Surly Bender

Brewed by Surly Brewing Company
Style: Brown Ale
Brooklyn Center, Minnesota USA

Serve in Dimpled mug

From can, yet another note from Dark Lord Day. Solid brown with a very thin head poured from half a can. Smell is quite alcoholic. Like a stout with all the bitter, roasty malt removed. This sample has gone a little bit flat. The mouthfeel is surprisingly light for what this is. Tends toward malt with just enough hops to keep it from sweetness. Goes down quite easily.

Received in trade from phisigben, thanks for the opportunity! Pours a deep clear dark brown color with ruby highlights when held to light. A Huge fluffy beige head sits on top for a good long time before impaling itself to the sides of my glass. Smells of caramel and chocolate mostly with some vanilla, a hint of nut and a bit of earthy hop presence. Taste is caramel and toffee mostly. Hints of butter, alcohol, and a slightly earthy citrus hop flavor seems a bit out of place. Medium body with a moderate level of carbonation and a sweet watery mouthfeel. I didn’t enjoy this one as much as I had hoped I would. The malt bill has a distinct English esb meets dark mild feel to it while it also seems heavy on the American hops for a brown. I thought the flavors clashed a little bit. For a brew with oats in the bill I would have expected a much creamier feel than this beer has.

16oz can poured into a Surly pint glass, both courtesy of @ShawnBGP. No noticeable canning/expiration date. 1-finger light-tan head rests atop a clear reddish-brown body. Minimal lace, head dissipates quickly. Nutty, toffee, caramel aromas and flavors. Oats and reams of office paper also come across the nose. Reminds me a lot of Cigar City Maduro, but lighter in body and alcohol comes through more easily. Prickly carbonation. Hops are a little more pronounced as it warms and the beer leaves a dry, slightly metallic finish with a faint hint of pepper and raisin. Overall I do enjoy this beer (second time having it) but I’m more eager to try Coffee Bender. Maduro is one of my go-to beers here in FL and like I said, this reminds me of it, but I don’t know if I’d drink it as often were I living in MN.

Pours a nice dark brown with about a 1/2 finger frothy head. Smells of coco and vanilla with a touch of caramel. The taste is of coco oatmeal brown ale. Very drinkable with a ton of flavor. Excellent beer.

Can. Brown with a dark tan head. Roasted malts, coffee, caramel, hops are not as forward as I was expecting nut there is a pleasant citrus bitterness throughout, mild vanilla and coffee. Although well carbonated to begin with it fades way to quickly and becomes almost flat, body is slightly less then moderate, mild bitterness with some underlying "brown"/malt sweetness, becomes very dry. A good beer but not great.

I received a 16oz can in a donation from a fan in Minnesota (thanks, Sean!). I poured it into Geordie Schooner glass.

Appearance: Dark brown color, completely opaque but with a lot of carbonation bubbles sticking to the glass. Forms a dark khaki, creamy head which retains and laces very well.

Smell: Slightly confectionary notes of the typical brown ale variety (caramel, toasted malt) with distinct flowery hop fragrance as well.

Taste: Where the line is drawn between a very hoppy brown ale and a Brown IPA proper is for the beer nerds of the world to decide and I think Surly Bender would be the apex of that argument. Really, this beer could go either way. It has a nice floral character and dry hoppy bitterness that complements the traditional brown ale qualities.

I was surprised when the first thing I noticed about the first sip was an overt, sharp bitterness. It’s crisp, a tad fizzy, and a molecule or two of pine is detectable as well. The palate turns on a dime into a brown ale with some stout or porter-like qualities. Baker’s chocolate, light caramel and nuttiness impart a sweet (but not cloying) balance to the palate. It finishes with toasted malts and returns to the original hop bitterness it started out with. It’s really impressive how these flavors can work so well together.

My only complaint would be that the hops seems to outshine the brown ale qualities. Surly Bender, in my opinion, might be more accurately classified as a brown IPA than a brown ale. The candy bar-like taste of the second half fades away a little too quickly. Still, the palate remains very satisfying until the end.

Mouthfeel: Perfectly medium-bodied with noticeable carbonation fizz. Hops linger for a moment or so, but is otherwise a clean aftertaste.

Drinkability: I’m shocked that Surly Bender is only 5.1% ABV as it has the sheer energy and weight of a stronger brew. Not that one drink will fill you up or gets you drunk, just that it’s amazing it’s able to do so much on a lighter scale. Not sure if I would session this as the hops would become annoying, but it’d be a great choice to have with a hearty meal.

Aroma’s of Coffee and Caramel. A very creamy finish. This truly is a satisfying beer. Wonderful to sip on a cold winter night with friends....

Pours black/very dark brown with a light head. Smells of coffee and cocoa. Great hop flavour for a Brown Ale, taste a bit of vanilla and caramel along with the coffee and cocoa. Very nice!