Surly Coffee Bender

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

Serve in Dimpled mug, Shaker

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12.06.2013, pint can @ home: Nice mediumlasting head. Aroma is lots of coffee, chili, caramel, dark malts, chocolate, licorice. Taste is kind of watery, dark malts, coffee, chili, burnt caramel, grass, nuts, chocolate. Medium bitterness. Nice, but somehow I expected a lot more from this one.

Great from a beer perspective, horrid from a coffee perspective. A little too bitter. Over-extracted coffee reigns supreme in this one. Still have yet to find a brown ale or other brew with added coffee that doesn’t make my nose turn up. Meh.

Rich, coffee-heavy, with modest accents of caramel, burnt toast, and roasted barley, this is a good breakfast beer or after-dinner drink. The coffee is, however, overly strong and creates a somewhat limited range of flavors and aromas, rendering the beer somewhat one-dimensional. I would probably not seek this out again given the difficulty in obtaining it - it’s easier to just make a dark cup of coffee and add some sweetener and ice. Pours a 2.5cm tall head of beige foam, small to medium sized bubbles, with above average retention, lasting over two minutes as it fades to a thick ring around the glass with a thin residual head resting atop the body. Good lacing, in many patterns. Body is a transparent, deep amber color, light bringing out strong red hues. Carbonation is visible rising from the bottom of the glass in moderate number and velocity. Aroma of coffee grounds, slight chocolate-caramel malt influences, and an iron-like scent rounding things out. There’s truth in the name here: there is definitely coffee in this beer, but the exclusion of much else. To me, it comes across as a bit one-dimensional. Tasting opens with sweetish coffee, black with a substantial sweetness and touch of cream to it, somewhat stale. Mild roasted barley, burnt toast, and vanilla round out the edges. Mid-palate is like black coffee and grounds, acrid bitterness, light cumin, roasted barley, and burnt toast. Back of palate finds more black coffee, coffee grounds, acridness from coffee, light chocolate, caramel, and vanilla. Aftertaste of black coffee with marginal chocolate and caramel malt. Beer is medium to medium-light in body, with carbonation of medium intensity, leading to a mouthfeel of light foam and general smoothness. Closes with medium dryness and astringency from coffee, with little residual stickiness.

Can @ home... it pours light brown with a small light tan head... the aroma is dominated coffee beans (used coffee filter) the flavor is coffee, some caramel, strong english the and some dark chocolate.... very nice...

Draught @ CBC 2013. Pours clear amber with a diminishing frothy beige medium head. Aroma is filter coffee, caramel, roasted malt and chocolate. Taste is light+ sweet and bitter. Body is light+, texture is thin/oily, carbonation is soft. Finishes hoppy and dry.

Tap at The Happy Gnome. Dark, clear brown, just-off-white head. Nose is straight up black coffee, slightly creamed. A little bit of roasty nut. Full mouthfeel, tons and tons of cold pressed coffee. Clean finish, barely astringent. Easy drinking.

Tap @ CBC 2013. The pour’s deep amber with a small head. The nose is strong roasted coffee. Hazelnut spread. Some toasted brown bread. The taste is coffee, chewy toffee candy. Dunkin’ donut. Quite sweet. Medium body, soft carbonation. Overall, fine, not really my thing.

On tap @CBC13. Fark brown with offwhite head. Aroma and taste of roasted malt, coffee, espresso, chocolate notes. Lots of well-tasting coffee, the beer gives a fresh impression

On tap in Butcher & The Boar, Minneapolis. Dark brown in colour. Very strong coffee aroma, some mocha, hint of oatmeal, rather brief thin finish. I found the sweetness and curious lack of bitterness made this one a bit tough to get through. Coffee beers are nice enough for a change, I wouldn’t drink them regularly, and this was ok.

Tap @ CBC 2013. Pours clear chestnut with a small, creamy, beige head. Aroma has lots of coffee, light pepper, caramel, light chocolate. Medium carbonation, dry and light mouthfeel. Flavour is malty, bitter, cocoa, coffee, herbal, light astringent finish.