Surly Bender

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

Clearish dark chestnut ale covered by a light tan head. Plummy, fruity, raisiny flavours that remind of a good old muffin. Very bready maltiness, developing chocolate flavours. Medium bodied, soft carbonation. Simple earthy hop finish. An interesting brown ale, smooth, round, but whose extreme popularity leave me a bit puzzled.

Can in Blackfriers. Aroma is malty, cola and chocolate notes, theres a decent amount of hops, but i dont know what thir doing. Taste is similarly malty, but quite a bit of hop character. Alright, but the ipa blows it out the window.

(Can) Pours a dark mahogany body with a spare off-white head. Aroma of roasted malt, nuts, and cocoa. Flavor of cocoa, coffee, caramel, and raosted malt with a nicely carbonated mouthfeel and dry finish.

Can thanks to footbalm: Pours a barely transparent dark mahogany with a nicely-lacing frothy tan head. Fresh green piny hoppy aroma has some roasted malt and coffee notes along with sweet caramel toffee. Body starts with a lightly sweet earthy dark caramel maltiness and crisp piny bittering and flavor hop balance. Palate has a fizzy dissolved carbonation and a smooth oatmeal finish with some lingering bittersweetness. An interesting hoppy brown ale.

Can... Rating # 3500... Beautiful, deep, dark, ruby ale with a mid-sized, creamy, khaki head. Terrific, everlasting retention. Cocoa, rich caramel, Merlot and brown sugar nose with a healthy helping of piney hops and a whisper of lactic acidity. Roasty, bitter-sweet flavor provides creamy caramel and chocolate, alongside medium, earthy bitterness and light acidity. Remarkably, almost full-bodied and velvety with lively carbonation. Bitter, mildly sour finish. Mega-Thanks to robertsreality for shipping this treat to Florida!

16oz can-pours a retaining creamy light brown head and dark brown with ruby red. Aroma is medium/dark malt-sweet/chocolate, dark fruit-cherry, faint citrus hops. Taste is lots of malt and hops, nicely balance with a lot going on. Medium/dark malt-sweet/chocolate, nutty, dark fruit-cherry, faint citrus hops. OK carbonation.

Very good, very fine, nitro-like creamy, dark cream-coloured head, slightly irregular over very dark brown beer with some faint red-brown highlights. Dry hoppy nose, bit of coffee, creamcake hinting at underlying sweetness. Whiffs of liquorice and caramel aroma’s. Again a combination of dry hops, coffee, oatmeal (indeed) and the typical burnt-sourish flavours of stout. Two things surprise me: the effortless going-over from on stage in the taste to the next: very good balance, as well as the accuracy of the commercial description on the can (not the above). Retronasal a lot of caramel. Velvety, creamy MF and full body. Nice oatmeal stout. Thanks, Dave.

500 ml can. Thanks to beastiefan2k for sharing. Dark brown with a light ruby tint. The aroma is malty and sweet with light toast/toasted nut character and some interesting cherry/berry fruitiness. Good flavour, nutty malt sweetness, toasted malt and a malted milk and chocolate component. Light earthy bitterness. A decent session ale.