Surly Bender

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

Can from jrob_21 - thanks!. Big hoppy nose with Cascades and some must, a lot of roast/toast malt with heavy waves of bitter chocolate and nuts. Caramel. Dark mahogany pour with a unique orange-brown head that creams and rocks itself deliciously. Taste is - yessir - heavy, thick chocolate malt and prickly Cascades, has enough Black Sun in it for comparison, but then veers off in its own direction, with silky, syrupy oatmeal strands, caramel, and cocoa. Bitter and nutty. Finish and after have a slightly acidic fruity tang, otherwise dry and rindy. Thinnish, flattish body. Cocoa reminds more of a porter than of a brown ale. Robust session actually worthy of everyday drinking. Layered, complex, delicious!

On tap at the Dock Cafe in Stillwater, MN. Unfortunately, I lost my notes (damned text message clean-up...). From what I recall, this was a murky brown ale dominated by toast and chocolate notes, earthy, with a bitter finish and a touch of dark fruitskin. No single element stood out, but the sum was greater than the whole of the parts.

Out of the can. Fluffy brown head. Nose with hints of puffed wheat, cocoa puffs, coffee and a hint of lactose. Burnished mahagony color against the light. More complex than most brewers’ brown ales. Light chocolate, sweetened coffee, puffed wheat, some roast grains and caramel sweetness. There is a hint of some tangy acidity in the background, with an almost sour cherry note. Had this at the brewery back to back with the Coffee Bender, and I preferred the regular. I got more of the hops out of the tap sample than from this can.

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.

Sampled at an STL beer gathering. Pours mahogany with a crimson hue and a tannish head. The aroma has roasted nutty malt, light butter and some sweetness. Medium smooth body with smoothness and a bit of grassiness and small frothy carbonation. The flavor starts with roasted nuttiness and lots of hops for the style - very smooth enjoyable flavors. The finish has more sharpness, more hops and then lingering mild coffee. Thumbs up for this choice brown ale.

Clear brown with no head. Roast malt aroma with some caramel. Sweet flavored. Simple easy drinker, but not very complex.

Pint can courtesy JimboWood. Pours a clear brown with a large and massively lacy off-white head. The aroma is filled with hops and some vanilla and oatmeal with a touch of cardboard. Creamy medium body and light carbonation. The taste starts lightly sweet with nuts, caramel, bread and coffee. Dry and smoky bitter finish.

sampled from the can at DLD - Pours dark brown with a thin white head. the aroma is mainly of caramel malt. The flavor isn’t quite what I’d expect from the style. The caramel malt is in there but it’s fairly light. There’s also ample hops with some citrus notes and maybe some chocolate. the palate is rather lighter than I expected. It’s certainly an unusual brew for the style though I’m not sure it works for me as well as it does for many people.