Surly Hell

Brewed by Surly Brewing Company
Style: Zwickel/Keller/Landbier
Brooklyn Center, Minnesota USA

Tap @ Darkness Day - Copper pour with a little white head. Smell is apple, sweet bready malt, and just a hint of sourness. Taste is roughly the same, but the apple flavor is a bit more forward. In fact, had you told me this was brewed with apples, I’d probably believe you. The lightness of taste and the slight syrupy feeling works well together, and this was a great beer to have after drinking the mouth onslaught that is Darkness. I know this is tough to get for out-of-staters, but I’d pick this up if I could get it locally.

Can from maximum12. Pours a clear, pale yellow-gold with off-white head. Not much of a nose. It smells of grain. Taste is sweet citrus with nut and grain. Mouthfeel is thin and watery with a slight bitterness. Now, I am no fan of lagers, but I did enjoy this.

Draft at Darkness Day. The pour was bright firey orangish with a bit of white head. Very bold on the hops with plenty of bready malt character. Medium body. Fluffy, yet sprite. Balanced finish. A great drinking beer the should please a novice to the most jeded beer snob.

Aroma of black pepper, ripe apple and grape. Appearance was golden bronze with patchy head. Flavor reminded me heavily of grape juice, with some fresh watermelon and juicy apple as well. Palate was lively and cooled gradually.

Pint can courtesy of Maximum12 (Cory, Beeradvocate) from our fantasy baseball league, Thanks! Pours light gold with decently bubbly white head. Mild grassy hops and bready malts on the nose. Similar taste. Crisp, and hoppier than expected. Great summer beer.

In short: A clean and well balanced filling blonde session lager. Feels authentic.
How: Can 500ml. Consumed fresh some time ago a few weeks after receiving it from hellomynameis. Thanks a lot Zac
The look: Clear blonde body topped by a very small white head
In long: Nose of fresh bakery bread with grassy hops. Taste is really true lager. I know all micro lagers are true lagers but some just come through with that cool fresh European lager character that I too rarely find from north-american breweries. Fresh bakery bread, egg white (sounds weird but I get that from many kellerbier), a light crystal malt sugary sweetness, a good amount of grassy hops. The finish bring a medium intensity bitterness and a medium dryness with a little crushed aspirins flavour that I could have done without. Long finish. The beer is very clean but not crisp. Actually it feels rather doughy, pleasantly so. Underrated, like just about all true lagers on raterbeer. Certainly the most authentic north-american lager sold in a can. To quote the marketing team of poets at Anheuser-Busch, I was happy to get it in the can.

Can thanks to daknole. Pours with a decently large, foamy white head over a clear yellow body. Aroma is sweet and bready with a bit of fruit and light citrus. Quite crisp smelling. Taste is sweet, a touch bitter with some bread and caramel notes. Very clean, and super easy to drink. Sparkling carbonation, light bodied. Very nice.

Can from allendodd. Special thanks because this is: My first Surly. Pilsner glass. Pours gold with a three finger white head. Mild noble hop aroma. Near medium body with brisk carbonation. Flavor is spicey/floral/grassy with some pale malt. It drinks incredibly well. Finishes with a mild fruit note. And perhaps a bit bready.