Surly Darkness

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

Originally tried this on tap, but am rating the 2007 bottle here. It’s pitch black with a wonderfully creamy tan head that leaves great lacing. The aroma is roasted coffee and chocolate and dark fruit. The smell of alcohol seems more pervading here than when I had it on tap through. The flavor is so much. I can taste Furious hops with roasted chocolate malts with coffee hints and sweet malts. It’s so good. This is by far the smoothest beer I’ve ever had. Velvety smooth. The finish leaves a nice pleasant bitter. This is easily the best beer I’ve had thus far. I only wish I had more of it to drink. 2008 re-rate. This stuff smells so sweet. Hops and sweet candy fruit. Flavor is so sweet and hoppy. You really have to drink this stuff fresh, or it just becomes average otherwise.

Holy cow! I was very fortunate to try this tonight at Churchills with Ivan and Tim. Tim somehow managed to trade for one of these great bottles. I tried several times to get a trade, but could never cut the mustard. Many thanks Tim! Bottle #571/480 (they sold 480. they bottled almost 600. they remaining ones they’re hanging onto for their own purposes) A superbly well made beer. Some chocolate in the aroma initially. Initially I thought the aroma was mild, but then as it warmed up in my glass and as I had a glass with just tiny bit of liquid the aroma starts to explode with chocolate and malt and caramel and figs. The taste is another explosion of flavor. It wraps around your tongue imparting flavor to every bit of the top and bottom of your tongue with lots of chocolate and sweet malt. Not barrel aged, but surprizingly mellow for a beer that has just been released. Also surpizingly easy to drink. Easy to get carried away sipping into blissful heaven. Starts at a 4.7 and quickly creeps to a 5.0 as it warms up. I settled for a 4.9.

RE-RATE - 2008 Vintage: On Tap: This poured black in color with a thn dark brown head that dissipated away. The nose gave off strong scents of chocolate, roasted malt, dark fruit, coffee and chocolate covered toffee. In the mouth it was full-bodied, dense and concentrated with enough carbonation and hops to keep it in relative balance...this just had a lot of everything. THis was thick and rich yet I had no problem ordering and drinking a 2nd glass. Great stuff and much better than the 2007 version which was too hoppy, especially in the finish. On tap - 2007 Vintage: Dark in color with a roasted coffee and chocolate nose. This continues into a palate that I hoped carried a little more density. While a very nice beer I came out with the feeling that some barrel aging would smooth and fill out the midpalate.

Entered to celebrate my 9700th rating with the curently 4th highest rated beer on Ratebeer. Drunk at GABF 2007. A black beer with a thin brown head. The aroma is sweet and very roasted, combined with notes of chocolate and coffee. The flavor is sweet with notes of chocolate, coffee, and roasted malt, as well as a light note of alcohol. The flavor is very balanced. Nice one.

I was surprised how surly successfully used their signature hops in this beer - normally I feel it makes all their beers taste like a less pleasant furious. Deep flavor, chocolate and coffee blend with a hint of fruit for a thick beer with a long lasting, slightly bitter aftertaste.

Bottle, #295, thanks the hellomynameis. Dark brown/black, with a light brown head. Aroma is hops, roasted malt, dark fruit, and chocolate. Flavor is hops, chocolate, dark fruit, roasted malt, and coffee. A nice creamy, fairly heavy body. Very good, but if the hops calm down with aging, this will be even better. I only hope I can get another bottle to age.

on tap. Poured very dark brown, thin tan head. Has a strong hop aroma. Tastes extremely hoppy with all sorts of nice stouty goodness hiding behind the initial blast of hops. Chocolate, espresso, oatmeal, roasted malts, dark fruits. You can tell there is a completely different beer hiding under everything. Hop flavor was similar to furious, which to me is a good thing. Finished thick and oily, nice and creamy. alcohol goes unnoticed. I can only imagine what this will turn into as the hops drop back and everything else comes forward. One of the most complex beers I’ve ever tried.

A- Nice chocolate and coffee with mild hints of sweetness and hops F - A wonderful balance of coffee, chocolate, sweetness, and mild hops.