Surly 16 Grit

Brewed by Surly Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Brooklyn Center, Minnesota USA

16 oz. pour, on tap at Grumpy’s in downtown MPLS as part of the March 16, 2009 release party along with ElGaucho. Thanks for inviting me! My first thought was this is Furious with a kick. Very hoppy, very strong, and very very good. Pours a hazy, dark gold with slight amber. Aroma is citrus and pine. Very aggressive taste of pine. Definite sweet malt hits in the middle balancing out the agressive hoppiness. Medium body. Lively and refreshing in the palate. My thought is this is just as good as Furious but definitely couldn’t make this a session beer. (Although I was given a second for free due to a wrong beer making its way to our table and I didn’t refuse it!)

L: Thin off white head. Vibrant blood orange. Only a touch of brown. A consistent cloudiness. S:A bright citrus orange. A sweet floral grassyness comes storming out. T:A sweet candied blood orange pops out. Slight grapefruit citrus roles in. A caramel bready wheat comes floating through. What really stands out is the blood orange. M: Nice fat smoothness with a sharp fizz on the back of the tongue. D: Delicious incredibly balanced beer. The hops still really pop out with being so balanced though. This beer lasted much longer in the growler than I had anticipated. Very good.

Growler via faro99 over here but via faro himself over on thebeerspot. Pours orange with a tan head. Nose is sweet and hoppy and overall reminiscent of 90 minute IPA. Taste is quite nice with a grapefruit citrus punch and a nice bitter piney resin that runs through it. Its nice to see such a big IPA that maintains a ton of citrus.

In short: A extra-hoppy and highly drinkable 9% IPA focussing on refreshing fruit flavours . Excellent.
How: Growler at post-EBF 2009 tasting. Big thansk to Rciesla
The look: Cloudy dark orange body topped by a small off-white head
In long: Nice pungent hoppy nose that is half grapefruits half citrus fruits. Rather restrained malt backbone with light caramel and residual sugar. Hops are the stars here with grapefruits, grass, tropical fruits, oranges, citrus fruits. A little lemony with a light citric touch that makes it even more drinkable. Relaxed carbonation. Very bitter but nothing resinous or harsh here, this is a refreshing fruity bitterness. With a body more rich and a little less sugary sweet this would be a world class IIPA. But this is great stuff nonetheless. Kicks more ass than a donkey on acid.

Growler obtained in a trade, shared with some bros. Pours a an amber body with a white head. Caramel malt, citrus loads of pine some light grapefruit. Citrus earthy floral hoppiness. To bad it was shared next to pliny the younger, never stood a chance.

16 oz. pour, on tap at Grumpy’s in downtown MPLS as part of the March 16, 2009 release party. This is the new, drier recipe. Pours a hazy, dark gold to light copper or brass color. Great hops aroma features lemon, citrus, pine, and quinine scents. Satisfying, hoppy, decidedly double IPA taste. Very aggressive taste of pine. A hint of fruit sweetness that increases on multiple sips: orange juice, apricot. Long, dry aftertste. Medium body. Lively and refreshing in the palate. Good but not great (and not as good as Furious); a bit of a disappointment. Not as complex as I would have hoped.

Growler. Pours a very nice golden copper color with a frothy beige head. Very nice lacing and head retention. The aroma is very nice. Huge grapefruit/citrus notes and very smooth and inviting. Flavor tastes like orange juice and grapefruit. Very hoppy (duh!) but still smooth at the same time. Easy drinker. It has a nice, full body to it and it’s not too heavy. Overall, very nice...not what I expecting going in but very very good. I wish I had more!

Growler from KAF, thanks Kyle! Hope the hops aren’t like the Furious, where they die after a week. Clear orange with a short lived 1/2 finger beige head. Lots of mango and tropical fruit hops with a little bit of grassiness. Clean caramel malt backbone. Flavor continues to be mega fruity--usually there’s pine somewhere, but not a so much here! Just loads of fruity hops, as well as some orange. Bitterness peaks around a 5 in the finish, with the alcohol undetectable. Low carbonation with a medium-full smooth body. I wonder how this would’ve been two months ago! Quite tasty, and glad I got to try this.