Mortal Sun
Surly Brewing Co.

Poured from 12-ounce can into a petite snifter. Deep blackish-brown colored body, with ruby highlights and a two-finger off-white head. Decent retention, with some spotty lacing. Big aromas and flavors of dark roasted malt, with attendant notes of char, licorice, molasses, dark chocolate, and tart black cherry. Medium bodied, with a huge kick of hoppy bitterness at the back end and a dry and slightly astringent finish. Nothing unusual or overpowering here, just a solid - and very good - American porter.

 

Suitably dark brown, nearly black coloration, entirely opaque, voluminous cocoa-tinged head, leaving lace.

In the nose: Soft, caramel-toned, traces of cola, toffee, nuts. Minor notes of coffee & cocoa. Much malt. Semi-sweet.

In the mouth: Floods the palate with warmth. Cool malt enchantment. Light roast, with all those flavors noted from the nose arriving on the tongue. Ends just a little dry. Medium-bodied, and excellently quaffable, for those of us who enjoy indulging in a session on the dark side. Nicely hoppy at the end. (Making for a more American style, versus traditionally British-style.) Quite tasty, too.

Overall, I like this. I would buy a case of it, turn to it for comfort when there is nothing but dreary darkness and such outside. It's snowing outside as I write this. Ugh. Winter Wonderland, my ass.

 

12oz can with a canned on date

Drank out the can, smells and tastes like it looks like motor oil. The taste is hoppy and dark, but balanced enough where it's easy to drink. More hops than expected, fine by me.

Good stuff

Classic porter look and feel. Beautiful can art with a totally black top. A dense head with a very dominant aroma - cocoa, molasses and dark roast coffee. Body is lighter than a stout, giving way to a leading, but subdued bitterness. This is a really well-made ale.

 

 

 

On tap at the MSP brewery.

From a 12oz can:

Appearance: Dark brown, big head.

Smell: Nice roasted smell, a little mild coffee.

Taste: Sweet at first, a little touch of smoke rolls in, finishes with some roasted bitterness.

Overall: A very nice porter from Surly, wish I had a Bender side-by-side to compare, as I've thought of Bender as more of a porter than a brown ale. This would be a good one to keep around!

 

Can from a mixed 12 pack:

C+ / ABOVE AVERAGE

***
01/02/19 impression from a can:

5.5% ABV.

APPEARANCE: Pours an opaque body and a creamy khaki head that sticks around for a good 6+ minutes.

AROMA: Chocolate malt, cola, dark malts, malted milk balls. I don't get any overt hoppy notes or even any roast.

Aromatic intensity is average. Suggests an enjoyable if timid porter.

TASTE: Matches the aroma. Ticks the boxes of the style, but tends a bit too sweet, emphasizing malted milk ball-redolent notes instead of roasted barley or coffee-like bitterness.

TEXTURE: Medium-bodied. Smooth. Wet. Well-carbonated.

OVERALL: A drinkable and enjoyable albeit forgettable porter. I'd sooner buy Edmund Fitzgerald, Black Butte Porter, or Anchor Porter if after a widely available yet tasty porter.

C / AVERAGE

 

12oz can, media sample from the brewery.

Very dark brown hued brew, nearly black. Lovely light tan lacing on top. Big roasted and toasted malt character, smooth and drinkable with a moderate sized body. Firm kiss of citrusy hops wrap around the suggestions of dark chocolate that comes from the roasted malt. A great example of a Porter and an American one at that with the extra hop presence. Definitely recommend this one.

 

 

This beer pours a dark brown with a solid off white head. The aroma is pleasant and gentle, with a hint of smoke, chocolate, clean pine, and a coffee fruit scent. The flavor is mild and bright, with a pleasant roasty, smokey quality upfront, some dried cherry, mild tobacco, pine, molasses, and rec licorice, with a distinctly long, fruity finish. The mouthfeel is fairly light with broadly foaming carbonation. Overall a very sucesful and unique little porter, but clearly in style. I would love to see this enter as a fall seasonal in 4 packs.

Aroma is dry/dark/roasted malts and chocolate/dark chocolate. The flavor is big chocolate/dark chocolate, roasted malts, mild fruit and an acidic finish.