3.9 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
Ah, the $205 glass of beer. I wouldn’t have had a chance to try Bender, but for missing a flight to NYC (and $100/each in fees for my wife and I to get on a later flight.) So with an hour suddenly free, I remembered that Surly’s website mentions that you can get Bender at Ike’s in the airport, so off we went. It was really fun that even the 60-something waitress there also knew they had Surly, and was happy to talk about this exciting new local brewer. (It strikes me as a really healthy sign for the craft beer movement when what the "normal" craft beer fan looks like is less and less predictable.)
On to the beer. Gold highlighted-brown, small sticky cap of light tan. Coffee, brown bread aroma--creamy and fresh. Dry toast flavor, caramel, robust bitterness, lingering rustic bread sweetness. An unpretentious beer, done with skillful, bold strokes. Yum.
3.9 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
Courtesy of Ryan. Brown, minimal beige head, fades to ring. Huge caramel/crystal aroma up front, faint chocolate, hops seem a little old. Flavor much the same. Huge caramel, nutty character through the middle. Spicy/herbal hops in backend. Creamy/smooth mouthfeel.
3.9 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 16/20
Can thanks to Tytoanderso. Rich nutty caramel malt, accented with floral hops in the back. Chocolate, cherry, toffee. Creamy texture, tastes like a root beer float at times. Very good for a brown ale. Manages to be flavorful and interesting without going over the top.
3.9 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
UPDATED: MAY 31, 2007 Can (1 pint). Shared with LagerLoather, courtesy of Oakbluff. Nearly opaque clear mahogany with a decent lasting creamy/rocky mottled beige/tan head. Solid aroma of chocolate malt, well-roasted, the nutty sweetness well-balanced by solid herbal, slightly funky fresh hops - very good. The taste follows, dark almost burnt roast malt, chocolate and a hint of coffee beans, cereal grain softness and balancing hop bitterness (not much alcohol). Body is light but a little chewy, nicely astringent, perfect carbonation, and it has a nice lingering slightly lactic roast finish. Excellent.
3.9 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
Draft at the Surly brewery, RBSG 2007. Dark ruby with a beige head. Malty sweet nose, nutty, a mild astringency is noted. Mildly sweet flavors of malt and nuts, a bit earthy, some creamy caramel hints. Velvety smooth body. A big brown, and a well done one at that!
3.9 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
16oz can from iowaherkeye. Thanks Joey. Served at cellar temperature. Poured a lovely clear dark brown-garnet color. Head was thick, creamy, and light brown with good retention and lacing. Aroma was predominantly of milk chocolate and malted milk balls with whiffs of raisin and peanut. Delicately sweet, medium bodied, and fairly smooth. Tasted of milk chocolate, nuts, subdued flowery hops, light raisin, and a touch of caramel. Yum. Not your typical brown ale.
3.9 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
Can: Pours a reddish brown, off white head. Aroma, caramel, brown sugar, and some earthy notes. Flavor, roasty, caramel, brown sugar, some slight smoky quality, and some earthy and citrusy notes. Pretty damn good.
3.9 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
UPDATED: MAR 21, 2006 On tap at the Blue Nile. Got to meet Pigfoot, who works there. This is my first from this new brewer, and this one did not disappoint. Bready flavor, with roasted nut and coffee overtones. Head was light brown, mostly diminishing. A clear body. Hard to categorize the style, but nonetheless, it was enjoyable. I can’t wait to try the furious; I’ve heard it’s pretty good from others.
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