Surly Bender

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

Can from tytoanderso - thanks, Tyler! My second Surly brew and it’s another impressive one, particularly given my relative disregard for the style. Perhaps it’s the oats that give this beer so much character, but there’s a real smoothness and heft to it, not so much from traditional malting (at least that doesn’t seem so prominent in the taste) as from chewy, biscuity qualities. Nice liveliness from some hops too, with a sweet bourbon-like finish.

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.

On tap at The Happy Gnome in St. Paul, MN. Dark brown with off-white head. Aroma of roast coffee and chocolate, leaves a lot of lacing. Tastes like a combination of a brown ale and a stout, with a strong coffee taste.

Can from Ughsmash. Very malty aroma. Chocolate, roast, nuts, and oat. Pours dark brown with a lasting foamy white head. Chocolate, caramel, oat, and nuts plus a touch of vanilla all make up the flavor profile. Nice, smooth, and velvety. A very nice brown ale!

1 pint can. Props to my brother in law for driving this down from Minneapolis. Aroma: Lots of toasted nuts, coffee, toffee, and brown sugar. Some citrusy hop notes, as well. Appearance: Dark brown with some reddish highlights. Light tan head was full and creamy with good retention. Good lacing. Flavor: Toffee, coffee, toasted nuts, light raisins. Can definatly taste and feel the oatmeal. Really helps round it out. A little light spiceiness. Some citrusy and grassy hop notes into the finish. Well balanced. Palate: Medium bodied. Medium carbonation. Slight astringency on sides of mouth. Overall: I’ve been looking forward to this one for awhile, and I really enjoyed it. Smooth, well balanced, and very drinkable. Lots of flavor. Great beer.

I’ve been wanting to try some Surly brew for awhile now. I guess I didn’t realize that it was canned, but that’s okay. After all, it’s "Beer for a glass, from a can." I think the can factor adds a bit of uniqueness to it. I’m pretty open-minded anyways and always enjoy something different... Bender is just about the color of Dr. Pepper (dark brown with ruby highlights). It has a puffy caramel-colored head that slowly fades to a similarly-colored veil. There is some scant lacing. The aroma is like chocolate cake with a nutty and earthy quality to it. The flavor is roasted malt, nutty caramel, and some cocoa and slightly burnt in the finish. There is also a mild to moderate bitterness and a slight sourness (part way through) in the finish that balances the sweet, earthy flavor well. I think that the finish and lasting flavors are actually better and more impressive that the initial flavor as are the final few sips with the hop sediment to give it a little extra kick. The body is medium to full and is soft and creamy on the on the palate (must be from the oatmeal used). Overall I think Bender is a really nicely done brown ale that’s pretty comlex for the style and is probably one of the better ones out there. No harm done with the can either. Very good stuff all around! 16 oz can (5.1% ABV, 45 IBUs) from buckybeer. Thanks Mark!

Tap at the Happy Gnome. Colored like maple syrup with a creamy, thin head. Aromas of black licorice, vanilla, berries, and a touch of citrus hops. Feels a bit acidic in the mouth with syrah tones of pepper and chocolate. An interesting blend of sensations very well balanced.

16oz. can. Aroma of darkly sweet malts, combined with notes of cocoa, caramel, toffee, and some dark, grainy breadiness. Clear dark brown color with a very fine head. Flavor profile features a nice depth of caramel and dark, grainy breadiness, the sweetness nicely balanced with a drying quality towards the finish and a lingering, faint nutty quality. Smooth and low in effervescence on the palate, body is medium. Nice Brown!