Surly Bender

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

Serve in Dimpled mug

UPDATED: JAN 19, 2012 Tap. Poured dark brown with a dark creamy head. Aroma consisted of mainly dark hops, hints of coffee, caramel and a sweet cream smell. The flavor began surprisingly bitter, though by no means aggressive. The beer then transitions into a pleasant malty flavor, almost chocolate like.

Pours with a four finger thick, lightly brown-tinged, tan colored head that sits atop a dark amber brown colored beer that shows a brilliantly clear, ruby hue when held up to the light. The aroma is richly aromatic with notes of sweet, concentrated fruit, dark malts and hops; dissecting where each of these start and end might be a bit of work though as the aroma is quite well integrated. Notes of raisins, perhaps some vanilla accented cherries, some berry notes and even some sweet citrus peel aromas mix with notes of toasted malt, browned biscuit-like malt, caramelized grain sugars and a huge toasted, dry, soda cracker note in the finish. A fabulously aromatic brew, this really has such a well integrated, loudly aromatic nose; this is an example of why I like a well made brown ale; there is not so much dark / roast malt that it dominates the flavor profile and the simple (though certainly not simplistic) malt and hop notes are able to shine through as well. Somehow there are notes of vanilla and spicy oak in this beer (and they are quite noticeable halfway through this beer); I don’t know how they got here, but they are a welcome addition that add some additional complexity to an already great aroma. Unlike many beers, where the aroma fades as you start drinking the beer, the aroma here actually gets better and more complex as you work your way through it. Definitely don’t forget to continue to stick your schnozz in this brew in between sips.

Sweet malt flavors encapsulate the palate and actual cling to my mouth almost like a much bigger beer would. Fruity notes of raisins and sweet, ripe berries mix with an interesting, almost vanilla like note. Some dark malt notes are noticeable from the get go; actually just a hint of roast character mixes with the hop character, both of which contribute a solid, though not in any way dominant, bitterness. This beer is really fairly sweet and fruity tasting, that is probably the distinguishing characteristic. It does not make this thick, cloying or not quaffable though as this is definitely a fairly sessionable brew.

Have I said how much I love great beer in a can. Well I do, imagine how much easier shipping would be if the norm was craft beer in a can; still I do find the champagne cork finish too perfect for certain styles of beer. This is a great brew, I really like the aromatic complexity (especially the surprise oak-like aromatics) and the flavor aint half bad either. The oak notes even start to creep into the flavor of this beer towards the end of my glass.

Can from SoLan, my man. A clean, roasty coffee smell, much like a porter, but less roasty. Lightly floral. Goes down as well as any beer, with a smooth malty goodness to it. A very very nice brown.

Certainly, a good beer. Warm brown, notable head and a body that suggests a light oil quality with some life as well. Malty and hoppy in decent proportions. Standard brown ale stuff, but a notch or two higher on the richness scale. Still, I had the version in the can, and it annoys me that I can’t figure out if the metallic nature of this is from the can or the beer. It was enough to put me off of it. If it is just too hoppy, then it’s a fault; if it’s the cans, I’ll still want to look for something different.

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!

From can courtesy of dpjuart. Hoppy and metallic nose, grassy. Bit of malty profile but weak; bit of chocolate. Dark dark brown-black clear with thin off-white head. Medium body with light-medium carbonation. Starts with medium malt sweetness and dry nutty bitterness. Bit of chocolate and light coffee. Finishes dry with mild acidity. Decent brown but nothing that grabs me - I’m not a big brown ale fan.

16oz can, courtesy of Schutzenliesel. Thanks, Tom! Pours a dark mahogany color; light tan head with good retention and lacing. Generous, dried fruit and candy sugar aroma; red fruits and tea-like malts. Medium-to-full, malt-dominated mouthfeel: surprising amounts of milk chocolate and roasted malts (almost like a light porter); medium-to-lively carbonation; dense, layered maltiness with a hint of sharp citrus hops; beautifully done. Lengthy, caramel and chocolate finish. Probably the best brown ale I’ve had.

On tap at Hop Leaf. Dark brown pour with a medium tan head. Malty and crisp nose with a bit of roast. Crisp malty flavor up front with notes of fruit and a bitter finish. Not bad, but didn’t quite live up to the expectations I had for the base beer of Coffee Bender.