The Dark Horse Brewing Co‘s annual 4 Elf Party was on Saturday, December 13, 2014. Chuck was in a “4 Elf Daze” for most of Sunday. It was a damn good party and we’d like to thank the Dark Horse Crew for making it happen.
The Annual 4 Elf Party is a beer sales event that combines draft beer, live music and exotic food. Michigan beer enthusiasts camp out the night before, so they can secure their numbered order forms at 7 am. Doors opened at 11 am for payment and order pick of special bottle releases. We did not camp out the night before, but enjoyed seeing pictures posted by Facebook friends. When we checked into our hotel on Saturday before the event, the hotel clerk said she’d heard the party was bigger than ever. It was like hearing that Santa was real!
The Spirit of 4 Elf
There is a $5.00 cover charge, but if you dress up as an elf it is free.
Everyone’s interpretation of an elf is a bit different. I personally think this elf should get a special award. I couldn’t possibly include all the fabulous elf pictures in the post. Please head over to the gallery to see the other elves.
Dark Horse Crew
Aaron and Kristy and the Dark Horse Crew know how to throw a party! And 4 Elf is a helluva party. I know that this is a hell of a lot of work for them and we so very much appreciate all they do to make the party such a fun event.
What was on tap?
We don’t have a picture of the beer at beer station #1 so just imagine it. Sorry. Speaking of beers, Chuck loved the Tequila Barrel Aged Square Buddha in your Pants (Chuck’s name for that one). I liked the Tequila beer too, but was afraid to drink more than one as I wanted to be able to walk out of the party.
What happens when you drink too much?
Exotic Food
I didn’t partake in the buffet, but there were many that did. Chuck tried an oyster and said it was lemony.
Music
We were pleased to see the sound guy was back!
The shutter on Chuck’s camera was flying. He came home with over 800 pictures to sort and develop and was able to reduce it to a manageable 273. These are all in our gallery.
(cue the intermission music…Chuck is jumping into to tell you guys about the music)
The Massholes
The Massholes got the 4 Elf party off to a rocking start with a fistful of punk and a nice backhand of Clutch covers. Massie Lawson along with the Legbone dudes (Kyle Curtis, Mitch Lawson, GeeGee, and the new drummer guy) hit up some old school punk classics with Massie and Kyle covering the vocal duties. Kyle stepped off and the rest of the band jammed some Clutch including deep cuts such as “Supergrass” and “Shogun Named Marcus”. I have to say, I love the Massholes!! Need to get down to Dayton, Ohio to check out Legbone proper 🙂
We have more photos in our gallery of the Massholes.
Nathan Maynard
Next up was Nathan Maynard. Nathan was a one man show tapping into a raw Americana feel but with a lot more edge. A singer-song writer in the tradition of telling stories and blazing a trail as he goes, Nathan kept folks entertained while drinking some fine Dark Horse brews. You can check out more pics of Nathan Maynard in the gallery.
Cotton Jackson
Slam Dance Country? Southern Rock Moshers? I wasn’t sure how to describe Cotton Jackson. Lets just say they are fun as hell and they rock out with their cocks out (rooster that is). You know that you are in for something special when the drum kit looks like a Pabst Blue Ribbon can. If you had to put a label to their sound, I’d say if Johnny Cash and Les Claypool formed a band, they’d sound like Cotton Jackson. A great party band that goes down smooth with a bourbon barrel Plead The 5th in hand. Step in to the Cotton Jackson gallery for more pics of the band.
The Devil’s Cut
I’ve heard that the Devil’s Cut were a great band and I was excited to see they were playing at 4 Elf. They did not disappoint as they left their souls out on the stage. These guys play with heart and an unbridled passion for their music. The music has that story telling quality of country and bluegrass with the raw power and emotion of punk or thrash metal. I loved the intensity of the band and their music was as tasty as the Tequila Barrel Aged Square Pants House Saison. You can see more photos in the Devil’s Cut gallery
Jaik Willis
Ok, I’ll admit it. I was sort of over-served by the time Jaik Willis took the stage. I did get to check out his first few tunes and he was a one-man army with his awesome acoustic Flying V. I was impressed with his energy on stage as he was jamming and dancing. It was at this time that the last beer was telling me that I needed to go lay down. Next thing you know I’m getting a ride down to the Hampton and into bed with visions of a 4 Elf hangover dancing on my head.. We have more pictures of Jaik Willis in our gallery.
Cheers!
Share your 4 Elf story and leave a comment or send us an email. We have many more pictures of the event in our gallery. You can keep in touch with us by signing up for our email or you can find us on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr. Happy Holidays!
