Surly Darkness

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

Serve in Snifter

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[On-tap at Blue Nile] Pours black with a large dark tan head. Aroma is chocolate and hops mainly when first poured. As it warmed, roasted malt, brown sugar, some smoke and light alcohol became evident. Taste is citrus hops (fairly restrained bitterness) up front, then a lot of roasted malt and chocolate. An unidentifiable fruitiness is in there, along with a bit of alcohol. Very, very thick. Long finish, smooth. The mouthfeel is amazingly thick--probably beats out HOTD Adam as the thickest that I have ever had. This is a beer that is worth the hype.

GABF ’07. Pours black with an average, rocky, light brown head, lasting with fair lacing. Aroma is heavy malt (cookie, caramel, nutty, toasted grain), light hops (herbs, grass), average yeast (leather, earth) with notes of charcoal. Full bodied, gritty texture, lively carbonation, and a chalky finish. Average duration, moderate sweetness, light acidity and bitterness.

UPDATED: AUG 15, 2008 GABF 2007 Draft Jesus. This is an outstanding beer. Aroma is huge fresh hops and molasses. Pour is, well, dark. Taste is all yummy summit hops (dank onion and orange), black strap, cocoa, and dark fruit. The best beer of the fest, but it was close (2006 Redline from Rock Bottom was amazing also). 959518 ----- 2008 Cask and draft: only difference was improved cask mouthfeel- maybe. Aroma is rich, velvety chocolate, a lot of sugar, and imposing coffee, orange hops, and vanilla flavors. Taste is very cloyingly sweet, lots of oranges. Tastes like sugar, chocolate, coffee-covered oranges. Way too cloyingly sweet and under-attenuated. Finishes sugary, chocolatey, hoppy orange. A fucking mess. 846414

Nice rich and rounded nose with nuances of bakers cocoa, liquorice, toffee, espresso and vanilla. Big mouthfeel that is not at all cloying or astringest. Very earthy and full of ripe dark fruit flavors toward the finish.

Draft @ Brewery: Pours black with thick brown head. Nose of columbus hops, musty and intense cocoa. The flavor is rich with hops, licorice and spruce, a hop forward imperial stout with sweet plum notes. Not that intense in the finish, good and balanced, I was expecting a monster.

I had this on draught at the Autumn Brew Review in Minneapolis. Very dark in color with a caramel/tan head. More flavor in every sip. Sweet cocoa chocolate flavor.

UPDATED: OCT 25, 2010 Draft at ABR. My first Darkness! I’ve had the BA, but not this one. Aroma of roasted malt, licorice, alcohol, leather, wood and some dusty, dry hops. Sticky pour. Jet black with a creamy, dark khaki head. Rich, sweet flavor of malt, tobacco, leather, wet wood, chocolate and coffee. There are a fair amount of hops lurking in the background as well. Loads and loads of flavor. Big, rich and creamy on the palate with excellent carbonation. Did not disappoint.

11/3/2007 Tap at the Blue Nile. Lots of roasted malt. Vibrant hop profile. Coffee, dark chocolate, vanilla and alcohol. Rich, creamy and quite full bodied.

11/17/2008 Multiple servings of 2008 on draft. Holy hops! Very green hop flavor this year. Wet, oily and resinous hops meld seamlessly with a sick amount of smooth, roasted and chocolaty malt. Incredibly thick and viscous on the tongue. A velvet reacharound as my good buddy Mark says. Yup.. this beer is all that.

09 Cask rating. 2009 has WAY less hops than 08. This one’s all about the malt. Huge chocolate, roasty nose. The alcohol presence is a bit more pronounced this year as well. Flavor is loaded with roasty chocolaty goodness. Like an alcoholic chocolate shake. If I could give a 10 for palate I would. Absolutely the most decadent mouth feel of any beer I have ever had. Can’t wait to try 09 from the tap and not cask!

2010 fresh bottle * not quite as hoppy as previous years. though still a good dose of pine on the nose and a lingering bitterness on the finish. * substantially better attenuated than 08 + 09. much drier lacking the syrupy/sugary sweetness of the last two batches * a bit more char (ashy/charred wood) and less milk chocolate than 09 (perhaps due to less residual sugars?) * i think this year will take to oak/barrel aging quite well * cleaner and less messy than 08/09 but still falls short of fresh 06/07

UPDATED: JAN 17, 2009
Date: January 06, 2007
Mode: Hand Bottled
Source: Tasting
Vintage: 2006
Appearance: black, wispy tan head, drops of lace
Aroma: rich sweet chocolate and licorice aroma with a hint of roasted
Flavor: rich sweet flavor, lots of dark chocolate, light bitter finish, just a hint of alcohol in the aroma and flavor

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 8/10; Flavor: 8/10; Palate: 8/10; Overall: 17/20
Rating: 4/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: ***+/4

Date: June 23, 2007
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewery
Vintage: 2007
getting lots more dark chocolate in the aroma and flavor and less of the sweetness, the sweetness does come back in the form of some milk chocolate,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 8/10; Flavor: 8/10; Palate: 8/10; Overall: 17/20
Rating: 4/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: ***+/4

Date: November 01, 2008
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting, Cellar Party
Vintage: 2008
Appearance: black, fine brown head, bits of drippy lace
Aroma: rich roasted malt aroma, lots of dark chocolate, light dark caramel sweetness, touch of piney sweetness
Body: big body
Flavor: rich chocolate flavor, lots of dark caramel sweetness, lots of roasted comes in to leave a long bitter finish, plenty of hops to go along with the bitterness

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 8/10; Flavor: 8/10; Palate: 8/10; Overall: 18/20
Rating: 4.1/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: ***+/4

RBSG: Pitch black color, appealing in all aspects in appearence. Sweet thick body with contrasting grass hop bite. Gotta say the hops kind of bothered me with this one. Still a fine brew from a fine brewery.

RBSG brewery tour. Sweet aroma of chocolate a hint of another malt as well. A black pour with a medium dark tan foamy head that you could almost walk on. A semi sweet chocolate flavor that is more like coco than milk chocolate. The texture and mouthfeel are solid as well. The mouthfeel is almost like chocolate syrup without being sticky. A very specialoffeing from a very special brewery. A beer that finishes very well it leaves the special sweet bitter finish.