Surly Bender

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

My wife brought back a 16oz can from MN while traveling on business, she’s gone again and should be bringing back a Coffee Bender! Brown pour with a large tan head. Aroma is of hop and oatmeal a little sweet. Flavor is earthy hop, caramel, chocolate, and oatmeal which adds a nice smoothness. A very solid brown ale.

(Sample Date: 6/6/2009 Source:Other) RB Richmond Gathering. Can courtesy of Maniac. Roast malt aroma with grassy hops notes. Clear dark brown with a tight tan head. Roast with some chocolate in flavor. Spicy hop flavor. Dry roasty finish.

Pint can into pint glass. An awesome brownish amber color that shines ruby red when held upto a light. Nice khaki head that exhibits some pretty quality retention as well. Aroma is simple but on point -- nutty and malty... reminds me very much of the fall. Medium bodied with very soft carbonation. Nice and smooth and easy-going. Overall: a very simple but very pleasant beer.

Ok, now I know why Daknole sent this one to me. Thanks alot man! This beer kicks ass. I enjoyed every bit of it. Looks great. Dark brown with a thick fluffy beige head that sticks around. Aroma is full and strong with roasted malts and some hops. Flavor is more bitter than you would expect from a brown ale. But that makes it unique and I love it. Sweet malts, caramel, and some coffee combine with hops and oatmeal to make a sweet, bitter, dry finishing beer. No it’s not the strongest, most complex, or extreme beer out there. But the balance is excellent and it’s extremely smooth and drinkable.

Tap. Poured dark brown with a dark creamy head. Aroma consisted of mainly dark hops, hints of coffee, caramel and a sweet cream smell. The flavor began surprisingly bitter, though by no means aggressive. The beer then transitions into a pleasant malty flavor, almost chocolate like.

in a can. pours a brown color with with a very dense head. Smell is of dried fruit with some chocolate. The taste is of coffe and vanilla and a smooth oatmeal tasting finish.

Can. Pours a clear brown with a thick light tan head. Aroma of sweet malt and some coffee grounds. Flavor of slightly roasted malt with a touch of creamy smoothness. Thankfully, this is a brown ale that’s not dominated by super sweet malt. Pleasant and easy drinking, certainly one of the best brown ale’s I’ve had. 7/4/7/4/15 (3.7/5)

Can, thanks to tytoanderso. Aroma of fig, raisin, raspberry, caramel, subtle earthy hops, subtle coffee, generally malty and toasty actually with sweet fruit notes. Flavor has some very bitter chocolate and almost salty nuts, sort of different in subtleties from the aroma, but still very overall malty and mildly sticky as predicted by the malty fruitiness. Bitter, toasted toffee finish. Medium bodied and very drinkable. Tasty brown.