Surly Bender

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

16 oz can. Pours a deep deep dark brown/black with a tan/mocha head that has great retention and lacing. Nose is of fresh hops with a little hint at some chocolate. Flavor is chocolate mixed with some coffee and some vanilla notes. Wonderful flavor. Finishes a little dry, but not enough to be a huge factor. This beer is a must if you can get it (especially on tap!)

Can via trade. One guy says they have this on tap at the Minny airport. Really? Why don’t I move to Minnesota again? Oh yeah, it’s cold, flat, and boring. Sort of like your sist-...ok, I won’t go there. Just kidding. Now about the beer. Aroma of sweet malt, nuts, and coffee. Flavor is caramel malt, coffee, nuts, and chocolate. Well-balanced and tasty with a medium palate and smooth mouthfeel. I’d go on a Bender bender any day.

I picked this up on a recent trip home to Minnesota. My first impression was "that’s nice", nothing too special. It wasn’t really a fair trial. We were at an outdoor family get together and I was just drinking it out of the can. Not the best way to really judge it. Tonight I’m here at home just enjoying a fantastic, smooth, full bodied brew. I really like the amount of roasting they’ve done on this. Wow! I would have bought more to bring home if I had actually given it a fair trial. My mistake. I’ll have to get someone to send me a few more for further testing!

Another Minnesota treat. My 1st canned micro. Pours very dark brown in glass. Ruby to light. Smooth tan head. Sweet smells of oat, chocolate, and hop. Excellent mouth. Nutty malt and creamy vanilla taste. Crispy hops highlight the oat and coffee on the dry finish. Nice lacing. REALLY great beer.

A: Deep, clear, burgandy color. The pour produced almost two fingers of tan head that retained extreemly well, and left tons of leggy lace. A: Big roasty malts. Very nutty. I also get a prominent chocolate, a small amount of coffee, and a nice earthiness. T: Again, this is all about the malts. Very nice blend of the roasty and chocolate malts. The earthiness from the hops helps the beer to finish slightly dry, with a small bitterness. M: Silky smooth mouthfeel from this medium body beer. Very light carbonation. D and overall impression: Drinkability is high, given the low abv and the tastiness of the malts. Overall, this is one fine beer. Just a great example of how malts can be used. If all other Surly offerings are as nice as this, I can’t wait to try more. Skal.

Lightly roasted toffee aroma. Reddish brown pour with an off-white head. Very creamy mouthfeel. Chocolate and toffee dance and play with a delightful bitterness. The bitterness lingers. This is kind of abrown pale ale. Interesting, tasty and quaffable. Thanks Jeff.

Thanks to hellomynameis for this beauty. It pours dark reddish brown with a frothy yellow head. The flavor has inklings of cocoa powder, nuts and a touch of coffee. It’s very tasty.

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.