First Avenue +1
Surly Brewing Company

First Avenue +1First Avenue +1
Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
Surly Brewing Company
 
Minnesota, United States
Style:
American Blonde Ale
ABV:
5.1%
Score:
80
Avg:
3.45 | pDev: 12.46%
Reviews:
22
Ratings:
65
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jan 15, 2022
Added:
Oct 08, 2017
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  12
Dearly beloved, an old Minneapolis bus station. An abrasives factory in the 'burbs. From these humble beginnings sprang the last great rock club in the country and one of America's leading craft breweries. A collaboration just makes sense. First Avenue and Surly Brewing Co. are proud to present +1, an easy-drinking, classic-style golden ale that's perfect for the entry, the mainroom, or anywhere the music hits you. +1. You're on the list.
View: More Beers
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Stevedore:
Photo of Stevedore
Reviewed by Stevedore from Oregon

3.53/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
16oz can, served in a willi becher pint glass. Pours a clear golden yellow body, one and half finger white head, good retention, splotchy lacing. Smell is toasted bread, lemon, a dab of honey, light zest, touch of marmalade. Flavour is sweet biscuit, marmalade, touch of zest, light mineral. Slightly skunked, a bit on the sweeter side. Mouthfeel is lighter medium bodied, appropriately carbonated, slightly sweet biscuit on the backend. Mild bitterness. Overall, a solid session beer with a good bit of flavour. It's a bit skunked and maybe not as clean as say, a well-executed pilsner, but for it being a top fermented beer, it's not terrible.
Apr 13, 2018
More User Ratings:
Photo of mothman
Reviewed by mothman from Minnesota

3.5/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Can. White head. Cloudy golden color.

Grains, cereal, and bready malts. Grassy and earthy hops. Light and easy drinking. Reminds me of a pils. Pretty enjoyable. Kind of a surprise when it says golden ale. Must not be a Belgian golden.
Jan 15, 2022
 
Rated: 3.02 by Nbensonmn from Minnesota

Jan 30, 2021
Photo of chum_husk
Reviewed by chum_husk from Minnesota

2.92/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 5 | overall: 1
16oz can, review from notes

Pours up clear, slight cloud, big puffy white head. I'm surprised at the lack of hops here, actually really disappointed. This was just a missed opportunity, such a boring beer from a brewery that used to be constantly innovating and doing wacky stuff. It's drinkable as it is forgettable

Standard drinkable ale, but a waste of time from my perspective
Jan 12, 2021
 
Rated: 2.69 by tonkabrews from Minnesota

Oct 29, 2020
Photo of sccrneo
Rated by sccrneo from Minnesota

3.98/5  rDev +15.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Clear golden color
Minimal smell
Very smooth and crisp, no bitterness
Sep 05, 2020
 
Rated: 3.8 by SargeC from California

Jul 18, 2020
Photo of feloniousmonk
Reviewed by feloniousmonk from Minnesota

3.52/5  rDev +2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
This is a different kind of collaboration. We don't have two or more brewers/breweries getting together to craft a recipe. Instead, Surly showed First Avenue three different beers and asked which one they'd like their name on. Not really a collaboration at all.

Clear, bright golden, brilliant white head atop.

In the nose: Cereal notes, malt-forward, hop-backward. Slight sweetness, but well-balanced.

In the mouth: clean, lean, light bodied, low hops. Added corn to a golden ale is not my favorite aspect of this beer. It is a golden ale, it is not unpleasant, and it can be consumed. In fact, it is pleasant, you can drink it. Unfortunately, the corn keeps nagging at me. I can't shake the adjunct.

Definitely better than Hamm's or PBR. Something that can get rocked out at First Ave without too much thinking involved. I don't love it. But it's okay. Just okay.

{Editor's note: When I stop thinking about the beer, and merely drink it, my opinion is improved. I think that's the whole point of this one.}
Feb 04, 2020
 
Rated: 3.25 by d5001986 from Wisconsin

Jan 15, 2020
Photo of Mindcrime1000
Reviewed by Mindcrime1000 from South Dakota

3.61/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Poured into a tulip.

