Surly Smoke Lager

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

Serve in Dimpled mug, Lager glass, Stein

On tap at the GTMW 2011. Very dark brown with a large pillowy brown head. Aroma is of smoked dark malts – more woodsy than meaty, mild dark fruits and notes of coffee and toffee. Taste lives up to the name and is very smoky with notes of coffee, chocolate, dark fruit as well.

750ml bottle from a generous BA trader. Dark brown with a tiny head that quickly fades to nothing, big oily legs. Aroma is lots of smoke with hints of chocolate, dark fruit and roasted malts. Flavor is acidic smoke, lightly sweet chocolate malt and a noticeable alcohol heat. Medium to full body with very mild carbonation and thick, oily mouth feel. Good beer but suffers a bit from the low carbonation, still glad I got a chance to try this one.

Sampled on draft at GTMW 2011. Pours a dark reddish brown color with a large creamy tan head. Good head retention and lacing. Aroma of toffee, cherries and smoke. The taste is smoke. Big smoke. Caramel and berries also. Medium bodied.

This beer has amazing taste, the color is mouth watering and the smell is also.

Poured from a 750 ml bottle into a Darkness snifter. A- Dark black color, one finger beige head, dissipates quickly, big bubbles left over, splotchy lacing, well carbonated. S- Not how I remembered it, really smoky, big bacon aroma, roasted malt, really one dimensional smell. T- Again really smoky as well, I’ve had this couple of times on tap at separate occasions, I’m a little let down by the bottled version. The two times on tap the beers were so much more complex and I was able to pick out different flavors in the beer, all I’m getting is smoky bacon flavors, slight roasted malts, some roasted coffee, but it’s all in the background. M- Medium mouth feel, decent carbonation, the smoke flavor really coats the mouth. O- My expectations were so high from the previous times I had it on tap, which is why I was a little let down when I finally tried this bottle and all that stood out was the smoky roasted bacon flavors, that said this is still a solid quality beer.

Bottle pours deep mahogany, almost black, with a khaki head. Aroma shows notes of smoke, salted meat, dark chocolate, oak, and roasted nuts. Flavor shows the same with additional notes of coffee, molasses, light ash, and toasted marshmallow.

Bottle from Cracked Kettle, Amsterdam. Pours black as Coke with a small tanned head. Aroma is slightly smoked, light and subdued, some chocolate. Taste is smooth, malty with a nice smoked addition, dark fruits, liquorice and coffee, lingering moderate sweet aftertaste.

750 ml bottle, kindly shared by gunnar. ABV was 8.2%. Black colour, moderate beige head. Smoky aroma, notes of tar and bonfires at the seaside. Smoky flavour, notes of smoked meat and roasted malts.