Chicagoist guest contributor Bridget Houlihan experienced the madness of Dark Lord Day and lived to tell about it. Saturday was Dark Lord Day - the beer lover’s Woodstock - when thousands from near and far descended upon Three Floyds brewery in Munster, Indiana to buy the limited supply of “Dark Lord,” a Russian Imperial Stout considered to be one of the best beers in the world. You can only buy Dark Lord one day a year, and you need a ticket to get your share - four bottles at $15 each. Even at that price, it’s quite a deal considering (as we predicted) bottles of 2011 Dark Lord are already for sale on e-bay for as much as $100 a pop! The frenzy begins more than a month before the big day, when online tickets become available and sell out in a matter of minutes. more ›

During this frigid, dark and desolate time of year, we've got to find really good reasons to pry ourselves from the comfort of our warm, cozy dwellings. That awful trek from doorstep to CTA stop--face down and muscles tensed--must be worth something. For beer enthusiasts, Quenchers Saloon entices the brave soul off the couch and into the elements en route to Stout Fest 2010. more ›

If you want to have an informed opinion on what we've already selected as "Beer of the Week" in a couple weeks, head to Smallbar (2049 W. Division) this evening from 9-12. They'll be serving Three Floyds Moloko, a sweet stout, on draft. more ›

Longtime "BotW" readers might remember that we reviewed a barley wine last spring from Louisville's Browning's Brewery. We bought it retail in town but, after making a phone call to the brewmaster in Louisville, didn't disclose where we made the purchase for fear of outing the store in question for selling booze outside the three-tier distribution system. more ›

When the weather turns, we tend to switch up our beer choices. Colder weather typically calls for heartier brews: monster ales, porters, and stouts. Now we love a good stout as much as anyone, but as someone with not a drop of Irish to be found in our genealogy, we like to explore the darkest of beers. Often, the sweet flavor and clingy, slightly sour finish in stouts comes from the addition of lactic acid... more ›