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 Brewing - Wet 2011

Surly Wet is finally here.  There are VERY few things that I find more enjoyable than a cold mug of Surly Furious......Surly Wet is one of those things.  4,811 pounds of Citra hops freshly picked from Oregon, shipped to Minnesota, brewed into the beer 3 days later.  I'll let the can do the rest of the essplainin'...

"GET SURLY!  You are about to drink a wet hop beer - brewed with American hops so fresh they've never had the chance to dry out.  Day 1: picked. Day 2: shipped. Day 4: tossed in the brew.  The only delay from the field to your glass is the time it takes for fermenting.  The hop varieties vary, but you can always expect the intense resinous character that only comes from the fresh hops.  This ain't a beer for aging.  The beer quickly loses its aromatics.  So invite your friends over and enjoy this West-Coast Style IPA....now."

The beer-geek statistics vary with this one from year to year, but you can expect this years version to be around 7.5% alcohol and 90 juicy, citrusy, delicious IBUs.  The beer is a clear deep copper color with a big, bubbly tan head that sticks firmly to the glass.  Those citra hops.....are......insane. STRONG hop aroma with loads of fresh citrus - grapefruit peels, orange marmalade, lemongrass.  This beer smells decadent...it's hard to believe, but I think this beer smells better than the 2010 batch!  The beer tastes just as good as it smells, starting with up-front bitterness that carries tons of tropical citrus.  Grapefruit rinds, hint of pineapple, orange peels, some pine and herbal lemongrass make up the bulk of the hop profile.  Sweet caramel malts, slightly nutty, hang out in the background - I wouldn't say they balance things out, because they certainly don't, but they help keep the beer grounded in reality.  The finish leaves an interesting, bitter green-tea like aftertaste.  The mouthfeel is oily and resinous, silky smooth.

Overall Rating:  Come on, folks.  It's Surly.  Of course it's amazing.  The 2011 batch is slightly different than last year's....while it was still packed with citrus, it was slightly less juicy and a bit more piney and herbal.  I bought two 4-packs at $16 each, and I don't regret it....great fresh-hop brew!  Get your hands on it now while you still can.  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!!!

Surly - Five

I'm especially excited for tonight's review.  Surly Brewing has been in existence for five long and prosperous years.  They have made it a tradition to brew an anniversary ale every year since their inception.  Each ale is a unique brew that is only released once.  After all the bottles are sold, you are SOL.  You will never be able to taste that beer again.  Unfortunately I wasn't able to get my hands on a bottle of Four last year.  And years prior to that I was naive to Surly's anniversary creations.

So tonight is my first experience with a Surly anniversary brew.  Five is unlike anything Surly has brewed before. Five is 100% fermented with Brettanomyces.  "Brett", as it is affectionately known in the brewing world, is a type of yeast that produces a distinctly sour flavor throughout your beer.  Some of you may be thinking "Why the hell would anybody want a sour beer?  Isn't that a bad quality?"  In most beers, yes.  If you open a Pilsner and you taste sour, throw that crap down the sink.  However, Brett is unique in that the sour quality added to the beer is one that plays nicely with the other ingredients commonly found in beer.  The most prominent examples that utilize a sour flavor are Fruit Lambic and Gueuze beers - the primary flavors in these styles involve fruit (duh).  However, it wouldn't be a Surly beer unless they took a normal use for an ingredient and turned it into something completely unique.

The first thing you notice with this beer is the bottle.  How cool is that art work?!?  Plenty of breweries include unique art work on their bottles but I haven't seen anything that compares to Surly.  Aesthetic Apparatus is a local Minnesota art shop that was commissioned to create the label for Five.  I love the dark green theme with a demon-like antelope (I think).  Its an image I wouldn't want to face in my dreams.

Five is a dark ale aged in red wine barrels.  Both Todd Haug and Omar Ansari wrote a note on the back of the bottle describing the inspiration and tasting notes for their fifth anniversary ale.  Todd mentions the use of Dark Munich to provide a smooth malt chewiness along with a few tasting notes that include cherry, tobacco and oak.  He also mentions that this ale can be consumed immediately or be cellared for a few years.  I'm obviously going with his initial recommendation.

Surly Five looks like a demon flowing out of the green-waxed top.  Smooth as oil with a minimal tan foam, this ale is a very deep mahogany which lets no light through.  The aroma is distinctly "Brett".  Not Favre, although he looks like someone who smells sour.  Hints of tobacco, cherry, and I think red wine support the initial sour aroma.  The flavors are amazingly smooth.  The Dark Munich really gets the job done here.  Sweetness from the Munich offset a noticeable sour base flavor.  Its not subtle, but its also not overpowering. This sour tang supports the cherry, oak, green apple, subtle chocolate and tobacco flavors throughout.  Carbonation is very low which keeps the sour flavors from becoming too sharp.  I also am having trouble finding any alcohol flavors as well.  I have no idea what the ABV is but I imagine its above 7%.  It wouldn't be a Surly beer otherwise.

Overall - I must say, I've never tasted a beer like this.  The profile is extremely complex.  I couldn't discern all of the flavors but I'm sure others will have no problem.  Everything blends together nicely between the sour, sweet, earthy and fruity characteristics.  This isn't an everyday beer but its one that you must try.  If you have an adventurous palette you should try to hunt down a bottle.  This is a very limited release so go find one now!!!

