Surly Coffee Bender

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

thanks to stu aka "hey you in the bushes" .. . Pure pure coffee goodness, amazing .. . iced coffee mouthfeel .. . great coffee flavours, perfect harmony. . .. truly gods gift to coffee lovers!

just had this again on darkness day at the brewery. and Once again it’s amazing. Just the aroma alone deserves praise, not burnt or smoked out just perfect. The head is nice and creamy and laces quite well also. man this is good beer. The flavor is stupendous to say the least, just outstanding, silky smooth and balanced to the T. If you haven’t gotten any yet, keep your palate to the grindstone cause this one will treat ya right! GET SURLY

Bender Bender infused with coffee, ...what bean, what blend, what process? Golly, I don’t know, but it’s great.(an edit to cover my ignorance, info from the brewer: Beans are from the Vinca Vista Hermosa plantation located in Agua Dulce area in Huehuetenango,Guatemala. Grown by the Martinez family. Full City roast by Coffee &Tea Ltd.,Linden Hills,Minneapolis) Solid ebon color, browish at bottom, with a beautifully hued head, a deep cocoa tan looking for all the world like a shot of espresso, with a generous dollop of froth. Aroma’s where it’s at, wide open and long-lastin, rich with coffee, with a hint of cream. Herbal, nutty, chocolatey, brimming with coffee essence. A treat to drink in with the nose. But now let’s let the lips and tongue go to work. More delights. The coffee has overpowered the subtler parts of Bender’s character, but there’s no sorrow in this, as the coffee flavor that controls it now is an exceptional playmate for the palate. Really sticks to the tongue and lays long in the finish. Medium to full body, long, coffee-tinged finish, unflinchingly flavorful, and still an easy treat to drink down. This has met with near unanimous praise among those I’ve witness enjoy it, and I can only hope it’s attempted again and again, so that more may discover this jolt of joy for java freaks, and beer geeks alike.

Draft at EBF and it was one of the few that i went back for seconds and 1 of 3 that i went back for 3rds. With beers like darkness, darklord, bourbon angel share, red poppy, both BA old stocks! Wow that says something IMO. Dunno what to say about this other then mother of god this is incredible!! WOW, this is the Best coffee flavored beer i’ve ever had. I feel like im drinking a cup of perfectly brewed joe without all the roastiness that i could do without in a coffee stout. This well "brewed" beer is dominated by coffee i dont taste bender but if i could have this instead i’d never have it again. This is amazing! 4.8 After having this just recently i must pretty much agree with my rating. The Aroma is perfect, the flavor is more or less perfect, the only downfall i can really find is that the beer is a bit thin on my palate but that’s more or less it. Awesome! 4.6

Jeez, I must have had to many Surlys latley. Had this way back at the grand opening last May. I was thinking they had the Bourban Bender that day, but that was the 2nd day of the grand opening. Either way, another great beer from Surly, just enough coffee kick to it, and great aroma, good idea by Todd to do this one. pick up a growler this weekend! JUST had this out of the growler and oooo man this is good. my rating has jumped up.

sample from the pitcher at GABF on 9/26/09... pours a light brown... huge coffee nose... big coffee notes throughout from beginning to end... medium smooth body... this is a really good coffee beer... I love coffee and I love beer, so this is a perfect mix!

A major improvement over the regular Bender. Nice, sweet aroma with coffee and hints of roasted malts. Appearance is dark brown with a dark tan head that fades quickly. Flavor is well balanced that is predominately coffee and hints of chocolate, malts and hops. Very smooth with a balanced finish (not bitter, not dry, not sweet). Impressed because I wasn’t expecting much since I was disappointed by the regular.

Huge thanks to DalzAle for grabbing me a growler of this. Even sitting for a few days, it is every bit as good as I remembered. Aroma is coffee beans and nothing else. Thin (but not wayery) on the palate. Flavor is wonderful coffee, lots of roasted bean, with a touch of cream and hazelnut. Slight acidic bite on the aftertaste. I am still partial to Bells Java Stout, but this is one damn fine coffee brew that I could drink all the time.