Surly Brewing - Darkness 2011

Tonight I'll be drinking Darkness from Surly Brewing in Brooklyn Center, MN.  Last year, Steve reviewed Darkness from 2010, and named it "the rightful ruler within the Russian Imperial Stout kingdom."  This is a massive stout that has developed a cult-like following here in Minnesota.

This year, Steve and I attended their annual release event - Darkness Day 2011 - and it was one hell of an event.  We waited in a line that had to be between 2-3K people, which was chalk-full of craft beer drinkers of all shapes, sizes and ages.  In the event, Surly had a variety of special brews on tap:  Moe's Bender (vanilla bender), Darkness, Damien (a deliciously hoppy black ale), and a tea-bagged cask Furious.  I tried each of them, and they were all awesome (Darkness was my favorite, Damien a close second).  It was a great event and I encourage everyone in the Twin Cities area to attend next year.  Oh and did I mention, we met Omar Ansari, founder of Surly?  In case you didn't see it, here's a picture;

Steve, Omar, Dunz

Darkness is a monster Russian Imperial Stout with about 10% alcohol.  The bottle design changes every year - '07 = Grim Reaper, '08 = Devil, '09 = Mummy, '10 = Vampire, and this year's design features a zombie.  It also has a journal entry from Omar Ansari on the back, pictured below.  The artwork is perfect for Halloween season - creepy and very well-done.  The design was created by Michael Berglund of...

The beer is dark brown - you could argue that it's black, but it falls on that middle-ground between brown and black.  Two inches of dark tan head form after the pour - beautiful looking stout.  The aroma is outrageous, with pungent waves of chocolate roast, coffee, bitter-sweet dark chocolate, and dark fruits (raisins).  Tobacco and burnt wood also come through.  The alcohol rides alongside all of these smells, definitely a firm reminder of the 10% alcohol.  The taste starts off with an assault of different flavors - starts off with sweet cocoa, grainy chocolate roast, burnt coffee....super thick, rich and chewy.  Dark fruits that include raisins and plums add to an underlying sweetness that completely coats my mouth.  Brown sugar is also in there.  The sweetness permeates through the 2nd half, complimented by a smoky, warm wave of alcohol.  Molasses and Americano coffee make up the finish.

Overall Rating:  This is what a Russian Imperial Stout should taste like - probably my favorite stout of the year.  Absolutely amazing beer - smooth, balanced, and incredibly dangerous at 10% (which Steve and I both learned at Darkness Day).  Deserving of the cult-following.  A