We’ve arrived again at the magic day where thousands gather in a Northwest Indiana industrial park to drink beers we brought from home and get bottles of a beer some of us may never drink. It’s Dark Lord Season!
As is tradition I like to weigh in on the barrel aged Dark Lord variants, both in how I think they’ll turn out, but also in terms of ranking them how I think their secondary value will come out. This years observations below, as well as a break down of possibilities of the special XX Anniversary bottle.
2024 Barrel Aged Dark Lord Variant Ranking Predictions
- XX Anniversary Variant – ????????
- Marshmallow Handjee — Bourbon barrel aged Dark Lord with vanilla beans
- French Vanilla Militia — Dark Lord Aged in Bourbon barrels with vanilla beans
- Loadstar — Dark Lord aged in Bourbon barrels with toasted coconut
- ChemTrailMix — Dark Lord aged in rye barrels with cinnamon + pink peppercorns
- Sacred Sword of Jovan – Dark Lord aged for two years in Bourbon barrels and finished in Port barrels with cherries
Variant Breakdown Analysis
Reminder, these are predictions, not tasting notes. Tick them yourself and let me know how wrong I was @Ferowcious
XX Anniversary Variant — The biggest question mark of Dark Lord Day seems to be centered around the mystery 20th Anniversary variant. Attendees received a lotto ticket with their order, a practice harkening back to earlier days of the festival when no BA variants were included and you had to get lucky for the right to buy one after winning a scratch-off lottery ticket.
Many questions remain about this beer. Do winners still have to pay for it? Is the beer a running joke we’re not in on? Is it going to be the 3rd coming of Earl of Biggleswade? This beer will only be obtained by winners of the lottery and attendees with the Deluxe ticket package (VIP.)
While historically there’s plenty of reasons to be skeptical of the decision making of 3 Floyds, in recent years, they seem to ‘get it.’ During the pandemic Dark Lord releases, they flipped the math on the previous 3 Dark Lord + 1 BA variant. It was a popular move and helped retain some of the shine coming off the brand in the crowded barrel aged stout marketplace.
Along with that, in recent years, they’ve shrunk the quantity of ‘eccentric variants’ that used fortified or sweet wines for their barrel aging which they did at a substantial level from 2013-2019. We’re specifically referring to the Madeira, Moscatel, Calvados, Sauterenes, Pineau des Charentes and the rest.
They’re giving the people what they want and it’s worth acknowledging given the perception of the brewpub for so long was one of disdain for their customers. I think with that in mind, the XX Anniversary variant will live up to any perceived hype. I expect one of the following below
A. Brandy Vanilla Dark Lord (the most revered variant from the past)
B. Pappy Van Winkle Dark Lord
C. An extended aged Dark Lord with 1 or multiple hard to obtain barrels (Think Elijah Craig 18, or Buffalo Trace Antique Collection)
Marshmallow Handjee — Bourbon barrel aged Dark Lord with vanilla beans
This is the undisputed king of Dark Lord variants since 2011. It’s consistency is relatively unmatched for having so many iterations come out of the Three Floyds Barrel Warehouse. This is really the king, and it hasn’t been recently challenged.
French Vanilla Militia — One of the best variants of 2016 was French Vanilla Militia. Originally aged in cognac, it returns in this year in bourbon barrels. This variant has been done regularly since 2016, but typically going in a sweet wine barrel which frankly took the shine off this great variant.
FVM as it was so well known as should return to form here. It most recently surfaced in 2020 in Sauterenes barrels where it currently hold an Untappd rating of 4.11. The chocolate, espresso and vanilla beans will do so much better in the bourbon barrels. This should be a welcome return.
Loadstar — Loadstar returns after a 3 year hiatus. Interestingly enough, this beer with its adjunct composition and barrel selection have changed every year it’s surfaced. In 2019 it was Toasted Coconut + Sauternes barrels. In 2020, it returned as Toasted Coconut, Maple Syrup + Bourbon barrels.
This time Loadstar returns with the 2020 variant while dropping maple syrup from the formulation. That should keep Loadstar from skewing into the 2SWEEEEEETTT category of Dark Lords. Coffee+Coconut seems good to me.
ChemTrailMix — Dark Lord aged in rye barrels with cinnamon + pink peppercorns
Chemtrail first debuted in 2017 but has become a reliable staple in the stable of Dark Lord variants. You can count on it to be in the top 30% of variants from year to year. It rarely wows anymore but it is always a welcome pour if you’re able to snag some.
This the lowest I’ve ever slottted ChemTrailMix, again that’s a reflection on how much better I think the rest of the fields shapes up here.
Sacred Sword of Jovan — The history of Dark Lord is plagued with mediocre Port barrel variants. From 2013 Port BA Dark Lord to 2016’s Quit Hitting Yourself and a few others along the way, Port turning up is usually not a good thing when you find one in your bag.
However I think there’s some cool experimentation being done here. Dark Lord racked in bourbon barrels for 2 years is promising. After which they re-racked in Port barrels with cherries. I’m of the opinion the Port will not torpedo this blend and the barrel character from the extended bourbon barrel aging will triumph.
If you remember 2016 Ronaldo, Dark Lord with cherries can decent. While I’m slotting this as the bottom variant of 2024, I would not be letdown if I found one in my bag and I think it will be better than most or all of the sweet wine variants they’ve made.
Enjoy Dark Lord Day. Remember, you can’t drink enough water, but if you have the choice, the BA Water is best.
Koel Story Bro 