2017 Annual 4 Elf Party and Dark Horse’s 20th Anniversary Ale

by | Dec 13, 2017 | Beer

The official start of the holidays is the Dark Horse Brewing Annual 4 Elf Party. Well, at least in my world it marks the start of the holidays. 

2017 Annual 4 Elf Party

Dark Horse Brewing - 207 Annual 4 ELF Party - 2017-38

What exactly is the 4 Elf Party? It is a crazy two-day event at Dark Horse Brewing in Marshall, Michigan that is a combination customer appreciation party and specialty beer sale.  

On Friday, the craft beer enthusiasts arrive in the Beer Garten to secure their places in line to submit their order for the Dark Horse specialty bottle releases. You can’t get in line until 11 am and they don’t collect the order forms until 6 pm. Aaron described the pre-party in a recent MLive article.

This is like a beer person’s tail gate. People bring bottles to share, set up tents and shanties, and generally have a good time together out there.

On Saturday, the 4 Elf Party jumps into full-swing when the beer enthusiast return to pick up their beer orders and hundreds of elves arrive to enjoy live music, exotic food, beer tappings, and the bottle releases.  

Dark Horse Brewing - 2017 Annual 4 Elf Party - 2017-73

Plus there was the Best Elf Contest. Secret judges select a handful of elves who compete for prizes, which include: a Best Elf Crown, beer, cash, pint glasses, key chains and T-shirts.

Dark Horse Brewing - 4 ELF - 2017-248

20th Anniversary

This year was rather special as it marked Dark Horse’s 20th Anniversary.

Here's to 20 Years: Past, Present & Future!

Here's to 20 years and here's to 20 more!!! Thank you all for being a part of this milestone!

Posted by Dark Horse Brewing Co. on Tuesday, November 28, 2017


To celebrate their 20th anniversary year, they created an Anniversary Ale. 
Aaron mentioned during his interview with MLive:

Dark Horse Brewing - 4 ELF - 2017-105

“We brewed up three different versions of the Anniversary Ale, and then aged them three different ways,” Morse said. They’ll have a bourbon barrel aged one, a rum barrel aged one, and one that got hit up two ways, in both the bourbon and rum barrels.

When asked what the base beer was for these special offerings, Morse said “I really don’t know. It doesn’t really fit any certain style, so we’ve just been calling it Anniversary Ale. Big and malty, with lots of fun stuff in it to make it complex.” Also, kind of boozy, these three beers come in at around 11.5% ABV.

We loved that the beer label on the Anniversary Ale has a picture of Aaron’s dad Bill “Wacky” Morse who along with his mom Cally and wife Kristi were instrumental in launching one of our most beloved breweries in all the world.

Exotic Food

The short list of exotic food offerings:

  • Smoked pig and alligator
  • Venison
  • Frog legs
  • Smoked salmon
  • Peel and eat shrimp
  • Barbecued cow’s head

People buzzed through the food like a school of piranha. 

Dark Horse Brewing - 4 ELF - 2017-108

Dark Horse Brewing - 4 ELF - 2017-230

Dark Horse Brewing - 4 ELF - 2017-166

Dark Horse Brewing - 4 ELF - 2017-25

Aaron’s Favorite Part 

 If you dressed as an elf, you got in for free.

“This is my favorite part of the 4 Elf party,” Morse said. “You come dressed as your version of an elf, whatever you think that might be. If you think it’s a rabbit, that’s cool. We get a lot of crazy stuff, people have gotten more and more creative over the years and that’s really fun.”

Dark Horse Brewing - 2017 Annual 4 Elf Party - 2017-72

Dark Horse Brewing - 2017 Annual 4 Elf Party - 2017-66

Dark Horse Brewing - 2017 Annual 4 Elf Party - 2017-56

Dark Horse Brewing - 2017 Annual 4 Elf Party - 2017-23

Dark Horse Brewing - 2017 Annual 4 Elf Party - 2017-8

Dark Horse Brewing - 2017 Annual 4 Elf Party - 2017-41

Dark Horse Brewing - 2017 Annual 4 Elf Party - 2017-43

Dark Horse Brewing - 2017 Annual 4 Elf Party - 2017-81

Tips Donated

The volunteers who helped pour beers donated their tips to Marshall Meals On Wheels.

Dark Horse Brewing - 2017 Annual 4 Elf Party - 2017-132

Dark Horse Brewing - 2017 Annual 4 Elf Party - 2017-13

Dark Horse Brewing - 2017 Annual 4 Elf Party - 2017-47

Music To Calm The Savage Elf

The 2017 Annual 4 Elf Party at Dark Horse Brewing always features a great mix of music. This year was no exception. From muddy roots, to upbeat Americana, to in your face rock, the 4 Elf party had something for everyone.

