Surly Bender

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

Oct. 2007 - I was really liking this one. Dark brown pour, nice head and lacing. Strong aroma of coffee, english malt and roast. As many stated, this defies style, part brown ale, part porter, part oatmeal stout...the best of each part. Caramel malt with roast, chocolate, oatmeal and nutty notes as well. Some sweetness, maybe bubblegum with a bitterness and even a sourness that was strangely pleasant. Wonderfully smooth and thick mouthfeel. Amazingly complex. Really excellent.

Sample at Brewnosers’ meeting April 2008. Brown colour with a mostly lasting frothy off-white head. Chocolate, citrus, coffee, and molasses aroma. Chocolate, bready, earthy, and coffee flavours with a citrus and piny bitter finish, medium bodied, rich, and lightly chewy but refreshing.

Dark brown color pour with a foamy head. Roasted malt, toasty nuts, and a bit of coffee and caramel in the aroma and flavor. Pretty tasty for a brown ale, actually. A touch of hoppiness on the finish. Very good session brew!

16 oz. can, courtesy my brother. Nice ruby brown pour with a medium light beige head. Dark caramel aroma, complemented by piney and spicy hops. Smooth mouthfeel,. medium body and carbonation. Dark roasty flavors dominate, but a healthy dose of hop bitterness provides balance. A very good brown ale, distinctive, with bolder flavors than the usual example.

A big thanks to theisti for bringing this one back from Minnesota for me. Pours a clear beautiful ruby/brown with a frothy, tan, diminishing head. The aroma is heavy roasted caramel malts, chocolate, light coffee and faint vanilla notes. So, yes the description on the can is actually pretty accurate, for a change. The mouthfeel is medium-bodied and creamy-smooth. The flavor is sweet roasted malts, chocolate, coffee and a lightly bitter roasted finish. A tasty brown. Thanks again, Tim.

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.

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!

16 oz. can courtesy of mreusch, thanks Matt. Pours a clear rich mahogany color with a medium sized beige head. The aroma is fruity, sweet chocolate malts, some coffee, and a touch of caramel. The flavor parallels the nose with the malt coming in a little ahead of any fruitiness. There is even a little roast that appears. Medium/full mouthfeel and silky smooth to drink. It’s a shame that all of the great canned beer is not available in my area.