Surly Bender

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

Serve in Dimpled mug

Pours a dark red amber with a small mocha head. Aroma at first is a combination of hops which are pine and pineapple. Once it oxygenates it smells sweet with caramel and toffee notes. Taste is carbonated with hints of light chocolate and darker malts, and finishes off with just the right amount of bitterness. I expected worse for this style but this is very enjoyable.

UPDATED: SEP 8, 2009 16 oz. can. Very complex beer out of a Can. Pour is deep brown with tan head. Flavor is oatmeal and malt, and exceptionally smooth. On top of being very smooth, many different flavors are found. Floral, citrus, herbs. Certainly hop in the finish. Very well constructed beer, one of the better I have had in awhile.

Can. Sweet nose with coffee, chocolate, and toffee. Reddish brown with dark brown head. Quite thin with lots of caramel sweetness and a touch of chocolate. Opens thin but finishes very smooth and thickens out a touch towards the end. Very nice for the style.

Tasty and well-put-together dark ale, rich enough to sip and ponder but just light enough to gulp if you want. Pours dark brown with amber-red highlights, tall and lovely tan head. Nose is lighter chocolates with some sweeter notes like cola and sugared coffee with cream. Flavor offers a nice balance of roasty, moderate sweetness and an equally moderate, sneaking bitterness. This all rides on a soft and creamy, fairly thick mouthfeel. Would be a natural match for a nice cheeseburger.

On tap at Jerry’s. Red-brown with good, foamy tan head / Toasty, winey, molasses nose / Medium body, a little thin and fizzy, with balance of malts and hops, and good, creamy hop finish / Flavors of roast malts, oatmeal, sherry, nuts, and cocoa / Very nice - a few tweaks and it’s excellent.

Surly is still somewhat new and I am waiting to try more from these guys. I have gained an obsession with this brewery and this one is a very easy drinking, smooth Brown ale with tons of flavor. I tend to lean to a more hoppy beer but this one is a winner. I like the cans too.

16oz can Recieved this in a recent trade with mully, thanks Matt! Bender pours dark mahogany, bordering on a dark brown, that glows when backlit. The craggy beige head grew to a finger on the pour and left good lacing on its way down. Big aromas from a lower abv brew. Big whiff of brown bread off the bat followed by a touch of rye like spiciness. Coffee, caramel and a swirling of vanilla join the party and make for an interesting brown. Mildly spicy fruity hoppiness toward the back. Lots of complexity in the nose! The flavor mirrors the aroma nicely. The only difference I come across is a (more than the nose suggested) generous hopping that are all at once fruity and spicy. I even get a touch of that leathery goodness found in some other brews. This is an exciting brown ale and I don’t think I’ve ever said that before. The oats add a nice creamy texture that really helps this beer stand apart. Medium bodied and incredibly smooth. The drinkability is way up there. The low(er) abv and big flavor make for a great session beer. Another home run from Surly! This is an exciting, delicious brown ale. Keep it up over there guys. 3/30/08

Poured dark brown with off white head. Aroma of roasted malt. Couldn’t get much out of it. Strong roasted malt flavor with a sweet caramel finish.