Surly Darkness

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

Sample courtesy of some kind stranger at the lost abbey barrel tasting. Pours a dark thick black with a nice brown head. Aroma is coffee, licorice, hops, burnt cocoa, molasses. Flavor is huge thick black chocoloate and coffee, significant hoppiness balanced out with a rich yet delicate and not cloying sweetness. I was very surprised that this lived up to the hype, great stout!

Bottled, thanks Marsblursi! Very black, rich beige head. Concentrated coffee aroma with some black currant. Hops mixed with brandy and licorice. Vinous and not overly full sized. Very well made in that ther is no stickyness at all. Creates elegance out of a chaotic orchestra of flavours: chocolate. molasses, oat flakes, port and licorice. Finishes salty and very bitter.

Bottle thanks to StFun, thanks a ton for hooking me up dude! Poured a deep brown color with a moderate beige head that faded to a ring. Aroma of dry, lightly earthy hops with some light pine and a hint of chocolate. Very one dimensional. Smooth, sweet entry with an overpoweringly sweet chocolate malt and molasses flavor and a hint of earthy hops, but not nearly enough to balance the flavor. I didn’t detect any fruit whatsoever. Low carbonation, and far too thin on the palate. One dimensional in all aspects, and nothing very ’’imperial’’ about it, just a very sweet stout. I hate to be a party pooper, but this beer was just incredibly average. Still nice to try, thanks again Josh.

22, capped and waxed. ’08. Thanks, BrewCzar! What a cool thing to do to include us in y’all’s celebration. And what a beer to celebrate with. Pours jet black with a very dense, creamy, and moussy tan head. Beautiful soft chocolatey nose--milk chocolate with a little bit of mild craft cream chocolate in there as well. Undercurrents of fruit. Rich, creamy medium body--not anywhere near as slushy as I thought it might be. Some chocolate, roast, and coffee--the usual suspects--but together they’re just one layer. The layer under that is complex dark pitted tree fruit: nectarines, plums; not too sugary, though. Well-integrated and beautifully harmonious, just like everything about this beer. Definitely a triumph and very much deserving of the hype surrounding it.

Shared with matsciguy on a glorious fall afternoon. Very dark and viscous liquid - carbo-bubbles had a hard time coming to the top makes for an interesting looking pour. Great hop, barley and malt with a bit of alcohol in the nose. Fruity, hoppy flavor with a very smooth mouthfeel. Strong. I enjoyed this a lot and it was worth standing in line!

[2008 Bottle] shared by Timbeer, thanks! Pours an awesome viscous black with an amazing tan head that slowly cascades back into itself. One of the coolest looking pours I have ever seen. Aroma strikes out at you with loads of floral and citric hops, roasted barley, sweet, sweet malt, chocolate notes, and a touch of coffee. Flavor is much different. Flavor is quite sweet, with a lot of berry notes, but which berries I can’t quite put my finger on. This gets much more enjoyable the longer I sip it. There is a good amount of bitterness, which just about balances the sweetness, but not quite. The hops are significantly present in the flavor. The alcohol is much more present on the nose than it is in the flavor, but never detracts from what the brew is trying to get across. Overall, I would say this definitely deserves the hype.

Crushed this with TheDude. Nice, dark, black pour with a brown head. Aroma has a lot of hops, giving way to some fruit coffee, tobacco. Flavor has a lot of hops up front, and then settles to a surprisingly complex amount of fruit, a bit of cocoa and coffee. Mouthfeel is big and creamy. Finish has a bit of alcohol. Though I prefer Dark Lord, this is still an amazing brew.

Crushed with Honkeybra. Very hoppy nose. Leads into an incredibly, and surprisingly fruity flavor. A lovely brew. Dark, oily, velvety, and awesome. One of the most dynamic beers I’ve ever had from the nose to the finish. Top fuckin notch. Thanks, Honkey.