Pours nearly crystal clear. Light gold, but not quite straw. It has a nice fluffy head that retains well. It looks like what it purports to be, i.e., a "golden ale."

The aromas are muted and delicate, but inviting. Honey-sweet malt, hints of clean grain and citrus, and floral notes.

The flavors follow the nose, but with a touch more aggression. The malt sweetness only temporarily takes the stage on the tip of the tongue, with citrus and clean grain and cracker flavors in midstream, along with a bit of white pepper. It provides a tart finish with some apple-cider flavor. Perhaps a bit more hopping would have amplified this one a bit.

The brew is medium-light, with nice carbonation and a tart and drying, but not puckering, finish. Very drinkable and refreshing.

A solid blonde/golden ale with a very clean, simple flavor, albeit a subdued "acoustic," not electric one. At risk of resorting to one more pun, given the name, a bit more "volume" on all fronts would have taken this one up a notch.
Sep 29, 2019
 
Rated: 3.5 by ian_graf from Minnesota

Jul 28, 2019
Photo of defunksta
Reviewed by defunksta from Wisconsin

4.15/5  rDev +20.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Update 10/11/20:
Appearance: Pours a completely, clear yellow color with a moderate to large, lacy white head. SRM of 8.(4.00)

Aroma: Nice aromas of earthy honey with a strong floral component. Some light grains and honeyflower with lemon citrus. Light and simple lemon biscuit/cookie. Underwhelming compared to the flavor, but nice lemon biscuit. (4.00)

Flavor: Yeast and grains initially that evolve into a light, airy lemon zest and flower. Characteristic of Surly's yeast. Some bergamot and jasmine to it. Mild lemon & honey sweetness comes through. Pale biscuit malts. Yeast dries the palate, but leans sweet. Some black tea. More like a crisp lemon biscuit beer, but yet light and dry. (4.25).

Feel: Lighter-bodied, crisp, and dry. Some drying yeast left on the palate. Overall, light and crisp. (4.00)

Compared to Castle Cream Ale: More light lemon zest. Less corn, cream, caramel. A lighter, crispier, and dryer beer.

Compared to Great Lakes' Dortmund Gold: Pours a lighter color. Lighter on aroma and flavor. Lighter in flavor and body too. Less malty. More honey malts and less caramel.
9/22/21: Pours a lighter color. More hoppy aromas. More lemonflower. Less malty bread and caramel. Dryer.
12/5/21: More flower and tea. Less toasted honey and bread.
7/23: More floral. Less toasted bread.

Compared to Surly's Hell Lager: Similar in color, slightly lighter and a weaker head. Aromas and flavors are nearly identical, but slightly duller and more grains and less lemon hops here. Slightly more grains and less butter. Definitely less lemon and flowery hops, finishing less bitter. Slightly lighter body. Nearly identical in terms of flavor.
6/4/21: Slightly more earthy honey, less lemonflower and wheat. A smoother, fuller body. Extremely similar.

Compared to Bahaus' Wonderstuff 3/7/20: Identical appearance. More light lemonflower and honeysuckle on aroma. Less sweet bread. Similar honey flavor, but less honey sweetness. Dryer and crisper.
3/13/21: Slightly stronger aromas. More honeysuckle and flower. Less pale malts and salty bread. Lighter bodied, smoother, but a stronger flowery bitterness.
8/21: Milder aromas. More earthy honey. Less bready malts.
1/22: Stronger aromas. More earthy honey and flower. Less bread malts, yeast, salt.

Compared to Fulton's Lonely Blonde 4/6/20: Pours a slightly darker color with a stronger head. Lighter aromas. More flower flavor. Less wheat and smoother body. Less bitter, but similar sweetness. Overall, more flower and less sweet lemon and bitter wheat.

