Surly Darkness

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

Thanks again to "hannont"; such a nice connection for outstanding brews! Colour.... let’s see... wait... I can’t see! This beer is so freakin’ dark I can’t see a thing! It’s like the singularity in a black hole! Nose... waves of dark molasses, coffee, roasted malt, dark chocolate and dark raisins. Palate... my God this stuff is thick! Wonderfully mouthcoating and decadently rich with flavours of high cocoa mass bittersweet chocolate, dark, dried, fruits, currants, arabica coffee, Christmas cake and roasted malt with a finish that goes on and on and on!

Pours a light tan head and a dark brown body. Smells light roast, molasses, fish. Tastes like molasses, apricot, dark caramel, and sushi. Tastes like the offspring of an imperial stout and an imperial ale.

75cl bottle shared by illidurit. Pitch black with a thick, dense tan head. The aroma is a burst of tropical pineapple hoppiness. There is some underlying chocolate malt as well, but the pineapple runs the show. The flavor has some bittersweet chocolate countered by tons of fruity mango and pineapple, finishing dry and hopy, but with a very smooth and restrained bitterness. Full and decadently smooth texture, but not overly thick or sticky. This is just an amazing stout. Awesome chocolate covered tropical fruit synergy.

Poured from 750 courtesy of illdurit. Dark, dense, almost black with huge dark tan head. Sweet fruity aroma, like pineapple. Excellent tast with a nice balance of malt and hops. Dry finish. Very Good.

Pitch black color with a cascading cocoa colored head. Tons of sticky lace and retention like mousse. Aroma is extremely hoppy with monstrous fresh cut pineapple notes. Not really any stout character, but it works. Flavor is decadent chocolate covered candied pineapple with a light roasted finish. Palate is very dry and smooth. Perfect carbonation. The body is not overly thick and there’s no alcohol at all. Insane drinkability.

Oh the waiting was painful, this beer is amazing and I wanted to try it for years. 750 ml bottle thanks to footbalm, 2008 edition. Pours a pure black color with a large creamy brown head. The aroma was amazing; huge dark fruits, sweet molasses, caramel, chocolates and rich coffee. Sweet plums especially in the amazing nose. The flavor was amazing as well; initial dark fruits give way to a fizzy and bitter hops. The core of this beer though is a rich chocolate, roasted malt and super decadent coffee mix.The flavor is more than just balanced, you can detect tons of hops, tons of fruit and tons of sweetness. The mouthfeel is very creamy and full. The beer leaves a sludgy leg running down the glass. Amazing. One of the best things I’ve ever drank.

22oz bottle from C&P Throwdown. Thanks to uh..Juiceisloose I think. Pours a deep evil black. As evil looking as the badass bottle. Small tan head. Big dark chocolate nose. A little whiff of citrus as well. I am expecting hops. Suprisingly not a hoppy IS, contrary to what I had heard. I also heard this beer is different than it used to be. This is a new batch. Super malty with a rich roastiness, hints of nuts and caramel. Huge dark chocolate and coffee roast finish. Great mouthfeel though, similar to Dark Lord in that respect. Not as oppressive as Dark Lord but it still coats the mouth in a great way. Very very good.

Deliciously thick sludge of a stout with more emphasis on sweetish, dark chocolate than bitter coffee or hops. Looks perfect on the pour but brown head fades. Pretty reasonable bitterness with roasty backdrop. This is a beer where I enjoy that sweetness; it has the backbone to hold it up. Well-built, round and serious, and doesn’t really put a foot wrong. It’s tasty without having to think too hard.