Surly Bender

Brewed by Surly Brewing Company
Style: Brown Ale
Brooklyn Center, Minnesota USA

Pours a dark red amber with a small mocha head. Aroma at first is a combination of hops which are pine and pineapple. Once it oxygenates it smells sweet with caramel and toffee notes. Taste is carbonated with hints of light chocolate and darker malts, and finishes off with just the right amount of bitterness. I expected worse for this style but this is very enjoyable.

Canned sample via oakbluff. Ruby brown in colour with moderate carbonation. Aromas of dark toffee, roasted nuts, a bit of green hops, and light milk chocolate. Caramel and toffee notes upfront in the mouth, before some interesting bitter dark chocolate and earth elements clean things up. A bit of an oat flavor too. The mothfeel is quite interesting too, smooth to start before some astringent roast and hop bitterness finish things off. Very good for a not-so-favorite style for me.

Can from thecheeseman. Thanks Daniel. Pours a layered chestnut brown with a small white head. Nose is nutty, chocolate, caramel, and slight roast. Flavor is slightly hoppy with earthy malts, more chocolate, nuts, and roast. Pretty smooth finish and enjoyable brown ale.

Tap, at 331 Club, NE MPLS. Medium dark pour, slight head. Somewhat minimal. Rather toffee, chocolate like sweet smell. Very slight, yet not too intense. Smooth finish reminiscent of a nutty ale. Delightful for a brown ale yet not as much so as a nut brown. Probably because of the creamy, almost coffee and half and half like finish. Definitely better than your average tap beer. NOTE: I’ve been drinking old style all night because of my lack of funds for working at a liquor store, but I was able to afford at least one decent beer tonight. Unfortunately it was towards the end of my night, which may have skewed my rating.

Thank you, Ron. This has been on my want list for awhile and what luck. Pours a light brown with a thin white head. Hints of sweet malt and bead. Taste is sweet with nuts, slight mocha and chocolate late. Smooth finish.

Clearish dark chestnut ale covered by a light tan head. Plummy, fruity, raisiny flavours that remind of a good old muffin. Very bready maltiness, developing chocolate flavours. Medium bodied, soft carbonation. Simple earthy hop finish. An interesting brown ale, smooth, round, but whose extreme popularity leave me a bit puzzled.

Can courtesy of fly. Body-ultra dark brown body with a lasting beige foamy thick head. Nose-raisin and rich. Taste-fig, big raisin, dark rich fruit, mysterious, oriental, light soy, light unami, caramel, scorched malts, light char/burnt, barley, oatmeal raisin cookies, very rich without being too sweet, very light chocolate powder, very light acid that works quite well. The fig/raisin dominates almost in a Belgian strong kind of way, and works very well. Damn solid brown ale that almost crosses the border into an American Strong Ale. Very nice.

Special thanks to my buddy Craig in Mn. Pours a deep, deep brown with a fluffy oatmeal colored head. Nose is malty and caramel. Flavor is incredibly smooth, with caramel and chocolate influences, with a wonderful creamy mouthfeel. Very subtle bitterness wraps up this beautiful brown. Very nice.