(You don’t have to, we’re not your mom, but it helps us with headcount expectations.)
darkness day 2025
Darkness Day. Our favorite day of the year. Created by the fans, curated by Surly, crafted for everyone who loves beer, metal, punk, fire, spectacle, and the occasional baby goat. We gather to celebrate the first sip of 2025 Darkness, our legendary imperial stout, along with variants, vintages, collaborations, and so much more. What started as a hearty band of craft beer diehards shivering in a parking lot is now one of America’s most beloved beer festivals. Welcome to Darkness Day.
October 4th, 2025 – 11AM – Midnight
Event is free to attend.
Beer/TIMED TAPPINGS
Darkness plays well with others. Every year, we ask our brewers to make their own riff on our classic stout and invite our friends in the industry to collaborate as well. Throw in a couple surprises and our annual release of WET, and there’s more than enough to warm even the most jaded beer geek’s heart.
ON DRAFT ALL DAY:
- Darkness 2025 (duh)
- WET
- WET (Raw Variant)
- Fonio Fest Bier (collab w/Schell’s)
- Berry the Hatchet Fruited Sour
- Crime Wave Lager
- Freak On a Leash Korn Lager
- You Want This Smoke Smoked Helles
- Motueka Cold Snacks Wheat Lager
- Splitting the S Dry Irish Stout
- 2025 BA Darkness
- Hefeweizen
- Pizza Party
- A Pils You Can’t Refuse
- Furious
- Hell
- Axe Man
- Grapefruit Supreme
- Oktoberfest
- Mosh Pit Hazy
TIMED TAPPINGS:
11:00AM–2025 Brewers’ Darkness Variants
- Dark & Plenty (vanilla, licorice root, natural flavors), Casey Wellman
- Mexican Hot Chocolate (chili, caramel, cacao, cinnamon), Matthew McKenna
- Jelly Donut (raspberry puree, vanilla), Andrew Rothrock
- Dad’s Coffee (coffee), Matthew McKenna
Noon–2025 Darkness Collabs
- Horchata Darkness (Joe Nourse)
- Midnight Mint Darkness
- Surly x Schell’s Darkness Collab (aged in Evan Williams Bourbon barrels, Tattersall Bitter Orange barrels)
1:00pm–2020 Darkness Variants
- Vietnamese Coffee Darkness
- Mole Darkness
- Double Vanilla Darkness
2:00pm–2021 Darkness Variants
- Blueberry Crumble Darkness
- Midnight Manhattan Darkness
- Gimme S’Mores Darkness
3:00pm–2023 Darkness Variants
- Parker’s Heritage Heavy Char Darkness
- Cold Smoked Cherry Darkness
- Coco Nitro Darkness
4:00pm–2024 Darkness Variants
- Cola Darkness
- Limoncello Darkness
- Double Barrel Darkness
THE MUSIC LINEUP
This year’s Darkness Day music lineup is even more ferocious than usual. A full slate of punk, metal, and whatever category you want to put Impaler in, all free, all Darkness Day long, headlined by STRUNG OUT. Let’s f*cking go.
STRUNG OUT
pm
MARKED MEN
pm
RADIOACTIVITY
pm
BADCOP BADCOP
pm
CODEFENDANTs
pm
iron roses
pm
havok
pm
GOD CAME FROM SPACE
am
IMPALER
pm
THE EXPERIENCE
We like to make Darkness Day a full-on experience. When you’re not sampling imperial stouts or getting in the pit, you can snag vintage vinyl, art, and experience Battle Train. So. Many. Activities.
THE food
Look for the Surly Food Truck and some live fire cooking in the Beer Garden in the afternoon, plus a special Darkness Day pizza upstairs!