Compared to Summit's Dakota Soul 5/3/20: Pours a slightly lighter color with a stronger head. Milder aromas. Nearly identical flavors, but this one is slightly lighter-bodied and dryer. Really hard to differentiate. Also hard to call a winner, but these are nearly identical.
to Summit's Dakota Soul 5/16/20: Pours a light yellow color. Lighter aromas but much more honey lemon zest. Strong lemon hop flavors. Less dry, bitter salt, and bready/yeast flavor.
9/20/20: More honey aromas. Less dried pale malts and dried flower. More honey flower.

to Bent Paddle's Classic 6/13/20: Pours a slightly darker color. Milder aromas with more sweet lemon and honey. Less earthy honey. More yeast here and dryer.
5/18/21: More earthy honey, and flower. Slightly more lemon. Less cream and malty sweetness.

to Surly Heat Slayer 7/25/20: Pours a darker color More aromas and flavor here. More lemonflower and honey. More overall, but it is less astringent and carbonated. Winner: First Ave

to Mamas Lil Yella Pils 8/8/20: Pours a similar color. More earthy honey and flower. Less honey-bread malts. Actually very similar, but just slightly different here.
12/2023:

to Odell's Colorado Lager 12/13/20: Pours a slightly darker color with a larger head. Stronger aromas of lemonflower and tea. Less sweet cracker malt. More complex and better here.

to Firstone Walker's Lager 1/3/21: Pours a darker color with a larger head. Stronger aromas of earthy and sweet honey. Less white cracker, citrus, yeast.

to Summit Keller Pils 6/21: Pours an identical color. Slightly milder aroma. More honey and earthy flavors. Slightly less wheat. Smoother, and less astringent. Slightly more malty. Overall, quite similar though.

to Bells Oberon Ale 7/12/21: More honey and lemonflower. Less wheat and orange.
8/3/21: More bread malts, honey, and earthy flower. Less gummy orange and wheat.

to Kona Big Wave Blonde 2/3/22: Pours a similar with a larger head. More honey, lemonflower. Less tropical orange.

to Lupulin Dortmunder 5/31/22: Larger head. Milder aromas. More honeyflower. Less pale and cracker malts. More bitter.

to Fair State Union Lager 4/2023: More honey and floral. Less toasted.

Overall: A crisp lemon biscuit beer with nice floral notes. Sort of reminds me of Boulevard's wheat, only this one is clear, filtered, and has a stronger honeyflower flavor. A bit of jasmine tea too. A very mild beer in body and flavor. Fantastic beer. (Overall Rating: 4.15)
Jul 06, 2019
 
Rated: 3.57 by LXIXME from New Mexico

Mar 31, 2019
Photo of vette2006c5r
Reviewed by vette2006c5r from Minnesota

3.21/5  rDev -7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.25
First Avenue pours a clear clean color, no head. Cheap and grainy aroma. Grainy and oddly too sweet flavor to this one. Good body and feel. Overall, very grainy, and too sweet.
Feb 06, 2019
 
Rated: 4 by Nurt20 from Illinois

Jan 26, 2019
 
Rated: 3.75 by ovaltine from Indiana

Jan 25, 2019
 
Rated: 3.49 by nruhlig from Minnesota

Jan 18, 2019
Photo of mynie
Reviewed by mynie from Maryland

3.41/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
16 ounce can.

The pour is pretty: golden, medium-hazy with a large and retentive white head.

Smells like very little. My pallet is clear, and this really smells like almost nothing. Very light grain and some mild fruitiness.

Tastes a bit more lively but still weirdly muted, for a Surly beer. Sweet grain with mild fruity nodes, mild hop tang in the middle, and a yeasty finish. It's well balanced and well-brewed--it's hard to pull off a golden ale, after all--but, like I said, it's kind of surprisingly tame, considering its brewery. Were it sold more along the 1.50 per tallboy range, it'd be an excellent staple. At 3-4 bucks per tallboy, however, it's hard to justify.
Dec 24, 2018
 
Rated: 3.74 by moundbz from North Dakota

Dec 07, 2018
Photo of Drak-Nib
Reviewed by Drak-Nib from Nebraska

3/5  rDev -13%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Very satisfying opening. Malty, heading toward hoppy. The bubbles caress my throat. As S. said, it's a beer beer. Almost too harsh, but this'll put hair on your chest. From a taster. 2018/11/25
Nov 28, 2018
First Avenue +1 from Surly Brewing Company
Beer rating: 80 out of 100 with 65 ratings