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 Brewing - Furious

I'd like to start things off tonight by saying...I'm sorry.  Ever since Steve and I began this blog, I've promised myself (and Steve) that I would review Surly Furious.  It's my favorite beer and has been for a few years now, so I insisted that I be the one to write about it in our world....of beercraft.  Problem is, it's SO good, that every time I buy it, I end up drinking all of it before I have the chance to write a review.  I'm being completely serious.....EVERY time I've bought a 4-pack of Furious, it's vanished mysteriously, without explanation, before I could review it.  I suspect it went into my belly, but can't be sure...the mystery remains...  yes, I am a Surly fanboy.

Surly Furious is an American IPA, though some would argue that it's an Imperial IPA.  It's a hybrid, red-headed step-child of the IPA family, brewed with scottish malt and a potent blend of American hops.  Surly claims a measly 6.5% ABV, but I have agreed to disagree with them on that stat - I'm convinced it's at least 9%, and I have videos of Steve post-Surly to prove it!  This is a year-round offering (thank God), so the nectar is available all the time, although a 4-pack of pint-sized cans will cost you anywhere from $9-13.  It's put a dent in my wallet over the years (sad face).

This beer looks beautiful - cloudy dark red amber hue with a full fledged 2 inch head that recedes in layers.  The aroma is....have you ever seen the Yogi Bear cartoon?  Whenever a family brings a picnic basket to the park, there is a cartoon aroma-hand that floats to Yogi's nose and entices him to follow.....that same aroma-hand is coming out of this beer and into my nose.  Grapefruit!  Pine!  Orange Zest!  caramel malts?  Maybe a little.  The aroma is a beautiful temptress, enticing me to drink....

The flavor is hoppy.  IT'S.... SO...... HOPPY!  (This is a photo-shopped by my buddy Kasper.  He's talented.)

Big grapefruits take front seat.  Hello Pine, let me find you a seat next to Mr. Grapefruit.  These hop flavors hang around for a while before a wave of caramel malts comes into play - big malt sweetness, big enough to carry the intense hop profile firmly on it's shoulders.   Also a bit of tart pineapple in the background.  The carbonation is medium level - perfect for the texture of the beer, which is generally oily, dry and creamy.

Overall Rating:  I have an obvious bias towards this beer - it's one of my all-time favorites - so none of you should be surprised when I say, this beer is God's nectar.  It holds a special place in my heart.  I don't care where in the world you live, each and every one of you should try this beer.  If it's not available in your state/country, send me an email and I'll be happy to ship you some, perhaps for a trade?