Surly CynicAle

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

Four-pack from Blue Max. Golden caramel with a creamy off white head that dissolves slowly that leaves behind a spotty lacing. Aroma of white pine and citrus hops, some sourdough bread, and flowers. Taste is yeasty and citrus, medium body, a little carbonated and a peppery dry aftertaste. Finish is peppery, spicy, and dry. Alcohol content could be slightly higher to help pull out the distinct aromas and flavors. Also, the carbonation was distracting.

Pours golden with a light white head. Aroma is yeasty with some floral hops as well. Flavor is fruity with peach and some lychee which then changes to spice, and then a grainy finish that was rather dry and slightly bitter. Not bad.

Really great finish on this beer, with a dry yeasty, cracker-like finish, with a nice top of hops on the end. The aroma is also pretty fruity with a lot of peach. This is better than I remember.

[’07 Can] Pours clear golden with a small white head. Aroma is belgian yeast and fruity--I got banana. Flavor is slightly sweet up front followed by a fairly mild hoppiness. Fairly thin body, dry medium finish. Pretty good, but not great. 7/3/7/3/15=3.5

Re-Rate: [’08 Can, thanks Guerde] Pours dark gold with a small white head. Aroma is coriander, yeast, and some fruitiness. Taste is yeast--banana, coriander again, a little black pepper and a solid malt backbone. Medium mouthfeel with an average finish. A little better than last year.

16oz can courtesy of theisti: Pours a transparent orange bronze with a nicely-lacing off-white head. Aroma boasts nice, sweet caramely Belgian malt, some peppery coriander, and grassy hop complexity. Body starts fresh, lightly sweet and biscuity with some earthy, floral hoppy balance and a touch of drier tobacco toward the finish. Very authentic and well-crafted.

GTMW. Hazy golden color. Smell of clove, pepper, bannanas, yeast and lemon. Taste of bannanas, yeast, clove, honey, minor hops, pepper and flowers. Refeshing and crisp after a couple BB’s.

Thanks to Ian for smuggling this back from Minnesota. Pours a nice copper color with thick white head. Aroma is belgian spice and black pepper. Hoppy bite in the taste, very smooth going down with a slight bitterness in the aftertaste. A unique ale that is just wonderful.

Can at Chris_o Shindig. Gold, lasting beige head. Nice peachy fruit. Very distinctive hit of hop. Very strong flavours, good biting hop on end. Tasty. Dry, hoppy. Harsh. A bit like De Ranke XX Bitter.

On tap at Mac’s Industrial Bar. Drew a cloudy amber with a good head. Smell was very crisp and hoppy with some more yeasty and earthy notes. Taste was medium-bodied with initially sweet notes of honey and cream giving way to a spicier, hoppier finish with a very lingering mildly bitter aftertaste. A delightfully unique ale worth your time.