Surly Bender

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

(can) Pours a dark ruby with a large tan head that slowly dissipates. A very unique aroma of sometimes chocolate, Extra gum, more hops as it warms, and some cocoa. Flavor is great with a lot of caramel, some chocolate, and a nice (but not overpowering) hop finish. The mouthfeel on this beer is superb, as it is incredibly smooth. I think this is my new go-to session beer.

Special thanks to my buddy Craig in Mn. Pours a deep, deep brown with a fluffy oatmeal colored head. Nose is malty and caramel. Flavor is incredibly smooth, with caramel and chocolate influences, with a wonderful creamy mouthfeel. Very subtle bitterness wraps up this beautiful brown. Very nice.

16oz can thanks to photomike. Dark brown with a lasting beige head. The aroma is a nice grain blend with some oats, dark toasted bread, light chocolate malt, dusty cocoa powder and a hint of caramel. It is subtle, but there is a lot of nuance. The flavor is light on sweetness but still has a nice toasty, chocolatey and lightly roasty malt component with a medium grapefruit peel bitterness that is mostly in balance with the malt. Creamy body that is a little on the heavier side, but certainly not thick. A very good brown ale that I thoroughly enjoyed. I have to say that I have been nothing but amazed with Surly thus far.

Can shared at Dark Lord Day 08. I would not have thought this a brown ale. Pours a dark dark brown almost black color. Has intense smells that make me think of licorice, hay/wheat, with some belgian like alcohol smells. Tastes follow those smells. Upfront the malt hits you with more licorice, then some hop flavors balance out the brew with a finish that says ’smell me, taste me, and smell me some more.’ Very enjoyable.

Courtesy of Gunhaver. Red amber with a nutty head. Another great suprise in a can. Aroma is caramel malt, roasty and coffee flavor. It packs an amazing punch filled with flavor and taste.

Murky, deep brown. Nose lightly peaty, some caramel, bit of smoke. Hoppier than expected with some spicy and sweet earthy caramel. Great aftertaste, maple syrup sweetness hangs on for a very long time. Sampled from the brewery’s inaugural keg served at the St. Paul Winterfest in 2006.

Black pour with a quickly diminishing dark tan head. Aroma is roasty like a porter with touches of hops hiding in the background. Flavor is roasty, chocolatey, tangy sweet, with a bite of hops in the finish. Nice body. This is no brown ale, but I’m not sure what it is other than delicious.

Dainty light tan/off-white head, very frothy, which tops a medium, reddish brown body. Potent aroma - surprisingly hoppy for a brown ale, but also has a pleasant dose of hazelnuts and sweet malts, with hints of caramel. I’m surprised and very pleasantly pleased that the flavor is not particularly sweet, but it is very rich and creamy. Nicely balanced, with the hops not too much in the fore-front, yet not too malty. Thick, like a good chocolate malt. Very nice.