Thanks to Chip (Brewhound) for sharing his photos. More photos & video can be found here. This year’s artwork comes from Nic Skrade at Uptown Tattoo. More Darkness Day info below the fold.
Inquiring minds want to know – What’s happening at D-Day? Here is the latest as of today.
Brewery gates open at noon on Saturday, October 25th. The 1st 700 people through the gates have the option of purchasing bottles of 2008 Darkness. Each individual can buy up to 6 bottles. The bottles cost $17 each and that includes tax. CASH ONLY! These bottles are 750 ML, like a wine bottle, that’s equal to 25.3 ounces. Folks can purchase their bottles of Darkness anytime between noon and 5:30. You must purchase your beer by 5:30 or your beer will be sold to someone else.
These bottles of Darkness will not be sold at liquor stores. We will not mail these bottles of beer to folks, nor will we save the beer for folks that can not make the event. If you want the beer, be one of the 1st 700 people through the gates.
Darkness Goblets, posters and t-shirts will be for sale during the event. This year’s Darkness poster was designed by local tattoo artist Nic Skrade.
D-Day attendees will be able to buy Surly beer during the event. $3 tokens will be available for purchase. CASH ONLY! These tokens are redeemable for 12 ounce beers that will be poured from noon to 5:30.
Three bands will be playing during the day at the brewery.
12:15 GuzzleMug
2:00 God Came From Space
4:00 Powermad
We will be closing the gates at 6:30. Please arrange for a pickup, cab ride or designated driver. We will have volunteers directing folks to different areas to park in our industrial park. Our neighbors have been kind to let you use their lots to park. Please don’t leave crap in their parking lots and make sure your car is removed from their lot by Sunday evening if you need to leave your car.
Food will be available for purchase during the event.
Minors are welcome with their parent.
This is the last D-Day at the brewery because we will not be able to sell beer from the brewery after December 31st of this year. Stop on by and enjoy the day!
Darkness draft launch parties, Omar will be at each of the events.
October 30th – Stub & Herbs
November 5th – Bavarian Lodge in Lisle, IL
November 12th – Hell’s Kitchen in Duluth
??? What’s up with that last bit regarding selling beer from their brewery? That would tremednously suck.
You must be new here.
MN has law stating that only breweries producing less than 3000BBLs can sell growlers. Surly has surpassed that this year.
WTF! What a ridiculous law! Is that the MN microbrew protection act or what? (not that I am against microbrews; I am FOR things like liberty, free markets, personal responsibility, and buying growlers full of Surly!!!). We should track down these window lickers and stick a longneck in their ass. We should impose a law stating that MN legislators can only drink water or bud lite (I apologize for the redundancy!)
Shawn – I hear your frustration, though before the law went into place, no one could sell growlers at breweries or brewpubs. I would imagine that the distinction of 3500 barrels was that they wanted some sort of cut-off point. Keep in mind that the people that helped to write these laws are representatives from our breweries and brewpubs in MN.
Ryan, you are right in that the law was well intended the way it was written, but it only serves to demonstrate the backwards nature of MN beer laws. If the law wasn’t written that way, horrors, Schells or Summit could sell growlers!
You can’t sell “strong” beer on Sundays, but grocery stores can sell 3.2. We have a 3.2 requirement at all. You can buy “strong” beer at most (but not all) sporting events. I can’t figure out the sporting event rules at all (the catered concessions can sell strong, but the concession stands can only sell 3.2?). Growler sales are only allowed during specified hours, even if the brewpub is open other hours.
Heh. New here. Thanks, lol-boy. You made me laugh.
But hadn’t realized that Surly surpassed the limit; that’s tremendous news, and congratulations to Surly Employees #1-N!
Drew’s old-school, he’s been here since the early days, I believe.
John – I hear you… it’s ugly.
Yeah. I whinge a lot.
Really is a mixed blessing with the barrel limit. It definitely shows that Surly has arrived; that it doesn’t need any longer novel methods of beer delivery to build its brand, but the early buzz generated by growler pickups was remarkable.
Now, when are you putting Surly Mild into cans?
I could live with Mild in cans. I’m still lobbying for year-round Bitter Brewer.
Link to the fox 9 story this morning. Firing down darkness and coffee bender at 7am? Good way to start a wednesday.
http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/myfox/pages/InsideFox/GoodDay?pageId=5.2
That’s a lobby of two, Ryan. The smaller the beer, the better they get if BB and Mild are any indication.
There is also a law called The Minnesota Farm Winery Act, which allows you to purchase wine on Sunday. You must buy it from the Winery itself. But no Growler sales on Sunday. Go figure, huh ?
Quick and easy fix, folks. If you don’t like the Minnesota Blue Laws, work to get them changed. Talk to your state representative and/or senator and convince them to work on changing the laws. Otherwise, stop whining and deal with it.
Jason, seems you aren’t aware of the efforts made by the MN Craft Brewer’s Guild and others to try to change these laws. It’s not for lack of trying and there have been a number of changes in the past years.
Have you asked your candidates for state house where they stand? There are some really terrific candidates running all over the state, and they deserve to hear from you. Did you know one of them held a meet-and-greet at Barley Johns a few weeks ago? The tide is changing folks, and the Craft Brewers Guild has their surf board ready to go and are getting others to climb on.
You are right Ben, I was not aware of that and it is very good to hear. Now if more people will hop on their surfboards, I won’t end up driving to Hudson on Sundays. Well, if I want New Glarus I will, but that is a debate for another day.
The law as it is currently is an incremental step in the right direction. I applaud the Minnesota brewers and other advocates that took the time to get the laws re-written. Obviously, most of us agree that it’s still not enough.
There is no reason for these blue laws to exist. My opinion is this — the laws and limits that are currently in place remain only because of money, and folks trying to maintain the status quo. I don’t think the “moral majority” or what-have-you really gives a rip anymore, if they exist at all. I can only think of one person that I know personally that is a bible-thumping tea-totaler that would be in favor of no beer sales on Sunday and other such nonsense. I don’t believe there are enough people in MN that value the existence of such laws.
I signed the petition at ABR and also got others to do the same. Sadly I don’t think that will mater. Our government is corrupt and no voice is currently louder than that of “big business” as they have deep, deep pockets.
Good thing D-Day is Saturday. Sunday’s going to be freakin’ chilly! With wind gusts up to 35 mph. Nothing a little pitch black goodness couldn’t help warm up.
Jono, I completely agree with your first statements, but I have to take a little issue with your final comment about our corrupt government. Indeed, there are some elements which are corrupt, but at the state level I don’t think its as much about corruption and big business as it is about the big brewers and distributors looking out for their own interests. They certainly have more resources for lobbying and such, but state legislators–many of whom I call my friends–are generally a good bunch, and will in fact listen to reason and act accordingly.
See you all in a few hours!