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

Surly - Darkness 2010

After a long Labor Day weekend we are back!  Both Dunz and I had an enjoyable break.  Hopefully all of our readers did too!!!  Now its time to get back into the swing of things (my apologies for not posting on Monday as promised) and review some delicious brews.  For the first review after our elongated hiatus I figured I'd crack open something special.  This bottle has been hanging out in my fridge since Darkness Day last year.  Its one I've been saving it for a special occasion and I believe the time has come.  You Minnesotans (and those who read the title of this post) already know the beer I'm talking about - Surly Darkness.

Surly Darkness is a local phenomenon.  People wait outside the brewery overnight in order to get their hands on a bottle during Darkness Day.  Every year, since Surly's inception five years ago, Darkness has grown in popularity.  Last year it seemed to be particularly difficult to get your hands on a bottle if you didn't attend Darkness Day.  Luckily for me, I was able to hunt down a few bottles tucked away in a MGM liquor store.  And according to the history on the back of the bottle, Surly has been ramping up production of this RIS every year in order to satiate demand.  Thank gawd!  I'm looking forward to Darkness Day 2011 so I don't run into the same problem as I did last year.

The bottle for Darkness 2010 is, in one word, friggenawesome.  When I took the picture, my camera actually recognized the Satan-beast as an actual face and focused in on it.  I found that to be amusing.  The bottle art is done by the same guys who created the design on Surly Five, Aesthetic Apparatus.  These guys have created some of the coolest bottle art I've seen.  I have high expectations for the 2011 design.

This is a black hole of a brew.  I'm surprised time didn't stop the longer I stared into my glass.  The deep brown foam pulls me from my trance and sends off a pungent aroma that reminds me of dark chocolate infused with blackberries and tobacco.  Not that I have ever tasted such a combination... it's just what I was reminded of.  The thick, chewy viscosity creates a silky smooth mouthfeel that sets the stage for the multitude of flavors within this bold RIS.  Dark berries, cherries and chocolate, brown sugar, tobacco smokiness, roasted malt and hints of bitterness are only a handful of the flavors my feeble palate was able to discern.  The extra year of age on this bottle helped meld these flavors together and keep the 9.8% ABV at bay.

Overall - This beast is the rightful ruler within the Russian Imperial Stout kingdom.  I challenge any other beer to dethrone Darkness.  I've had some great RIS style brews in the past and nothing comes close to Surly's creation.  The extra year of age certainly made the experience more enjoyable, and another year can only make it better.  When Darkness Day 2011 arrives, I'll be buying multiple bottles to consume over the next few years.  Surly Darkness is definitely a Minnesota born gem that you cannot find anywhere else.  See you at Darkness Day!!!