Surly Bender

Pours to a bright dark ruby body with a creamy tan head. The aroma is tart, brown ale components. The flavor is nutty, creamy, and has a nice base of malt. Pretty well balanced. The palate is medium bodied with a nice creamy texture. A very nice brown.

Can from hellomynameis. Brown body with a large, light tan head. The aroma is toffee, vinous and herbal hops. The flavor is lightly sweet, caramel, herbal, cereal, milk chocolate and raisins. Medium body is soft and creamy with light carbonation.

Dark brown in color with a nice fluffy brown head. Grainy, toasty malty aroma. Caramel notes. Malty sweet flavor. Caramel chocolatety notes. Sweet tasting. Full bodied. Finish is sweet and malty. Smooth. Very drinkable. Great.

Dark brown pour with brown head thick head. Nice nose to toasty malt. Flavor was sweet with a touch of hops that blended into a nice carmalized sugar finish. Medium body and great texture. Really great brown ale!

Poured dark brown with off white head. Aroma of roasted malt. Couldn’t get much out of it. Strong roasted malt flavor with a sweet caramel finish.

This brown ale pours a dark amber color from a 16oz can. Small sized white foamy head. Aroma is malty, nutty and sweet. A medium bodied brown ale. Malts are caramel and sweet. Hops are earthy and floral. Lots of malt, brown sugar and molasses in this one. Nice balance. Good carbonation. The finish is a touch sweet with some alcohol. Mouthfeel is full. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly sweet.

Pours with a four finger thick, lightly brown-tinged, tan colored head that sits atop a dark amber brown colored beer that shows a brilliantly clear, ruby hue when held up to the light. The aroma is richly aromatic with notes of sweet, concentrated fruit, dark malts and hops; dissecting where each of these start and end might be a bit of work though as the aroma is quite well integrated. Notes of raisins, perhaps some vanilla accented cherries, some berry notes and even some sweet citrus peel aromas mix with notes of toasted malt, browned biscuit-like malt, caramelized grain sugars and a huge toasted, dry, soda cracker note in the finish. A fabulously aromatic brew, this really has such a well integrated, loudly aromatic nose; this is an example of why I like a well made brown ale; there is not so much dark / roast malt that it dominates the flavor profile and the simple (though certainly not simplistic) malt and hop notes are able to shine through as well. Somehow there are notes of vanilla and spicy oak in this beer (and they are quite noticeable halfway through this beer); I don’t know how they got here, but they are a welcome addition that add some additional complexity to an already great aroma. Unlike many beers, where the aroma fades as you start drinking the beer, the aroma here actually gets better and more complex as you work your way through it. Definitely don’t forget to continue to stick your schnozz in this brew in between sips.

Sweet malt flavors encapsulate the palate and actual cling to my mouth almost like a much bigger beer would. Fruity notes of raisins and sweet, ripe berries mix with an interesting, almost vanilla like note. Some dark malt notes are noticeable from the get go; actually just a hint of roast character mixes with the hop character, both of which contribute a solid, though not in any way dominant, bitterness. This beer is really fairly sweet and fruity tasting, that is probably the distinguishing characteristic. It does not make this thick, cloying or not quaffable though as this is definitely a fairly sessionable brew.

Have I said how much I love great beer in a can. Well I do, imagine how much easier shipping would be if the norm was craft beer in a can; still I do find the champagne cork finish too perfect for certain styles of beer. This is a great brew, I really like the aromatic complexity (especially the surprise oak-like aromatics) and the flavor aint half bad either. The oak notes even start to creep into the flavor of this beer towards the end of my glass.

Can from theisti. Great clear brown with thick, lucious tan head. Light chocolate malt and hoppy nose. Velvety mouth feel...flavors of caramel and cocoa....some cream on the finish, along with some bitterness. Best beer from a can I’ve ever had...until I try Furious I suppose. Thanks theisti...it rocks!