Barn On Fire

Barn On Fire - 4 Elf-5

Fire is the keyword when witnessing the performance by Barn On Fire. These guys had the soul of Americana burning inside of them and they blasted it out into the crowd. Songs such as “Till The Gas Runs Out” start out slow and build into to blaze.

Barn On Fire - 4 Elf-9
Barn On Fire - 4 Elf-15

One key feature of this band is vocal harmonies which they use on just about every song. Rich voices reaching for heaven that add heart and soul to each song. They have a Mumford and Sons or The Head and The Heart vibe which got the 2017 Annual 4 Elf Party off to a fine start. Check out some more pictures in our gallery and be sure to drop by their site to pick up their LP.

Barn On Fire - 4 Elf-8
Barn On Fire - 4 Elf-10

Freight Train Rabbit Killer

Freight Train Rabbit Killer - 4 Elf-14

For a complete change of pace, we were treated to the music of Freight Train Rabbit Killer. These two gentlemen wearing masks and sporting dark suits with images of rabbit ears and words such has “Rage”, “Anger”, and “Pain” took the stage and proceed to bewitch the crowd.

Freight Train Rabbit Killer - 4 Elf-5
Freight Train Rabbit Killer - 4 Elf-6
Freight Train Rabbit Killer - 4 Elf-11

Their music was thick and swampy with roots deep into the heart of the delta blues. You could almost feel the earth moan with each sweep of the slide across the guitar strings. The sensation of being at an old-time fire and brimstone revival filled the air. The heavy hitting Dark Horse beers added to the thumping punch of the music and got everyone fired up. Stop by our gallery for more pictures and while you are at it, head over and check out some music by the band.

Freight Train Rabbit Killer - 4 Elf-22

Bigfoot Buffalo

Bigfoot Buffalo - 4 ELF-5

Now that the beers were flowing freely, it was time to jam with Bigfoot Buffalo. It is hard not to feel good when listening to this band. I was struck by the vocals of Kyle Brown who had me thinking of John Prine and John Bell from Widespread Panic.

Bigfoot Buffalo - 4 ELF-7
Bigfoot Buffalo - 4 ELF-14

Bigfoot Buffalo reminded me of Little Feat with more interesting guitar playing. It was easy to let their music sweep you up and find yourself dancing. With a beer in hand and a big shit eating grin, Bigfoot Buffalo gave us plenty to be happy about. Drop by our gallery for more pictures and give Bigfoot Buffalo some love.

Bigfoot Buffalo - 4 ELF-19
Bigfoot Buffalo - 4 ELF-20
Bigfoot Buffalo - 4 ELF-22

Able Baker Fox

Able Baker Fox - 4 ELF-3

To put a feather in the cap of another great evening of music at 2017 Annual 4 Elf Party was Able Baker Fox. These guys flat out rocked our socks off. Big bouncy bass and raging guitars backed up with a powerhouse of a drummer, these guys were a giant charge of high voltage rock. This music tasted great with a shot of Dark Horse 20th Anniversary beer.

Able Baker Fox - 4 ELF-31
Able Baker Fox - 4 ELF-9
Able Baker Fox - 4 ELF-1

West Michigan and in particular Marshall music fans would have recognized Mike Reed, Ben Reed, and Jeff Gensterblum from Small Brown Bike. They added in Nathan Ellis as a second guitarist from Casket Lottery. Their performance at 4 Elf melted away the winter chill. Head over to our gallery for more pictures and then get your butt over to Able Baker Fox’s site and pick up an album.

Able Baker Fox - 4 ELF-37

More Dark Horse

If you missed 4 Elf and you are feeling sad, don’t worry it is an Annual Event. Plus there are several other Dark Horse events throughout the year. Here is our reviews for a few of them:

More Photos

We have more photos of the 2017 Annual 4 Elf Party in our gallery. Please enjoy them, but if you share, we’d like a photo credit. 

Thank You for Your Support

Would you like our top 12 hidden gems of Michigan? Become a Patron! Patronage from people like you who enjoy our stories is what keeps Life in Michigan going strong. If you have the means, consider showing your support on our Patreon Page.

Share the News

We hope you enjoyed the 2017 Annual 4 Elf Party.  If you enjoyed the story, then share it on your favorite social media venue or send it as a link to your friends and family. This is good for everyone!

Stay Connected

We’d really love it if you’d like our Facebook page. When you subscribe to our newsletter, our posts are delivered directly to your email box. You can also find us on Instagram. Cheer!

Recommended Reading