Surly Bender

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

Serve in Dimpled mug

A deep brown pour with ruby highlights and a tan head. It has a light caramel and chocolate aroma mixed with some floral hops. The medium body begins mildly sweet with a sticky texture. It bitters up in the middle before a lightly roasted finish.

I’ll say I’m not a fan of this style, but this is a decent beer. Pours a bit transparent brown, great aroma, and a great flavor to put down. I enjoy their staple Furious more. Even more so their Wet and Darkness which are both phenomenal.

From a can into a glass. This beer has a great malt-hop balance, a good amount of character in the malt and yeast make this common style unique, although not over the top. A great carmel finish, and nice clean, but present hop flavors.

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.

Brew courtesy of dalzale, thanks greg. I’ve been waiting to try this for sometime now and it doesn’t disappoint. This is one of the best brown’s i’ve had. I look forward to future surly beers.

Another Minnesota treat. My 1st canned micro. Pours very dark brown in glass. Ruby to light. Smooth tan head. Sweet smells of oat, chocolate, and hop. Excellent mouth. Nutty malt and creamy vanilla taste. Crispy hops highlight the oat and coffee on the dry finish. Nice lacing. REALLY great beer.

A: Deep, clear, burgandy color. The pour produced almost two fingers of tan head that retained extreemly well, and left tons of leggy lace. A: Big roasty malts. Very nutty. I also get a prominent chocolate, a small amount of coffee, and a nice earthiness. T: Again, this is all about the malts. Very nice blend of the roasty and chocolate malts. The earthiness from the hops helps the beer to finish slightly dry, with a small bitterness. M: Silky smooth mouthfeel from this medium body beer. Very light carbonation. D and overall impression: Drinkability is high, given the low abv and the tastiness of the malts. Overall, this is one fine beer. Just a great example of how malts can be used. If all other Surly offerings are as nice as this, I can’t wait to try more. Skal.

The beer is a very dark brown, with a surprisingly very light tan head. There is about 3 fingers of head, great retention and lacing. The aroma is medium with a light coffee in it. The taste is actually really good for a brown, which is one of my least favorite styles. It is very flavorful, not overwhelming and very drinkable.