Surly Barrel Aged Darkness

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

This poured out thick and black with a tall, creamy tan head. The aroma was heavy with Bourbon and alcohol (fine with me), also with burnt dark malt, cocoa, vanilla, oak, and dark caramel. Much the same with the flavor except that a sharp astringency developed near the finish that was something of a distraction. Otherwise, a dandy little beer.

<font size=-4><a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/events-detail.asp?eve of Barrel Aged Beers, Chicago, IL 11/03/2007<font size=-1>

On tap at the 2007 GTMW: Pours a completely opaque with an airy rich dark brown head. Aroma of heavy sweet dark chocolate and caramel malts with a big, fresh grapefruity hoppy presence and some mild bourbon oaky notes with a touch of vanilla. Body starts full, sweet malty and viscous with lots of dense dark chocolate caramel and fresh resiny grapefruity flavor hops toward a sticky, bittersweet warming finish. Good balance of oaky bourbon throughout. A smooth, flavorful and enjoyable, dense, barrel-aged imperial stout.

FOBAB07- pours thick motor oil dark dark black with large tan head. Nose big on bourbon alcohol, very minimal but present dark fruits, vanilla, big time chocolate, dark burnt malts, oak. Flavor mixes them all together extremely well with a nice cherry note added on. Probably my favorite from the fest.

Tasted at FoBAB ’07. Pitch black, nice medium tan head. Vanilla, bourbon aroma with lots of roasted grain. Slight bourbon flavor with nice pine hops, dark chocolate, roasted grain, vanilla. excelent balance. Medium to full body, creamy though almost syrupy. Pretty amazing, great bourbon and stout balance, started off the festival with a great one.

FOBAB ’07.....appearance was deep dark almost black but couldn’t really tell with the lighting. thin tan head to boot....aroma: dark fruits, chocolate, light on the vanilla and soft bourbon notes.....taste: smooth silky and buttery mouthfeel. dark fruit, tons of chocolate, soft bitter finish and light on the bourbon which is nice since bourbon often times drowns the character of the beer.........very nice. can’t wait to try the standard variety next week.

FoBAB 2007. love the body. not too carbonated but not flat. weird tacky flavor in the middle of that flavor profile. i couldn’t figure that out. lots of chocolate, and very good overall. not really a RIS (not sure how that got into my note...)

On tap at FoBAB 2007. Pours pitch black with a dense brown head. Nose reminds me of the original. Chocolate, dark malts, roast, plums, dark fruits, oak and a vanilla creaminess. Complex flavors. Strong rich chocolate, red fruit, apples, caramels, toffee, light coffee, bourbon, a burnt bitterness and creamy. Balanced so that this whole rainbow of blackness shoots across my tongue. Well done.

FoBAB 2007, Chicago. yeaaaahhhh! Smell of plum and cherry and currant. Black, soulless body under a rocky head that leaves chunks of itself behind on the sides. strong, but very smooth. Some stout bitterness left in my mouth, but so much warm bourbon texture that it’s impossible to mind that fact that it’s searching for a good vein.