Eight Ale
Surly Brewing Company

Eight AleEight Ale
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From:
Surly Brewing Company
 
Minnesota, United States
Style:
American Barleywine
ABV:
12%
Score:
92
Avg:
4.13 | pDev: 12.11%
Reviews:
40
Ratings:
331
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Mar 23, 2024
Added:
Jul 23, 2014
Wants:
  33
Gots:
  140
No description / notes.
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Ratings by bcsbeer:
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Rated by bcsbeer from Florida

4.24/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Jan 21, 2018
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.43 by acurtis from New Jersey

Mar 23, 2024
 
Rated: 3.91 by westcoastbeerlvr from California

Jul 24, 2022
 
Rated: 4.06 by 5EKF from Illinois

Jan 02, 2022
 
Rated: 4.02 by Ristaccia from Nebraska

May 10, 2021
 
Rated: 4.38 by jmh21 from Minnesota

Nov 01, 2020
Photo of MonDak_Joe1953
Reviewed by MonDak_Joe1953 from Minnesota

4.24/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
750ml bottle. White wax over cap.
Cloudy, dirty apple juice brown colored body. Each pour brings out an off white fizzy head, which reduces to a skiff and a thin ring. No lacing.
Aroma of apple, vanilla, and whiskey barrel. Quite a depth to the aromas. Has a sweet, very pleasant smell.
Taste is marshmallow sweet, with tree orchard fruit. Lots of vanilla, and an addition of whiskey barrel.
Medium plus mouth feel, and very smooth. Good carbonation.
It's like a fruit tree orchard aged in whiskey barrels, with a vanilla sweetness.
Sep 26, 2019
 
Rated: 4.25 by bpfrush from Wisconsin

Aug 13, 2019
Photo of GuyFawkes
Reviewed by GuyFawkes from Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
2014 vintage; drank 3/11/15 @ Harvest Hop Haus.

Hazy orange rust appearance.

Khaki head; nice lace.

Sweet pickle, oats, caramel & booze heat in the nose.

Medium mouthfeel.

Fresh oak, sweet pickle & booze heat flavors. Odd; drinkable but tough to enjoy.
Mar 11, 2019
Photo of Sabtos
Reviewed by Sabtos from Ohio

2.87/5  rDev -30.5%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.75
I don't get it, is this supposed to be a sour or a Belgian ale? This hazy copper-brown brew with a fuzzy khaki top exhibits semi-tart notes of pineapple, Belgian yeast and orange peel with a frothy light body. Infected? Intentional? No one seems to be able to decide. It appears I'm not a fan of mystery beer styles though. Either way, this definitely is NOT a Barleywine.
May 23, 2018
 
Rated: 3.68 by Kurmaraja from California

Mar 08, 2018
Photo of garymuchow
Reviewed by garymuchow from Minnesota

3.83/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75
Not sure how long I've been sitting on this, but I'm sure it's been awhile.
Anyway. Aroma starts with a sweet rye whiskey with alcohol and a bit of vanilla. Big full head that is sticky lacy. Mostly clear amber with red prominent.
Not quite as complex as I would expect. Wood becomes more prominent in time and it shows vanilla later.
On a bigger side of moderate feels. Smooth and nicely carbonated. Some dryness on the finish.
This is only okay. Nothing that makes it stand out in any particular fashion.
Dec 31, 2017
 
Rated: 4.86 by JoeandRyan from Minnesota

Dec 20, 2017
 
Rated: 3.42 by DVMin98 from North Carolina

Jul 08, 2017
 
Rated: 4.82 by Can_if_you_can from Minnesota

Jul 01, 2017
 
Rated: 2.32 by aaronyoung01 from New Mexico

May 08, 2017
 
Rated: 4.25 by tvenne from Minnesota

May 04, 2017
 
Rated: 4.07 by aasher from Indiana

Feb 06, 2017
 
Rated: 4.26 by atone315 from Wisconsin

Nov 28, 2016
Photo of StonedTrippin
Reviewed by StonedTrippin from Colorado

4.06/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
i love this series, and i think its wonderful they revisited a few of the beers, i know i missed this the first time it came around. a barleywine or old ale type as a base, brick red in color, very thick and hazy with some sediment visible under the inch of tan fizzy froth. it smells heavy like the high west rye barrels it was aged in, complex, spicy, sweet, honey, molasses, some hops, english ale yeast, warming alcohol, lots going on. the flavor shows quite a bit of dried fruit, very autumnal, apple, cherry, subtle currant, with lots of wood, the rye whiskey for sure and a little sweetness, brown sugar notes to that, rock candy, and again more hops that it seems like it would have, but a balancing bitter component that comes on late. smooth and huge, not as boozy as it smells, and not overly sweet for the style. the barrel influence is huge, liquid lumer aspect to this, some milkd carbonation, enormous body, a perfect beer for fall, especially as it warms up and becomes more and more layered. i liked this a lot, but how it ages has me intrigued, i could see get this getting stupidly smooth with the barrel being even more accentuated. love the high west ryes, and they come through well here, whichever of them they have used. surly rules!
Nov 01, 2016
Eight Ale from Surly Brewing Company
Beer rating: 92 out of 100 with 331 ratings