Surly - Cynic Ale

Tonight I'm reviewing another brew from our friends at Surly. Their Cynic Ale is the lone Belgian style ale they produce. It's not a surprise, however, since Surly produces a handful of brews from outside the states, Surly Hell bring another example within their repertoire.

In standard Surly fashion there is a short background of the beer printed on the can. "oh great, a fizzy yellow beer in a can, that's just what the craft beer world needs! Cynic Ale melds old world ingredients in a new school style. French malted barley, English oats and Belgian yeast create honey & black pepper flavors. Lively Slovenian hops provide the floral, apricot and peach notes. Toss your doubts away, toss one back and enjoy!"

Slightly hazy, golden orange and lacking in any head retention, the appearance is a little lacking. The color is nice though. Lots of spice with hints of fruit within the aroma. It's certainly inviting and not subtle. The initial flavor is full of Belgian spice, black pepper with a subtle fruit background balancing everything out. The apricot is actually more prominent than I had expected but I like it. The 6.5% ABV is hidden behind the robust flavor profile and warms as you finish each sip.

Overall - This is a nice, bold example of a Belgian style brew from Surly. Nothing too harsh or out of place. The flavors mesh nicely and provide a unique level of complexity that is typically not found in other Surly brews. If you like Belgian beers and Surly then you will certainly enjoy Cynic Ale.

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!

Surly - Bitter Brewer

Happy Friday everybody!

Today has been a great day for me.  As some of you may already know I am a giant tech nerd during the time that I am not being a beer geek.  I love games, gadgets, gizmos and anything that is shiny.  And today I was able to get a new toy, the HTC Evo 3D!  I've only been using it through the day so far and I must say I'm amazed.  Super fast, crystal clear, and most importantly - shiny!  Plus, it has a fancy new camera on the back which means better beer pictures for you!

Tonight's brew comes from what is likely the third most popular brewery in MN behind Summit and August Schell's, Surly.  If anybody knows how to market to us craft beer nerds its these guys.  The name surly loosely means 'the anger fueled by the inability to find good beer'.  They are a small, but quickly expanding brewery that does everything in its power to appease Minnesotas local craft beer scene.  And they do a pretty damn good job at making beer too!  You may have read the post by Dunz on Surly Furious which is basically his second all time favorite beer behind Surly Wet.  Anytime Surly is mentioned around Dunz I am pretty sure angels sing in his head as he momentarily dreams about diving into a large cauldron of Surly beer.  I myself am not as brainwashed by Surly's impressive mind control prowess.  But I still find myself enjoying their beers year round.

That's right, we got wide screen pictures baby!

Bitter Brewer is a spring seasonal brew loosely based off of the European bitters style of ale.  Although if anyone from Europe traveled to MN and tasted this they would most likely get their knickers in a bunch complaining about how Surly abused the style.  But thats what they are here to do - push the boundaries of craft beer. This also holds the title of lowest % ABV at Surly, coming in at only 4% and 37 IBUs.  Its dry hopped to bring the floral citrus aromas to the forefront.  Lets see if they accomplished their goal.

All 16 ounces fill my mug with a hazy light copper ale with a lofty white head.  Those citrusy aromas are certainly present alongside a subtle bready and malt mix.  The body is very light and smooth.  Lots of carbonation to accentuate the bitterness but not so much so that it makes it harsh.  Woody, bready and almost dense orange flavors mix together and find harmony amongst the abundance of American hops.  An extremely dry, bitter finish brings this beer to an end while living up to its namesake through the entire experience.

Overall - I started typing 'refreshing' but I'm not so sure that description fits here.  Its an easy drinker, crisp and light.  But I wouldn't want one after mowing the lawn.  There is a lot going on here that makes it complex and fun to drink.  Its one of my favorites from Surly without a doubt.  This beer is one for those who enjoy their beer on the hoppier side but also like the complexities that come along with a nicely brewed beer.  Find a four pack before the seasons over!

Surly Abrasive Ale

Abrasive Ale classifies as a Double Oat IPA.  Didn't know that was a style?  Neither did I!  But Surly is always full of surprises.  At 8.8%, and 120 IBU's, this beer packs some serious punch.  It was originally called 16 Grit, which is a size of abrasive grit used at the old Abrasive factory that once stood at the location of the brewery. 

Pouring this beer into my snifter, the color is a glowing amber/orange with a thin egg-white layer of foam - completely clear, a very nice-looking brew.  The nose is what I've come to expect from Surly - fumes.  Sharp florals are dominant, some lemon-lime zest and citrus peels are also in there.  The taste of the beer starts off with mild citrusy bitterness from the hops, but that quickly gives way to a creamy maltiness full of toffee and nuts.  Nuts....haha.  Focus!  This beer is hoppy and juicy, with a firm malt backbone that holds it's ground.  Extremely drinkable, the carbonation is fairly strong, and the beer is smooth and light.  The 9% alcohol is almost entirely hidden. 

Overall Rating:  (5.2 out of 6.0):  Yet another brilliant brew from the geniuses over at Surly.  These guys are the real deal - they have been growing exponentially every year for the last 4 years, and this beer is yet another badge of honor for them.  Grab it while you can.