Surly Bender

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

Filled with vanilla and barley/oat richness. It’s like a blend of doppelbock and oatmeal stout. Super, super smooth.

16 oz can shared with willblake thanks to allendodd. Pours a deep dark ruby brown with an average head. Aroma was sweet roasted malts like a funky chocolate covered cherry, reminded me of Reaper Ritual Dark Ale. Thin body that seemed almost a little watery, I might have expected more from the darkness of the beer. Flavor was nice with some malt notes and hardly any bitterness. Seems like a good session beer.

16 oz can. Pours up a nice tan head atop a clear, burgundy brown. Smells yummy enough; brown sugar, grapes, dates and spruce. I’m not a big fan of browns but this is good. Burnt caramel and cocoa, clementines with light soap. Fine carb. Body could be a bit firmer but still chewy as is. Lingering vanilla and oats.

Nice brown. I don’t love browns but his has some nice flavors. Some coffee and nuts. Dark malts and bit of bitter chocolate. Some bitterness balances it out.

16oz can thanks to photomike. Dark brown with a lasting beige head. The aroma is a nice grain blend with some oats, dark toasted bread, light chocolate malt, dusty cocoa powder and a hint of caramel. It is subtle, but there is a lot of nuance. The flavor is light on sweetness but still has a nice toasty, chocolatey and lightly roasty malt component with a medium grapefruit peel bitterness that is mostly in balance with the malt. Creamy body that is a little on the heavier side, but certainly not thick. A very good brown ale that I thoroughly enjoyed. I have to say that I have been nothing but amazed with Surly thus far.

16 oz can shared thanks to xnoxhatex!! Pours a light brown with a tall thick beige head that collapses in chunks like an iceberg. Those cocoa carmel notes come through and then I am surprised by the hops that find their way to my nose - Pine and grapefruit. Similar flavors medium creamy body with a slight hop bite. Tasty and really fresh.

Thanks to Ian for smuggling this back from Sturgis. Pours a nice dark brown with a small dark head. Some Chocolate malt, coffee, and I guess oatmeal in the nose. Tingly carbonation in the mouth with chocoalte malt, coffee, and a hint of vanilla. Nice tinge of coffee in the aftertaste. I have been waiting to try this brewery and it certainly did not disappoint. This is a very complex beer and I think a few more would help me get a better understanding of all the flavors. This was a great beer for my number 99!

dark brown, nice large beige head. Aroma is sweet and hoppy, with a nice maltiness. Flavour is hoppy, but very subtle, with a nice caramel. Wow, this is a great session beer, crisp, and flavourful, i could drink this all night!