Surly One

Formerly brewed at Surly Brewing Company
Style: Doppelbock
Brooklyn Center, Minnesota USA

On tap at the Happy Gnome, a very good brew. Hints of fig and raisons. very sweet, but in a good way. Would of been better if served a bit warmer, but still a great beer!

Opaque dark brown color with a whitish head (what little was there). Aroma of spice, hops, malt, and plums. The aroma was not as strong as I personally prefer. Flavor was similar but with an additional mild chocolate and vanilla flavor. Somewhat syrupy and full bodied in the mouth. The finish is mildly sweet with tinge of alcohol. This is a very well balanced lager.

On tap at brewery after RBSG tour. A ddp amber pour wht a light tan head. A slight hint of malty brown sugar on the nose. An interesting malty drink with alot of sweetness and a presence of abv. Mouthfeel is as soldi as the flavor. Carbonation is excellent. If you like a sweet beer you will love this offering.

On tap- Bryant Lake Bowl. Like a sweet sherry but less intense and balanced by some dark caramel. The sweetness does not prevent it from being endlessly drinkable. The act of bowling while drinking such a classy lager is one of the beauty’s of the marriage between two minnesota gems: Surly and BLB.

"One", an anniversary lager. ("But don’t call it a doppelbock.") Brewed July 2006, with a blend of 7 different malts and candi sugar. 9% abv, 28 IBU. Sample bottle poured into a wide-mouth Belgian chalice. Deep mahogany hue. ("Tawny brown", says the brewer, but we’re both right.) Slim whitish head. Aroma: nice and malty, lightly spicy, with prominent notes of raisin and plum. Molasses isn’t far off, either. Delicate sweetness. Taste away: Mmmmm. That’s all I’ll say: Mmmmmm ... ... ...okay, seriously, this is quite a slick, delicious treat, and they’re right it’s not a doppelbock, it’s unlike anything I can think of at the moment, and I think it’s brilliant. Those dark fruit flavors ride on top, coated with a candyish sheen and it’s jostles the realm of the syrupy, but not quite. It grabs hold of the palate with each new sip, drips this sweet concoction all over the palate, coats the senses, then softly fades back, though the beautiful flavor never quite quits. Alcohol is not as forward as you’d think, going into a 9% lager, but I still would advise against tippling too many! Finish is long, body is medium to full, and the taste is well-tempered, very sweet, but not too much so, at least not to me. Those who can’t stand a touch of sweetness may not like it. Their loss. Happy 1st Anniversary Surly! Here’s to many more!

On-tap at the Blue Nile, who knew: A limpid ruby brown with nary a head to be found. Hmmm...I sense a malty "One", perhaps a skimpy collar and a whispy residue is strewn across the top of the liquid. Lacing minimal within a few strings and spots, but mostly a clear oily-like film is covering alll areas the liquid touches. Aroma is sweet with a ample dispaly of freshly squeezed fig and raisin paste and a slice of dark candied bread. Taste is more sweet to go with the smell...and a whole lot more. It’s Doppelbock meets Belgain Dark with a good load of super fresh raisin and fig innards, squishy sweet and sticky with dark fruit gum and glues. Nice dark Belgian candy-like tendencies spark and develope as it draws out through the finish. Leaving long sticky sweet stuff all over the palate. Not drenchingly so like mollases or syrup, but with a high, dark sweetness that encompasses the Doppelbock realm. Yet the candy flavors mixed within pull from the malt flavors more then what they can make up for and make for a nice drinkable lager. Or is it an Ale due to its Belgian likeness? Well, what ever you want to call it, or label it, or decide to call it or label it, it’s a sweet ride, as in sweet with a whole bunch of malts and candy goodness. Its tender and longing with a big sweetness all across its character. Body is super smooth and silky sticky with all sorts of stuff holding on to your cheeks making for a sweet and heavy, yet, smooth bodied brew. This "One" is completely drinkable! The overall sweetness in flavor is a little much after a while, but somehow not bothersome at all as this was still downable enough and really quickly due to its finely crafted soft silky smoothness. Its a pretty decent Doppelbockish-Belgain Dark-thingy-lagered-ale. Happy Anniversary Surly! Keep em coming.

Draft @ Brewery: Amber ruby color, white nice head and lacing. Nose of bright fruit and alcohol, a dark malt and ethanol fest. The flavor is sweet and chewy with raisin and plum, nice caramelly cherry and honey. Grapes and alcohol, cotton candy, nice beer.

Dark Brown With Red Hue and a White Ring. Sweet Syrup and Cranberry Aroma. A Childhood Memory of Cap’n Crunchberries Comes to Mind. Medium to Heavy Mouthfeel. Sweetly Potent and Syrupy. Dark Fruit...Noticeable Alcohol, But Not Overly So. Nice Dry Ending...Wondefull Creamy Depth to This Brew..Similar to Darkness, in that Respect. Very Nice Overall. I hope the First Anniversary Comes Back Every Year!