3.8 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 17/20
UPDATED: MAY 23, 2009 Poured a brownish brown with a small but inviting cream head. Smelled great - loads of caramel with nicely contrasting floral hops. Probably the most complex brown ale I’ve ever sampled - caramel, hazelnut, small traces of cocoa and coffee are all offset with a surprisingly hoppy finish. Medium mouthfeel and carbonation. Yet another Surly product to which I wish I had easier access!
3.8 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
16oz can. Dark brown with a light tan head. Very roasty with a big coffee aroma. Bitter flavor, with more coffee and some chocolate and a real nice hop kick in the finish. Pretty tasty.
3.8 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
Tap at a few places in Minneapolis. Pours a somewhat clear, brown colored body with a finger-width, creamy, tan head that dissipates slowly and leaves a nice lacing. Aroma is some nice brown maltiness with lots of rich caramels and chocolates, a good amount of earth, and a light roast. Some cocoa powder, a very light coffee, nuts, vanilla, and brown sugar. Flavor is similar. Very nice array of caramels, chocolates, toffees, brown sugar, and roasts. Some more cocoa powder, earth, nuts, oatmeal cookies, and coffee. Ends smooth and dry with a rich and malty, roasty, earthy, somewhat bitter finish that leaves a lengthy aftertaste. Very smooth, medium body and a moderate, creamy carbonation. Overall, a very nice brown ale. Extremely easy drinking and flavorful with a solid balance. A pleasure.
3.8 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20
Pours a dark reddish-brown with a good-sized head. Complex mix of flavors--coffee, chocolate, nuts, etc. Very smooth-drinking and delicious. Not quite as intensely (or overpoweringly) full of hops as Furious. This is my favorite Surly beer.
3.8 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
16 oz can brought back by my dear friend Kathy from her trip to the frozen tundra of Minnesota. Nice brown pour with hints of red and a decent fluffy tan head. Big whiff of chocolate and oatmeal with some light hop aroma as well. Nice flavors of caramel, chocolate and oatmeal with a surprisingly large hop bite for the style. Very enjoyble and I cannot wait to break into the Furious she brought me!
3.8 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
Draft. Clear brown with no head. Aroma: Roast malt with some caramel. Sweet flavored. Simple easy drinker, but not very complex.
3.8 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 17/20
Chocolate, toasty malt and oats flavor with definite hops. Very good beer. For me, Surly can at times be somewhat choppy but when they get it right, my hometown brewers get it really right! More hoppy and dark for the style but its good. I don’t detect as much bitter as I would normally expect from the hop profile. It’s way at the end
3.8 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
Thick and sticky, gotta love this one. Quite different than the DIPA/RIS school I have been used to, perhaps that contributed to my positive image of this beer. Very close to a porter, but not. This may very well be the most difficult beer I have had to review. I’ll put it this way, it’s good.
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