Surly Darkness

Brewed by Surly Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Brooklyn Center, Minnesota USA

Black pour, rich malt nose full of sugary smoke. Rich malt flavor, alcohol and candi sugar with some chocolate and coffee. medium bodied, tangy and sweet. Loved it.

On tap at the Maproom. Pours inky black with a fluffly dark tan colored head. Aroma is chocolate, coffee, peat, earth. Flavor is chocolate, coffee, roast, peat. Palate is full bodied, mild carbonation, finished ultra-bitter. Great stuff.

Aroma: smoke, peat moss, minerals, mustiness
Appearance: dark brown-->black, tan head, lacing
Flavor: smokiness, peatiness, minerals, some cream, some bittersweet chocolate, some coffee, some light cream, grassiness
Palate: dry, dankness, peat moss and mineral aftertaste, with some coco powder and some coffee grounds

Big thanks to Mike for this one. Bottle #257. Dark black color with a frothy tan head that leaves bubble lacing on the glass. Chalky roasted chocolate aroma with light smoke, floral hops, and licorice in the background. Flavor is wonderfully roasted, smoky, piny bitter, and ashy finish. Very nice and tasty but not overly impressive or unique.

750mL bottle, #257, courtesy of acrdz. Thanks, Mike and Ann! Pours a pitch-black color; fluffy light-tan head with fine-bubbled lacing and excellent retention; a gorgeous, viscous pour. Pleasant amounts of roasted malts, oatmeal, and chewy dark chocolate in the aroma; toasty and well-integrated nose. Full mouthfeel: loads of chocolate (dark, bitter baker’s), roasted malts, and toasted grain upfront; intense levels of dark chocolate, roasted malts, and husks; wow, this is a solid, dense, tasty imperial stout; some roasted peanuts and smokiness / roast comes through as well. Lengthy finish, showing roasted malts, bitter & milk chocolate, and even a touch of pineyness coming through.

Bottle #257, Courtesy of acrdz. Black body with a medium sized tan head, lasting. Slightly green nose with chocolate, molasses and plums. The flavor is moderately sweet, lightly bitter with lots of milk chocolate, dark fruits, lots of toffee, light molasses, a strange graininess and vanilla. Full body is soft, sticky and chewy with moderate carbonation and a bit of astringency in the finish.

750ml bottle thanks to OSLO. First impressions of the nose is a bit confusing: some greenish hops and celery notes, some hard roast, some chocolate syrup, and some yogurt-like yeast, but when warmer there’s some wheat germ and moldy grains going on (even some musty cannibus). First taste is very thick, very frothy, very chewy, some charred cocoa, some ashy bakers chocolate, some more greens and leaves and basil and such. Super chalky chocolate, and thankfully the hops aren’t so huge in the flavor as much as they are in the nose. Thick, viscous pancakes and oatmeal, very donut-like (the whole glazed sugar and dough and chocolate thing). The long-lasting finish has some more of the green qualities, along with some pasty chalk and wood. Can’t say I’m blown away, I think the biggest drawback is the liquid smoke-steak deal in the nose when it’s warmed, but for sure it’s a delicious imperial stout and unlike most out there.

[29Mar08] Managed to snag a sample of the 2006 batch at the grand re-opening for Acadia Cafe. Pours a brown-black body with brown head. Aroma of cocoa and malts. Flavor is more of the same along with some coffee and maybe caramel. Mouthfeel and body seem a little light for this style. Cocoa finish with a hint of hops. Not very complex as I would expect for a beer of this caliber. {6/5/6/3/14}

[30Mar09] Bottle, 2008 vintage. Pours a pitch black body with a soapy, light brown head. Nice aroma of grapefruit hops and dark malts. Flavor of burnt malt, chocolate, grapefruit hops, and maybe a hint of coffee. Medium to heavy body with an oily mouthfeel. Bitter hop and cocoa finish. For me, the grapefruit hops seem a little distracting for a imperial stout, imparting an odd sweetness and basically distract from what isn’t a very complex flavor profile. {6/5/7/4/14}