

    So I’ve thought about it for a couple days and have come to the conclusion that I am not a fan of the Russian Imperial Stout. Personally it’s just not my cup of tea, or perhaps my palate has not evolved to the point of actually liking it.

    That being said, I do have to say I really appreciate the beer. We tasted 3 vintages, 2009-2011, and while there was some common thread between them, they were all very very different. The ‘09 was very sweet and syrupy, while the ‘10 had a significant bite to it, and finally the ‘11 portrayed more of the coffee taste (Intelligentsia by the way, which I’m told is good coffee, because I don’t drink coffee). All in all I’d say it was definitely a good experience, but I probably won’t be drinking it again.

    What I would like to do is visit the annual Dark Lord Day festival next time. After you purchase your ticket you are granted entry and the right to buy some Dark Lord. What is really interesting and very cool is that people come from all over with rare and home brews to trade for Dark Lord and its former iterations, sometimes fetching high prices for the right to taste these exceptionally unique beers.

    Dark Lord hails from Three Floyd’s Brewery in Munster Indiana. The brewery started in 1996, and since then has become one of the best members of the craft brewing community. They have a seriously diverse variety of both regular and seasonal beers that will run your taste buds through the gustatory gauntlet.

    If you do get the chance to drive down to Munster, you should definitely check out their small yet awesome brewpub. Hidden in an industrial park, and often packed to the brim, there is nothing better than tasting a beer in the place that it comes from (They have some pretty delicious food too). Trust me, having some Stella Artois in Leuven or Straffe Hendrik in Brugge creates a totally different experience. That may be a bit of a stretch, since it’s way cooler to go to Belgium, but after living there I never miss a chance to mention it.

    When all is said and done, if you want to try a very complex beer with flavor that evolves uniquely as it ages, Dark Lord is a pretty awesome experience and will destroy your narrow preconceptions of what lives in the realm of beer.

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