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Surly Brewing Co.

strong blr aged stout pours dark with thick head drink slow to rnjoy

 

 

 

2025-01-04
Shared last night with some friends. Sweet, but very good. Smooth, silky. No surprise. Appears to be a close relative of Darkness.

16oz can poured into a snifter.

A: Black pour with a light brown head that initially rises to a finger and a half. It settles shortly, but a thin collar of lacing is maintained.

S: Maple sap and whiskey are forward on the nose. Lots of vanilla extract. Dark chocolate truffles. An even level of backing malty roost. Gently woody and sooty. Sugary lactose brings a slight malted milk ball sort of note.

T: Matches the nose. Maple sap and maple syrup up front. Corny whiskey, but no major heat. Flashes of vague fruit skins. Vanilla extract, along with warmer woody vanillins and a bit of that marshmallow/coconut barrel character. Oaky. Fudgey malts and chocolate truffles. A little bit of roast and soot pulls through, but it's mostly smoothed over by a big wave of sugary lactose. Blackstrap molasses and almost rum-like. Finishes with chocolate syrup and trailing roast and lactose.

M: Full bodied and thick. Chewy and syrupy feel with a coating viscosity. Sticky. Carbonation has a fine but stiff prickle around the tongue. Ever so slightly barrel astringent.

O: Was the lactose really necessary here? It just dumbs down the whole experience and stomps all over the more roasty, malty nuance that should've had more screen time. With the maple sweetness already in play, it seems doubly unnecessary and crosses the beer into cloying territory, diminishing the relative drinkability. It's not bad, but I can't help but wonder what could have been if it weren't trying too hard to seemingly pander to the pastry stout troglodytes.

A - Pours pitch black with a one finger fizzy tan head. Heavy amount of sticky lacing.

S - Aroma is maple, milk chocolate and vanilla.

T - The taste is milk chocolate, vanilla, maple, roasted malts and charred oak.

M - Medium body with medium carbonation. Creamy mouthfeel with a slick dry finish.

O - Super solid. I wish there was more barrel in the flavor.

 

 

Pours black with a soapy dark tan head that lingers a bit. Very nice. The nose is all about the maple and vanilla aromas. There’s also a bit of milk chocolate and stone fruit, but no discernible barrel note.

No barrel on the taste, either, but there’s plenty of maple and vanilla, and a nice amount of milk chocolate and a little bit of dark cherries, which works well here.

The mouthfeel is a little thinner than expected, but if the barrel was cranked up a bit, I think this would approach world class, because everything else is present. Glad I had the opportunity to try this.

16 ounce can into a snifter. Canned 7/27/21, had 10/2/21.

Pours a dark brown, opaque, with no real head and light foamy lacing. Aromas of maple, roasted malt, vanilla, oak, some char. Flavors are largely the same- maple, vanilla, chocolate, roasted malt, some oak. Smooth, a solid full body, well carbonated.

Very enjoyable. The maple is prominent, but not overbearing, lots of vanilla, too. For the most part, it tastes like a thinner Darkness, which isn’t a bad thing.

R011620 0425

Poured from pint can into snifter.
A: Pours an extremely dark black brown hue with 2 inch frothy dark mocha head with good retention.
S: Strong vanilla beans and dark chocolate with some nutty malt and a hint of maple syrup.
T: Nice smooth dark chocolate with vanilla beans. Espresso with cream, almond, fig, oak, and hints of molasses, wood smoke, and maple syrup. Let this one warm and open up for full enjoyment!
M: Medium heavy body. Super smooth with a creamy lactose feel. Layers of dark sweetness and yet it doesn’t become heavy or overdone. Lingers nicely on the palate.
D: A very nice brew! The appearance is excellent, but the aroma didn’t offer up nearly as much as the complex taste did. Let this one warm and grow on you!

 

 

Pours strap black with moderate carbonation and a one finger head. Aroma is all bourbon, all the time. Maple and black currant notes are strongly present as well. Taste is lighter than expected, with some maple, thin molasses and bourbon cask in the forefront. The ABV is well hidden.