Today was the 5th annual Darkness Day, when thirsty Surly fans convene on the brewery to procure bombers of the dark, dense, delicious elixir. Every years gets crazier and crazier. Year one, 2007, I was one of the first dozen souls in line on a cold December morning, having arrived with Ben around 6 am. There were 480 bottles for sale to 240 people. Wristbands which guaranteed your purchase rights, were available up until around 11:30 am. Evidence of this can be found on youtube. I make a cameo on one such video, making a terrible joke about the group nearly resorting to cannibalism, waiting so long in the cold. Nobody got the joke. We brought plenty of food, after all, and once Omar and the crew let us indoors, there were donuts and coffee. (And beer. I would be criminally remiss to forget to mention that each wristband had 3 detachable tabs, each good for a free beer, poured by Surly staff, family, and friends. Free. That needs to be emphasized again, to curtail the cries of the naysayers.)
Each year, no matter who I travelled with, we arrived around 6:30 am, and each year we were safely in line to get our bottles. And each year, it gets crazier. Now the trend of camping out in tents and trailers has grown exponentially. The first lunatics arrived around 1 pm the previous day. When Jesse, Billy and I arrived at 6:30 we couldn't believe how long the line went. It was unprecedented and amazing. This many were this early? Would we even be among the 1200 guaranteed to get 6 bottles?
I'll tell the story with the photos I took.
Check out Parts,
2,
3, &
4, as well.
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| Jason is happy, even though it's still dark out. He and his sister Angie both agreed that their decision to stay overnight in line, starting at 9 pm, the previous evening was indeed a wise one, ensuring their claim on Darkness. In the background, the bridge that spans the highway, leading to the corporate headquarters of Caribou Coffee. Several people made the trek across on a coffee run. |
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| Joe looks happy, too, perhaps because the sun is finally out, perhaps because there is beer in his cup. It was indeed a gorgeous, bright, sunny day, lovely weather for standing in line for hours, waiting to buy some Imperial Stout. Behind him, the industrial boulevard in Brooklyn Center known as Ducharme, that leads to the Surly brewery. |
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| Jon seems happy, as well. Sunshine on his hat make him happy. Sunshine in his eyes might actually make him cry. We could assume that sunshine on the water looks so lovely. But, assuredly, sunshine almost always gets him high. |
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| Ben assumes a pensive pose. Who can know what goes on in his mind? Behind him, the line stretches on. These may have been the unlucky ones who did not receive wristbands. |
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| Eric seems glum. He was farther down in line than I, and was despondent regarding the possibilities of not getting any Darkness. Those of us who have been coming out here since the beginning did not like to contemplate swallowing a pill so bitter. |
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| Shelly seemed like a potential savior. She only wanted and only brought enough cash for three bottles. If I couldn't get a wristband, here was my hope. She's bundled up tight, but I didn't feel the chill. |
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| Another who felt the chill I didn't was Jeff, who shivered, even under so many layers. I've known Jeff for eight years, buds in the wonderful world of craft beer. Collecting them, seeking them out, writing about the experience on the palate, celebrating them. An aikido master and nature photographer, he's also been with Surly since the beginning, but I don't remember seeing him at a previous Darkness Day. Glad I did today. |
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