Surly Oak Aged Bender

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

firkin fest. An interesting twist on the bender. Dark brown with a decent head. Aroma of toasted malts, smoke, and oak. The body was one sided towards the oak, but decent. This wasn’t a show stopper like the Tea Bagged furious or the Cask Cygnus X-1

Had this on cask - sort of a letdown i think. I like bender, so an oak aged offering seemed like a sweet deal. Not so much, this was kind of bland. Some of that may come from the handpump serving, but I think i need to stick to furious.

On draught at the Map Room in Chicago. Dark brown with a frothy beige head. Aroma dominated by wood and smoke. Taste of roasted malt, nuts, and smokey wood. Body was relatively light and crisp, a very good sipper.

On cask at NotLA 08. The barrel definately added some interesting notes to the bender. Flavors of sweet vanilla and some nice barrel qualities added to an already great beer. Body is pretty light, but very enjoyable.

Cask offering at 2008 Night of the Living Ales at Goose Island. Strong barrel and nutty aroma. Oak flavor is dominant with some nice roasted malt compliments. The aging makes this beer just too thin. No head.

Pours a dark nutty brown with a thick coating of nut-colored head. The head dissipates but a good covering remains. Aroma is of roasted malts and nuts (roasted chestnuts). Sweet aroma-hints of vanilla. Flavor is surprisingly light but not watery. Malts and woody/natural tones. Body is medium with very little carbonation.

Deep brown color, somewhat hazy. This version is pretty close to the original Bender, along with some nice dry oak notes. Seems to be a pretty good candidate for the barrel treatment.

I’ve been chasing this special edition Surly beer for two months. Finally caught this beer at the Happy Gnome Firkin Fest in St Paul, Minnesota. Pours a hazy dark caramel brew with a thick off-white head that has some good retention and lacing. Aroma of caramel and Munich malts, a touch of roasted nuts, and some toffee with vanilla. Taste is medium bodied, smooth and creamy with a caramel malt favor along with some vanilla and light chocolate. Finish is a slight citrus zest aftertaste but a smooth texture compared to the regular Bender.