Surly Bender

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

Serve in Dimpled mug

Hoppy. Malty. Dark. A brown ale that mixes up genres. Bit of Double IPA. Bit of stout tastes like chocolate and vanilla. One of the best American brown ales I have had.

thanks to xnohatex for this sample. pours dark and creamy tan head. nose is nice with brown sugar, vanilla, and toasted malts. flavor is rich and complex for a brown ale, notes of vanilla, chocolate, and caramel. tasty stuff for sure.

Creamy mouthfeel is the highlight here. A nicely/slightly bitter brown with toast and bread flavors, backed by milk. Fast filling, so drink slow.

On tap at Ike’s in the MSP Airport: Pours a ruby brown with a demium creamy tan head. Aroma is light chocolate and hazelnut, some woody hop bitterness and a light burnt vanilla. Flavour is nice dark roast malt, again hazelnut and bitter bakers chocolate. Hop tones balanced out with the roast nut flavours well as you drink. A little thin on the palate for me which kept it from being really really good.

Pours a great looking deep chestnut brown with a sturdy khaki head. Nutty and light spice malt notes on the nose with a bit of hops. Nice creamy palate. Slightly sweet nutty taste with a twinge of hops in the middle, yielding to a mellow malt finish. A great brown ale and a real nice-looking beer.

can thanks to tyto. a damn good brown ale. nice and malty, not too heavy, but a great mouthfeel for what it is.

suprised to see this spread out to the burbs and available at old chicago. had 4 beers this evening and this was definitely my favorite. nice balance of coffee malt and piney hops with a slight metalic finish. nicely done, cannot wait for more.

UPDATED: NOV 16, 2007 Tap @ Map Room in Chicago. I had it after the Surly Darkness, so my tasting might be a little off. A very flavorful Brown, more complex flavors than the average brown ale. I enjoyed it a lot. One of the better browns I have had.