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Surly Bender

Surly Bender - Brown Ale

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 Percentile 
94
overall
Brewed by Surly Brewing Company
Style: Brown Ale

Brooklyn Center, Minnesota USA

bottled
common

on tap
common

Regional Distribution
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 Ratings  Average  Score  ABV  Style Pctl  Serve in 
4643.68/5.03.66/5.05.1%98.4Dimpled mug
View Statistics  P 

Commercial Description:
Get Surly! Here’s what happens when substance meets smooth. This oatmeal brown ale defies traditional categories. Bender begins crisp and lightly hoppy, complemented by the velvety sleekness oats deliver. Belgian and British malts usher in cascades of cocoa, coffee, caramel, and hints of vanilla and cream. An easy-drinking ale with many layers of satisfaction.
 Most Recent Top Raters Highest Ratings Who's Rated This?  
 BelgianBeerGal (1273), Sabbatical in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
3.7 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/57/104/515/20
Feb 18, 2009  
Canned. Much more complex and flavourful brown than is typical. Dark brown pour with a medium offwhite head than dissolves into a ring with a little lacing. Aroma of roasted caramel malt. Flavour has some coffee, hops, chocolate and a quick finish. Easy drinking.


 LearninBeer (194), Sterling Heights, Michigan, USA
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/56/103/516/20
Feb 15, 2009  
The aroma is wonderful, raisin, fig, hint of licorice and molasses. The color is dark brown with a touch of red when held to the light. The head is of white, mostly diminishing with good lacing. The initial flavor is bitter a little watery, then you flavor of raisin, roasted coffee, pretty good.


 jamvin23 (162), chicago, Illinois, USA
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/57/104/516/20
Feb 15, 2009  
Draft. Clear brown with no head. Aroma: Roast malt with some caramel. Sweet flavored. Simple easy drinker, but not very complex.


 Sonicdescent (372), Donora, Pennsylvania, USA
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/58/104/515/20
Feb 13, 2009  
Thick and sticky, gotta love this one. Quite different than the DIPA/RIS school I have been used to, perhaps that contributed to my positive image of this beer. Very close to a porter, but not. This may very well be the most difficult beer I have had to review. I’ll put it this way, it’s good.


 timsilvia32 (444), from Michigan now in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
3.7 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/104/58/103/516/20
Feb 8, 2009  
Almost a reddish brown pour. Miniscule off white head. Smells, surprisingly floral, some pine with some malt and molasses. Light/medium body with a healthy dose of carbonation. Flavors of malt molasses and brown sugar. A surprisingly strong coffee note to me, would be curious to see how much more the coffee Bender has. Finishes real clean. Drinkability is not a problem for this one. Somewhere between a brown and a porter I guess. My friend did not like this one, I thought it was excellent.


 Narnad (681), Wonder Lake, Illinois, USA
3.5 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/104/57/103/515/20
Feb 8, 2009  
Poured from tap with a dark brown and ruby red color with an off-white head which left good lacing behing. Aroma is light caramel malt, lots of hops a light dark fruit scent, coffee and some chocolate. Stars out with a bitter coffee and chocolate maltiness which then moves into a sweet prune, kinda raisin flavor and ends with a bitter roasted malt bite as well as some bitter hops. Good mouth feel to the beer as well a a moderate carbonation rate. Overall is a pretty good beer.


 Beerman6686 (1262), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
3.5 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/58/103/513/20
Feb 2, 2009  
This poured a murky brown color with an off white head. Aroma was roasted malts, nutty, and some chocolate. Flavor iwas realyl smooth and blended well with hints of mild chocolate, oatmeal, burnt malts and nuts. Pretty good for the style.


aetheon (55), Beer Dungeon, Minnesota, USA
2.7 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
3/103/56/103/512/20
Jan 31, 2009  
pours somewhat thick soft dark brown with lots of lacing. very little aroma. Full bodied with flavors of coffee, ash and lightly burnt sharp hops at the end. Some creamyness as well. I dont know what classifies this as a brown ale, it totally tastes more like a porter or dry stout except less on the chocolate notes. Overall its ok, but I wont be buying it again being fairly expensive n all.



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