Surly - Hell

Tonight's review is brought to you from Hell.  Surly's Hell to be exact.  This isn't your normal Hell though.  In Surly Hell beer flows freely, the bearded men dancing about are not devil spawn (although this is not confirmed...) but brewmasters and the heat is from the brew kettle instead of Satan's torture chamber.  This is a Hell you want to be in!

Surly Hell is a Helles style beer originally brewed in Munich, Germany.  Its a clean lager brewed primarily with pilsner malt and German noble hops.  Its not necessarily crisp like the Helles malts namesake would suggest.  Its slightly sweet with the malty characteristics accentuated as opposed to the hops.

I enhanced this photo to make the can and color stand out.  It looks awesome!

In Surly's rendition of the style they decided to use American hops to put their own twist on the beer as they do with most of their brews.  However, the story on the can assures us that the "American hops take a back seat to the Pils malt sweetness and fresh bread aroma".  They go on to ensure you that "dont have to sell your soul to get another".  Thats a good thing considering I'm looking forward to drinking all four!

The Hell in my glass is a brilliantly clear, nicely carbonated pale yellow brew.  A thin egg-shell white head hangs around even after half the pint is consumed.  Sweet malt and bready aroma are prominent and easily muscle past the faint smell of earthy hops.  More of the same with the flavor; a solid sweet, malty base and just enough hop bitterness to balance out the sweetness to a very enjoyable level.  Plenty of carbonation to keep the flavors alive and the finish clean.

Overall - Another winner from Surly.  We have reviewed their Abrasive Ale, Bitter Brewer and Furious in the past and Hell is right up there in the rankings.  Clean, easy drinking and relatively low alcohol make Hell easy to go back to.  Its a summer seasonal so be sure to go pick it up before the supply runs out!