Surly Oak Aged Bender

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

(Cask) Pours a brown body with a small beige head. Aroma of caramel, cocoa, and toasted grain. Flavor of nuts, cocoa, light herbs, oak, and caramel malt.

On cask at the Great Taste of the Midwest (8/9/08): Pours a dark copper mahogany with a thin-lacing airy light tan head. Aroma of lightly sweet toasty dark malts and some mild oaky notes. Body starts about average with a light caramel sweetness and toasty oaky flavor before a drier bittersweet finish. I prefer the regular Bender with bigger hoppy notes.

Pouring a dark brown body without much of a head, t5he malt in the aroma was strongly covered by scents of oak and vanilla. The malt came through more clearly in the flavor, sweet with a touch of cocoa and light stone fruits. Not bad, but this brew may have been a bit lightweight to handle the oak aging.

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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.

Firkin at Small Bar. Poured just slightly hazy medium brown with pretty much zero carbonation or head left. The aroma was soft with subtle, well-placed oak accents.. toasted caramel and nutty notes beneath.. light spicy herbal and lemon accents.. quite nice! The flavor had toasted nutty notes, caramel, and sweeter chocolate at the core.. tart grainy oak and vinegary tartness rode the edges, with an oaky, well-balanced finish. Light-medium bodied with low carbonation.. enjoyed the tart, oaky impression on an already great beer!

Draft old rating. Pours a dark brown body with a tan head. Coco, caramel, some roasted caramel malt, with a bitter and woody tone. Accented with vanilla and brown sugar. Nice just a bit light and thin.

GTMW ’08. Poured a murky browm color, like dark iced tea. Soap bubble head. Smelled of molasses, brown sugar, and tobacco. Medium bodied and slightly sweet with mild bitterness. I tasted brown sugar, wood, mixed nuts, and light citrus.

on cask at Night of the Living Ales IV, nose was loaded with vanilla from the oak aging, way over the top, the malt was a tad vegetal and i dont think held up to the oak, caramely notes. really odd and doesn’t work with the great brown ale that is bender.