Surly Bender

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

Serve in Dimpled mug

can, pours dark brown with a medium tan head. Aroma is brown sugar, toffee, and carmel malt. Delicious bitter sweet malt with notes of chocolate and coffee. Finishes slightly spicey with notes of clove and pepper. Really nice sessionable brown ale.

Thanks to MuenchenerKindl for the chance to try this one A 16 oz shinny can poured into a pint glass two fingers of tan head on top of a mahogany brown body Aromas of oatmeal, roasted malts, coffee, chocolate and some light hops Taste great lots of sweat malty goodness along with chocolate with a nice light hops to balance it all out Smooth and creamy awesome palate on this one Great brown ale I could drink these all night real easy drinking

16 oz. can acquired via trade with tennisjoel. Dark brown pour with a foamy tan head. Aroma of roasted malts with light vanilla notes and some floral hops. Very good full-flavored roasted malt flavor along with some hints of chocolate, smoke, and coffee. This is probably the best brown ale I have ever had. Whereas I find most of them to be rather dull this is more of a slightly lighter version of a porter. Very nicely done.

Poured a very dark brown with mahogany hints when held up to light. Off-white head is nearly two inches thick and shows some retention and great lacing. Smell is of roasted malts, oatmeal, and a bit of coffee. There is also a subtle brown sugar or molasses sweetness. Smells are all very subtle and the nose is not overpowering. Taste starts with the sweetness up front with molasses, caramel malts and some nuts. This flows into a coffee and oatmeal taste that gives way to the hops which are much more present than in the aroma. The finish is crisp with a slight hop bitterness. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, extremely smooth and creamy with moderate carbonation. This is one hell of a sessionable brown ale and I could drink it all night long. Extremely well balanced and easy going down. Highly recommended!

16 oz. can from dalzale- thanks again, Greg! Pours a somewhat cloudy brown with a small tan head. Nice, straightforward aroma: roasted malts, caramel, vanilla, brown sugar, oats, and light coffee notes. The flavor really pops, though, with roasted malts, toast, nuts, coffee, chocolate, vanilla, brown sugar, and oats. I had the Coffee Bender a couple months ago, and this is better to me because the coffee notes are turned way down and the others emerge. Medium-bodied, with average carbonation and a roasty mouthfeel and finish. Excellent brown ale.

UPDATED: JUL 27, 2008 Can thanks to tytoanderso. Pours a deep brown color with ruby highlights in the light and a beige head that receded to a ring. Nice malty aroma with some hints of caramel, chocolate, and a nice oat and nuttiness. Definitely one of the better brown aroma’s I have encountered. Nice, chocolaty malt entry gives way to sweet, caramel flavor with nice oat and even coffee undertones. Pretty creamy body for 5%, and thoroughly enjoyable. Thanks Tyler, I liked it a lot.

12 oz glass on tap at the galway tribes (frankfort, I’ll). Pours an extremely dark brown, slightly hazed, with ruby highlight and brown moderatr head that laces. Aromas are heavy on coffee and brown roasty malts up front, coffee and tobacco mix in. Initial is very chocolatey and tobacco, mixes well with a touch of smokiness, coffee, and overall very welcoming malt profile. Light bitterness, but the malt really steals the show. Flavors are spectacular, balanced, quite yummy. Complex. Another kudos to the fine people at Surly Brewing. Cheers

Pours a nice dark brown with a tan head. The aroma is thick with malt, vanilla, toffee and oatmeal. The flavor is very nicely balanced with a good amount of malt sweetness, coupled with lots of vanilla and a very pronounced velvety oatmeal flavor. That oatmeal smoothness carries over very nicely to the palate, lending the brew a very smooth mouthfeel. Overall another great brew from Surly.