Surly Bender

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

Serve in Dimpled mug

Can from jrob_21 - thanks!. Big hoppy nose with Cascades and some must, a lot of roast/toast malt with heavy waves of bitter chocolate and nuts. Caramel. Dark mahogany pour with a unique orange-brown head that creams and rocks itself deliciously. Taste is - yessir - heavy, thick chocolate malt and prickly Cascades, has enough Black Sun in it for comparison, but then veers off in its own direction, with silky, syrupy oatmeal strands, caramel, and cocoa. Bitter and nutty. Finish and after have a slightly acidic fruity tang, otherwise dry and rindy. Thinnish, flattish body. Cocoa reminds more of a porter than of a brown ale. Robust session actually worthy of everyday drinking. Layered, complex, delicious!

Every single person who saw me drinking this said I would like coffee bender better. So, I felt like I was missing something. That being said: Can shared by tytoanderso: Pours a dark brown, with a white and quickly dissipating head. Aroma of flat vanilla, some caramel, and actual coffee beans -- not roasted coffee, and table cream. Flavor is smooth roasted coffee, maybe even a little under-carbonated, and a tinge of hazelnut. Slight wooden flavor that seemed misplaced. Overall, very good brew.

Scored a few cans of this on my trip to Minneapolis. Pours from a 16 oz. can a dark brown with a REALLY thick brown head. I had to make an emergency run to the sink because the beer overflowed my glass. Aroma is very simple a bit of sweet cocoa, some hops, and a bit of oat malts coming out. Taste is hoppier that I expected which gave a few extra points but largely this beer was very simple. Caramel and a bit of chocolate come together for a weird mix then you get blasted by hops which was a crazy change and maybe does more harm than good. I dunno this was just ok, just brew your average ho-hum brown ale and double the hop profile and you’ll have Bender. I’ll be honest I hate Brown Ales, they just suck. This being said this was probably the best one I’ve ever had but it still isn’t that great of a beer and I’d rather have many more others than this one.

A dark brown color with a fizzy thin brown head. The aroma has a lot of sweet brown sugar malt and some mild hop character. The flavor is strong roasted malt with some chocolate and caramel. There is a bit of a hop profile in the finish, but doesn’t leave much on the tongue. Medium bodied beer.

Can courtesy tpd975. Pours brown with a one finger tan head that leaves good lacing. Aroma of oats, chocolate, and caramel. Taste is the same as aroma. Medium creamy mouthfeel with a moderate amount of bitterness. Very good.

Poured a two finger head into my pint glass. Color is a deep amber -- not quite opaque. Smell: first thing I get is British hops. Next is roasted malt. nice. Taste. Pretty typical for a good american brown. Oh wait... incredible mouthfeel.. must be the oatmeal. very silky smooth. I don’t want to swallow. Drinkability. I had one and I’m wanting more. I guess that rates at least a 4 in my book. A very nice brown ale. This is my first Surly and I’m impressed. I have more in my fridge to keep me waiting in anticipation. Serving type: can

Poured a very dark brown with mahogany hints when held up to light. Off-white head is nearly two inches thick and shows some retention and great lacing. Smell is of roasted malts, oatmeal, and a bit of coffee. There is also a subtle brown sugar or molasses sweetness. Smells are all very subtle and the nose is not overpowering. Taste starts with the sweetness up front with molasses, caramel malts and some nuts. This flows into a coffee and oatmeal taste that gives way to the hops which are much more present than in the aroma. The finish is crisp with a slight hop bitterness. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, extremely smooth and creamy with moderate carbonation. This is one hell of a sessionable brown ale and I could drink it all night long. Extremely well balanced and easy going down. Highly recommended!

UPDATED: SEP 26, 2008 Updated - This is a decent brew. The well balanced but a little on the hoppy side. As MatSciGuy (102), states on May 6th. Excellent description of this beer I don’t think it was quite as hoppy though. "Direct Quote" Pours deep brown with a moderate off white head. Aroma is strikingly hoppy, which is quickly overtaken to bittersweet chocolate and burnt caramel. Flavor is really rich and nice, and very well balanced. In the end, the bittersweet chocolate takes over most of the flavors and the hops offset the sweetness with a good bitter finish.