Surly Bender

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

Serve in Dimpled mug

Dainty light tan/off-white head, very frothy, which tops a medium, reddish brown body. Potent aroma - surprisingly hoppy for a brown ale, but also has a pleasant dose of hazelnuts and sweet malts, with hints of caramel. I’m surprised and very pleasantly pleased that the flavor is not particularly sweet, but it is very rich and creamy. Nicely balanced, with the hops not too much in the fore-front, yet not too malty. Thick, like a good chocolate malt. Very nice.

On tap at Sheffields in Chicago. Pours a deep brown with a small creamy off white head. The aroma has cocoa powder, toasted malts, very nutty sharpness to it, and quite a bit of hoppiness, very fresh and earthy hops. Flavor is even hoppier than originally expected. Starting malty, roasted nuts, caramel, cocoa beans and a little cocoa powder. Then getting a big dose of hops, almost to the point of finishing like a black IPA, really sharp bitterness that blends with all the malts. Medium full body. Pretty good brown ale, though it seems to deviate from the traditional style with the assertive hoppiness.

Cans from CLevar. Thanks! The first thing I noticed was the pronounced hops (for a Brown Ale) and a toasty quality in the aroma. Pine hops, toasted grains, nuts, and caramel consist of the scent. Dark brown color with some amberish highlights and a thin tan foam on top. Light retention and the lacing was spotty. The flavor continues with that toasted character from the aroma. Nutty, with some bitter hops for balance. The body is slick, sweet, and slightly creamy with a good caramel malt foundation. After about half of a can I start picking up light vanilla and chocolate notes. Very solid stuff. The flavors are tasty and this stuff is incredibly drinkable. Brown Ales are not necessarily boring anymore!

From a 16oz can. Pours a dark brown, semi-transparent color with a massive serving of thick, well sustaining beige head. Nutty aroma of toasted peanut skins that are balanced nicely by a wave of perfumy hops that contain notes of marigold petals, gentle pine, and celery leaf. A bit of graham cracker and cookie dough support the malt aroma nicely. Light to medium bodied, silky smooth mouthfeel. Soft on the palate, but not overly chewy. The malt character is much stronger than the aroma let me believe. Plenty of toasted bread crust, hazelnut, and a hint of unsweetened baker’s chocolate give this a refreshingly dry palate. Clean finish, with a subtle white grapefruit hoppiness left lingering with some toasted oatmeal. A very satisfying example of the style without deviating to extremes. Thanks, Tom!

16oz can from the new roommate Megan (what’s better than a roommate that brings you beer back from their weekend vacation?!?!). Dark brown almost black color with large, creamy tan head. Aroma is caramel and light pine hops, and chocolate. Flavor is nice roasted malt, med sweet, pine hops, light chocolate, quite a lot of flavor. Very nice body to balance out flavor, ful bodied and creamy. A very good beer.

can. this takes the cake for the best beer out of a can that I’ve had. Sorry Dales. black/maple pour. tan creamy head. Big roasted malt aroma. smooth. mollases, slight sourness in the malts, oats. great balance. Delicious.

Can - Pours mahogany with a nice creamy tan head that’s gone pretty quickly. Lots of sweet malt in the nose, giving off caramel, vanilla, raisins, and just a touch of alcohol. Taste isn’t quite as good out of the can as I remember on tap. It’s sour and milky and finishes with some bitter chocolate, coffee, and hops. A little watery, but with enough body to still feel a little creamy. Not my favorite Surly brew, but still very solid.

Perfect pour into a nonic. Deep opaque brown with a perfect crest of tan foam. Gobs of lacing on the glass, and pretty nice retention. Great sweet malt aroma with a dose of nuttiness and a hint of hops. Malt flavors up front with toasty caramel and a bit of chocolate, then nutty/oaty notes wash through, leaving a mild hoppy finish. This would make for an incredible session beer if I had more than one here in California. Really smooth in body and taste.