Bitter Brewer
Surly Brewing Co.
- From:
- Surly Brewing Co.
- Minnesota, United States
- Style:
- English Bitter
- ABV:
- 4%
- Score:
- 89
- Avg:
- 3.98 | pDev: 11.06%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 446
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Mar 03, 2021
- Added:
- May 05, 2007
- Wants:
- 234
- Gots:
- 89
SCORE
89
Very Good
89
Very Good
Brewed with a significant portion of Simpsons Golden Promise, the malt character comes across as toasty, and the flaked oats provide some additional mouthfeel to offset the bitterness. The hops provide an orange aroma and flavor, almost like marmalade. The current signature hop is Mandarina Bavaria, a new aromatic varietal coming out of Germany that has distinct tangerine and orange-like notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Alieniloquium:
Reviewed by Alieniloquium from Florida
3.58/5 rDev -10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
3.58/5 rDev -10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
16 oz. can poured into a British pint glass. Authentic!
Appearance - Slightly hazy burnt orange body with minimal head, but what's there is persistent. Has the look of a barely carbonated cask ale. Also authentic!
Smell - Wow, hoppy. Not what I expected. Kind of a stale citrus smell. Like an old IPA. Way more hops than a bitter would have. Hell, it's way more hops than an English IPA would have. It's nice, but I don't know that more hops is necessarily better in this case.
Taste - Hop dominance in the taste. It's all hops until the finish, which has the slightest malt flavor. After that, it's bitter! Not tremendously. It has a slight bite, which is authentic. I'm looking for much more of a malt character, though.
Mouthfeel - Light and tinglingly carbonated. Not high carbonation, but tingly, if that makes sense. It's good for a bitter, although considering the hop flavor it needs more body.
Overall - So hoppy that it isn't really genuine to the style. Lacking the malt backbone to justify the hop content. Still, an interesting take that I don't mind drinking. And you can't beat the flavor for the ABV.
Oct 25, 2011Appearance - Slightly hazy burnt orange body with minimal head, but what's there is persistent. Has the look of a barely carbonated cask ale. Also authentic!
Smell - Wow, hoppy. Not what I expected. Kind of a stale citrus smell. Like an old IPA. Way more hops than a bitter would have. Hell, it's way more hops than an English IPA would have. It's nice, but I don't know that more hops is necessarily better in this case.
Taste - Hop dominance in the taste. It's all hops until the finish, which has the slightest malt flavor. After that, it's bitter! Not tremendously. It has a slight bite, which is authentic. I'm looking for much more of a malt character, though.
Mouthfeel - Light and tinglingly carbonated. Not high carbonation, but tingly, if that makes sense. It's good for a bitter, although considering the hop flavor it needs more body.
Overall - So hoppy that it isn't really genuine to the style. Lacking the malt backbone to justify the hop content. Still, an interesting take that I don't mind drinking. And you can't beat the flavor for the ABV.
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada
3.69/5 rDev -7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.69/5 rDev -7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Comes out golden, somewhat a darker shade. Good 3/4" white head, solid retention. Aroma came off as grain more than hops. No different than a BMC with ale yeast it seemed.
Taste was substantial for a session beer, good bitterness, earthy floral hops, light body, pale toasted malts.
A great beer for golf. Good format. Would bang again.
Apr 28, 2016Taste was substantial for a session beer, good bitterness, earthy floral hops, light body, pale toasted malts.
A great beer for golf. Good format. Would bang again.
Reviewed by BeerGeek50 from Minnesota
3.25/5 rDev -18.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
3.25/5 rDev -18.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Pale yellow but a bit hazy pour. Thin white head. Citrus, pineapple, almost candied citrus on the nose. Flavor is orangey/grapefruit. A bit odd. Not what I was expecting.
Dec 27, 2015
Reviewed by SteveB24 from New York
3.86/5 rDev -3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
3.86/5 rDev -3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
I wasn't blown away by this beer, but i have to say its very impressive that they managed to pack a nice, fruity flavor into such a light beer. pleasant aroma as well, very fizzy. this would be a great choice for lawn mowing.
Dec 14, 2015
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