Surly Bender

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

Thanks to Ty5592 for this one as part of Mystery Swap 2.0. Pours clear deep ruby with 1-finger khaki head. Aroma of roast malt, big chocoff, cabernet, brown sugar, cola, hops. Tastes roasty malty, with big brown sugar, toffee, almond, cherry cola notes, and some cacao notes and finishing hops. This is my second Surly beer, and I am extremely impressed with these guys...and from a can, no less!

One of the best brown ales I’ve had. On tap at Kuma’s in Chicago. Very distinct brown characte, quite malty/chocolately. Not so roasty it hurts, but very nice. Heavy body with the roastiness and the hops to balance it out. Had a couple pints it was just that damn good.

Quick re-rate...12-20-2007 <P> This beer is a kick ass session beer and I wish I could get it locally. <P> Original rating.... <P> Courtesy of Quake1028. Thanks, John. Sharp malt base aroma with some bright fruit skin featuring apple and grape skins and hints of toasted chocolate and caramel. The body is brown with amber highlights. Very full mouthfeel at first sip. Toasty malts, chocolate, fluffy feeling, but with an edge to it. Roasted grains and hints of baked white fruits. Great brown ale.

Can from SoLan, my man. A clean, roasty coffee smell, much like a porter, but less roasty. Lightly floral. Goes down as well as any beer, with a smooth malty goodness to it. A very very nice brown.

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

can from brewso: pours a dark brown colour with a 1inch foamy tan head.aroma is roasted nut,malt and sweet fruit hops. flavour is nutty with some raosted chocolate and sweet malts with a touch of bitterness in the finish. the palate is very nice and smooth.

On tap at Old Chicago. Nice chocolate and caramel aroma, nice hops. Very nice mouthfeel and goes down beautifully.

Original rating, 12-19-06: 16 oz. can. The aroma is strong, hoppy, yeasty, and complex. It smells like a much stronger beer, perhaps a barley wine, imperial stout, or Belgian strong ale. It pours a dark mahogany brown with a red glow and a large amount of fluffy, tan head. The delicious flavor contains bitter coffee, chocolate, and roasted nut notes. The taste reminds me of that of the classic Samuel Smith’s Taddy Porter. It also has a good, bitter aftertaste. This medium-bodied brew is crisp and lively in the palate and quite drinkable. <P>I first drank this beer at the Happy Gnome in St. Paul, MN. The other beers I had that night were Rochefort Trappistes 8, Bell’s Two Hearted Ale, and La Trappe Quadrupel. Surly Bender more than held its own against this stiff competition. <P>This is a superb, genre-defying, and unforgettable beer. Surly describes it as an "oatmeal brown ale," and that’s an apt characterization, but in the end it tastes most like an interesting, excellent porter. Bender is an exciting product from what is quickly emerging as one of America’s great microbreweries. Good work, Surly! Keep it up! <P>8:5:9:14:18 ==> 4.4 <P>Re-rate, 1-15-08: I had this on tap at The View in St. Louis Park on 1-14-08. I’ve realized for awhile that I had overrated this beer, but every time I have it, it’s so delicious that it has been hard for me to rate it down. I still consider this an excellent beer, but it doesn’t blow me away quite as much as it used to: <P>8:4:8:4:17 ==> 4.1