Surly Wet 2009 & 2010

Formerly brewed at Surly Brewing Company
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Brooklyn Center, Minnesota USA

Serve in Shaker, Tulip

send corrections   |   shelftag   |   edit barcodes   |   update pic

I got a four pack thanks to Lenny1203, thanks a lot man. Me and my friends each drank a can and we all agreed that this was a pretty good beer. I think this may be the best wet hop beer I have ever had. It really captures the hop oil in the aroma and the taste, its strong and distinctive. This is easily identified as wet hopped and I honestly can’t think of how to define teh flavor other than super hoppy and dank. Not much pine or citrus that I could detect, this was all humulus lupus, fresh nugs. I wish I could buy this. Serving type: bottle Reviewed on: 10-29-2010 03:49:45

Old rating. Poured yellowish with nice hop aromas. A sticky, hoppy beer. Very nice wet beer.

Pale amber pour with a tight white head. The nose is softly hoppy and peppery with a bit of chewy peppery hoppiness. A little bit zesty and herbal with some lightly hoppy chewiness. Herbal and peppery with a lingering herbal spiciness.

Can shared by drabmuh. Thanks Matt! A: Clear, light orange with a decent sized white head that leaves a fair amount of lacing on the glass. S: Resinous hops, pine. T: Very fresh and hop forward. Great tasting beer. Pine and hops, similar in some aspects to Surly Furious. M: Alcohol hidden very well. Very nice feel on the palate. D: Very drinkable and enjoyable. Definitely recommended. Serving type: can Reviewed on: 10-31-2010

pours a clear crisp slightly orange and deep gold with a massive foamy pillow head. lacing all over and great retention. light dank hops with a slightly sweet malt profile. very resiny and earthy all around with a quite dank undertone going on. light citrus and pine lay beneath and combine with the sweet malty backbone. full body, moderate carbonation, sweetness. drinks pretty easy, very vivid and flavorful. Reviewed on: 10-31-2010

Amazing. But over priced. Around $15 for a 4 pack.......................................

Wet pours a clear light copper color. Huge fluffy crater filled white head is poured. 3 fingers. Retention is great with minimal lacing. Right off the bat you are blasted with hops. Citrus and grassy hops here. It’s a clean and fresh aroma. While the beer is full of hops, there is a nice caramel backbone here. There’s also some noticeable alcohol here. Not enough to get in the way though. Ok so these guys make some fantastic IPAs. But taste wise out of the 3 they make, this might be my least favorite. That doesn’t mean it’s not fantastic. Because it really is a good IPA. But Furious just blows me away every time I have it and Abrasive Ale, especially when I had it fresh right from the brewery, is frigging amazing. More grassy hops come through here with some pine. The citrus from the citra hops then comes through nicely. Bitterness adds up nicely over time. Then the nice caramel backbone. Like in the aroma, there is some alcohol here. I really thought their would be more of a hop attack here but instead it’s a nice drinkable IPA. I’d go as far as saying it’s very sessionable even at 7.50%. Mouthfeel is smooth, medium bodied, and oily. Goes down very very nice.

Name: Wet
Date: November 12, 2010
Mode: Can
Source: Tasting
Appearance: clear copper, bits of lace
Aroma: sweet crystal aroma
Flavor: sweet malt flavor, crystal sweetness, touch of citrus
Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 12/20
Rating: 3/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: ** /4

I’ve been holding on to this review for awhile. Recently found my notes on this one and was inspired to reflect on it based on the 2011 version of Wet. Can to glass. Aroma has notes of citrus (mostly grapefruit, maybe something a little sweeter as well) and some piney flavors that don’t exist in the 2011 version. There is also a a small presence of floral aroma. The pour is orange/light amber with a large white head. The 2010 version seemed to be more bitter than its newer counterpart. Nice medium mouth feel with the perfect amour of carbonation. Overall, I liked the 2011 version better because of the all Citra hops. Bit this was a fine IPA and deserves its credit rightfully so.

I poured a 16oz can into an oversize wine glass.

Appearance: Hazy, but translucent shade of pure orange with slight honey hue. Forms an average-sized frothy head which retains and laces pretty well.

Smell: Pure pine sap and resin - almost to the point of burnt rubber. A very earthy scent as well, similar to sharp cheddar with a noticeable tropical fruit juice syrup aroma at the core.

Taste: I wouldn’t say I like wet hop IPAs any more or less than regular IPAs, mostly because I’ve never been floored by one, but Surly Wet definitely is the best I’ve had so far. This is a different kind of bitterness - a continual, dull, wet, soft bitterness with a rich juicy sweetness riding shotgun. It’s very tasty, original and impressive.

It begins with the immediate presence of resin. A strong, rich, dull bitterness like standing too close to a car that’s stuck and is burning its rubber on the pavement and you can actually taste it. But in the case of this beer (and wet hopped beers in general), that’s a good thing. It’s pure pine sap in that it’s soft, rich, and seems to coat the entire mouth like an imperial stout does. There’s a rich, almost refreshing juicy quality through the middle, but it ends with a combination of resin and juice concentrate. It’s a very unique and somewhat strange, but highly satisfying experience for the palate.

Mouthfeel: Soft and full-bodied with a distinct dry aftertaste of syrupy richness and hop resin.

Drinkability: What really makes Surly Wet so impressive is that while its palate is very rich and bitter simultaneously, it’s also amazingly drinkable. The mouthfeel is comfortable and the low carbonation lends to a highly quaffable drinking experience. The 7.5% ABV is right on the money - accounting for a full-flavored palate without the boozy qualities you might get from an imperial IPA. A fantastic beer to pair with sharp cheddar, although it’s good enough to drink by itself.