Surly Abrasive Ale

Brewed by Surly Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Brooklyn Center, Minnesota USA

Serve in Shaker, Snifter

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16 oz can thanks to BMan1113VR: Pours a transparent bright copper orange with a clingy-lacing froth of white head. Has a fresh piny resiny (Simcoe?) hop nose with some lightly sweet toasted caramel malt underneath. Starts with good fullness and a chewy light caramel sweetness well-balanced with assertive resiny bittering hop flavor before a sticky bittersweet finish. A heavily hopped and enjoyable double IPA but could be a little crisper and more drinkable.

A: The beer is amber in color with great clarity and a massive cream colored head on top which sticks to the edge of the glass. S: A hop bomb if I’ve ever smelled one! Very reminiscent of Sculpin’s aromas. A ton of tropical fruit, especially pineapples and mangos along with plenty of juicy citrus. No malt to be found. T: The sweet tropical fruits are really the main attraction here as well. The pineapple and mango provide a nice sweetness, along with some peaches. There is plenty of juicy grapefruit and pine on the finish to give the beer a great bitterness. M: Medium in body with a low to moderate carbonation and a really crisp finish to the beer. D: I say it everytime I have a Surly beer, and I’ll say it again: awesome! These guys really have a good thing going and I’m glad to have some more of this one in the fridge.

My Bottom Line:
Biscuity cereals are a diving board for this Double IPA’s expressive oranges and resins, building a smashing pint of Americana.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A sheet of foam tops the hazy amber.
-Malts also provide delicate caramel angles.
-Although this is intensely flavorful, it is not nearly as abrasive as many Double IPAs out there which are just a ton of hops thrown into a boring strong ale. This flavor profile is actually well thought out and the malts are as important as their aromatic counterparts.
-Alcohol is not a bother as it is smothered in hop bitterness (which doesn’t feel harsh, by the way).
-The mouthfeel is simply gorgeous; nourishing yet easygoing. Carbonation and residual sugars are perfectly balanced too.

Can.

Thanks to Bob for the cans! Poured clear, medium honeyed brown with a creamy cap of beige head. The aroma was super juicy with pineapple, mango, and grapefruit over a sweet caramel base.. the hops really pop, and I think I got lost for a while in there.. loved it! The flavor was equally juicy, showcasing more of the pineapple and grapefruit, picking up pine and fresh grassy character.. sweet, lightly-toasted caramel and lesser honey supported very well.. plenty of residual bitterness on the long finish, with just the right sweetness to support it. Medium-bodied and resiny on the palate with a thick, coating flow to it.. spicy, bitter, and engaging.. excellent stuff!

Can shared by guyinchicago at the RBSG Grand Tasting. Thanks! Pours a clear copper color with a medium head. Good head retention and lacing. Aroma of citrus and earthy hops with slightly nutty malty notes. The taste is leafy, herbal hops with some citrus and caramel. Medium bodied. Nice.

UPDATED: JAN 1, 2012 Can courtesy of arminjewell. Somewhat hazy, reddish orange appearance with an off white head. Super piney, herbal, organic hoppy, a touch citrusy, bitter aroma. Rich piney, orange citrusy, big organic hoppy flavor. Cool brew.

Can from Andy’s Liquor in Rochester, MN. The beer is a copper-orange color with a medium fluffy white head that diminishes slowly. Small patches of sticky lacing on the glass. Aroma of hops and tropical fruits. Medium bodied and moderately bitter with a citrusy hops character as well as flavors of toasted malt and pine. The finish is hoppy with a lingering grapefruit aftertaste. Good all around.

Can (courtesy of Skyview). Sweet orange and pine/grapefruit peel hops aroma. Cloudy amber color with moderate off-white head. Sweet orange malt and moderately bitter pine and citrus peel flavor. Nicely blended. Excellent.

The can pours deep gold with copper hues and a near white head of foam. The aroma is big and yummy with earthy dank hops, spicy hops and then a modest degree of citrus hop goodness rounding things off. Dang! The taste is similar with rich yummy dank and spicy hop richness where I’m also getting floral hops and plenty of hop bitterness. It gets into robust levels of grapefruit and lime like citrus hops midway and to the finish. Great stuff.

16oz can courtesy of beeranddogs. Pours a clear orange with a towering, creme head. Huge lace and infinite retention. Nose is not fresh hoppy but not stale hoppy, strawberry pancake syrup either. There is some candy corn, maple syrup, Taste is spicy, sweet, fruit punch, floral and herbal hoppy, loaded with honey, mint, butterscotch. Body is chewy, bitter, thick. Definitely not a hop bomb. Never devolves into an astringent, cloying mess. Even not ultra fresh, it has held itself together fairly nicely.