Surly SurlyFest

Brewed by Surly Brewing Company
Style: Oktoberfest/Märzen
Brooklyn Center, Minnesota USA

Serve in Dimpled mug, Lager glass, Stein

What a strange beer. Definetly not your average Oktoberfest beer. Pours a amber color with a good sized white head. Excellent lacing. Very hoppy floral aroma. Sweet on the front end with some hop bitterness on the back end.

Can. Pours a dark, clear amber with tons of bubbles rising to the top feeding a cream-colored head that lingers for a long time leaving generous lacing. The aroma is much hoppier than I expected with both citrus hops and some more earthy grassy hops as well. There is a bready malt aroma and a hint of rye, but just a hint. The taste leans more on the earthy hops with a bitter kick up front before giving way to the bready malts. The rye actually comes out more as it warms and is most evident in the finish. The mouthfeel is super creamy but with lots of carbonation. Fairly heavy for the style, but very much to my liking! This is definitely not what I expected from a rye beer (or a fest beer for that matter). Nonetheless, it’s a great beer and one that I highly recommend.

Pours golden brown with a tan head. Not overly carbonated. Aroma was of hops, spice, yeast, and caramel. Taste of hops and spice, with notes of caramel and nutty malts. Very light on the palate. Weaker than I had anticipated.

Pours a deep golden color with a fluffy white head that settles into a film with good lacing. Aroma is fairly heavily hopped for the style, but is complemented nicely by some sweet caramel malt notes...very nice! Flavor is, well, damn good! Again, heavy on the hops for the style (they do caveat strongly that this is not a Oktoberfest to style), but there is a very, very strong caramel malt presence, along with some notes of citrus and some light spice and toasted nut flavors. Palate is very clean and refreshing, but there’s some body to this one as well...very good! Surly continues to impress me with some of their interpretations of traditional styles, and this one fit that bill.

This is not like other Oktoberfest beers I have been obliged to drink. This is good, very good. Nice balance of flavors, sweet and nutty, bit of hops in it’s backbone, good mouth-feel. Probably the first Oktoberfest beer I will seek out.

Tap at Kuma’s. I don’t care that this isn’t really a festbier, it’s a damn great beer. Pours a slightly hazy gold, fluffy white head. Nose is strongly of C-hops, or apparently Summit. Whatever, it’s not like an Oktoberfest beer I’ve ever seen or smelled. On taste, it’s a subtle and clean malt body with a nice bit of bitterness and clean, hoppy finish. Damn fine.

Can from mashmaster, thanks! Amber color. Grapefruit, grapes and grassy hops in the aroma. Sharp citric, almost vinous flavor with grassy hops, grapefruit and pineapple. Very a-typical, but likeable festbier.

Can thanks to GMCC2181. Poured a nice amber color with small head. Aroma was nice with a little spice to it, and grassy hops. Taste is well balanced and has a bread taste to it along with spice and hops. Nice texture.