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Hell Lager
Surly Brewing Company
- From:
- Surly Brewing Company
- Minnesota, United States
- Style:
- Helles
Ranked #125 - ABV:
- 5%
- Score:
- 86
Ranked #18,798 - Avg:
- 3.83 | pDev: 10.7%
- Reviews:
- 371
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Oct 13, 2023
- Added:
- Aug 26, 2008
- Wants:
- 135
- Gots:
- 228
Not unlike a Zwickel Bier from Germany, Hell is not filtered and fermented with lager yeast. American hops takes a back seat to the Pils malt sweetness and fresh bread aroma. The color is well... hell (Deutsch for light). It's fiendishly drinkable, and you don't have to sell your soul to get another.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by tectactoe:
Reviewed by tectactoe from Michigan
4.02/5 rDev +5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
4.02/5 rDev +5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Thanks to maximum12 for all the Surly love. The man is single-handedly accountable for sending me over 75% of the Surly beers I've had to date, and it is much appreciated. Surly Hell pours out with a straw-colored body; helles... that's Deutsch for "light" (thanks to the back of the can for that little lesson). Very pale, hazy, and squandering with a white head - cloudy, puffy, and crackling loudly like a box of Pop Rocks.
Surly Hell is far from hell on the nostrils. Zesty sweet grains, mound upon mound of bready malt, and the slightest hint of lemon peels and leafy hops. The hops are toned down and provide only a little aid, which really gives the bright Pilsner malts a chance to shine. It gets a bit sweeter and a little more amped up with warmth; a bit more citrus zest and some more sweet grains. The lager yeast is crisp, chunky, fresh, and certainly inviting.
Pilsner malt-y is the first sip, as well as lager yeast-y. A very nice amount of malt sweetness and doughy bread flavors envelope the tongue and show a nice sign of both balance and control, all at once. Earthy hops hang in the background, providing more of a musty, dry bitterness than actual flavor, which is fine by me... That said, the bitterness is still quite low, retaining superior drinkability in a very appropriate style.
The back-end contains some nice notes of orange and citrus zest; pretty light, just a nice spruce to keep things interesting. A faint musty hop note and bread-laden yeast flavors reign in the finish and clean your mouth of all other flavors (and moisture), begging you to take another sip. Thin bodied, as expected, with lots and lots of carbonation. The lager yeast definitely helps out with the clean mouth feel in the finish.
Superb drinkability, no doubt. I love a good helles lager, and one in a can, no less. This beer exhibits cosmos-level balance in the fact that it would be acceptable to BMC drinkers looking to turn to craft, while also being an excellent rendition of the style it represents, pleasing even people who have been in the game for while now. Far better than many of the other craft helles beers available in my area - why can't Surly extend their reach just a few states east?
Aug 26, 2013Surly Hell is far from hell on the nostrils. Zesty sweet grains, mound upon mound of bready malt, and the slightest hint of lemon peels and leafy hops. The hops are toned down and provide only a little aid, which really gives the bright Pilsner malts a chance to shine. It gets a bit sweeter and a little more amped up with warmth; a bit more citrus zest and some more sweet grains. The lager yeast is crisp, chunky, fresh, and certainly inviting.
Pilsner malt-y is the first sip, as well as lager yeast-y. A very nice amount of malt sweetness and doughy bread flavors envelope the tongue and show a nice sign of both balance and control, all at once. Earthy hops hang in the background, providing more of a musty, dry bitterness than actual flavor, which is fine by me... That said, the bitterness is still quite low, retaining superior drinkability in a very appropriate style.
The back-end contains some nice notes of orange and citrus zest; pretty light, just a nice spruce to keep things interesting. A faint musty hop note and bread-laden yeast flavors reign in the finish and clean your mouth of all other flavors (and moisture), begging you to take another sip. Thin bodied, as expected, with lots and lots of carbonation. The lager yeast definitely helps out with the clean mouth feel in the finish.
Superb drinkability, no doubt. I love a good helles lager, and one in a can, no less. This beer exhibits cosmos-level balance in the fact that it would be acceptable to BMC drinkers looking to turn to craft, while also being an excellent rendition of the style it represents, pleasing even people who have been in the game for while now. Far better than many of the other craft helles beers available in my area - why can't Surly extend their reach just a few states east?
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by whynot44 from Missouri
4/5 rDev +4.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
4/5 rDev +4.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Clear bright golden color with a decent foamy white head that turns into a thin cap fairly quickly but lasts and produces some decent lacing.
The aroma is fresh bread with some spicy grassy hops notes.
The taste is sweet fresh bread with plenty of fresh cut grass and slightly peppery hops, very nice. The body is light/medium, crisp, good carbonation level smooth and very drinkable.
Altogether, this is a really nice, tasty and refreshing brew, very inviting.
Oct 07, 2023The aroma is fresh bread with some spicy grassy hops notes.
The taste is sweet fresh bread with plenty of fresh cut grass and slightly peppery hops, very nice. The body is light/medium, crisp, good carbonation level smooth and very drinkable.
Altogether, this is a really nice, tasty and refreshing brew, very inviting.
Rated by Tokidrinkstoomuch from Canada (MB)
4.88/5 rDev +27.4%
look: 3 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
4.88/5 rDev +27.4%
look: 3 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
its some good ass beer
Nov 26, 2021Reviewed by LesDewitt4beer from Minnesota
3.59/5 rDev -6.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.59/5 rDev -6.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Scrappy notes from 2011.
4pack of 16 ounce cans.
Has a bright gold look, a white capped head, good aromas of bread crust and malt with "spicy hops". Tastes malty with a bit more hops than I was expecting and is kind of sweet like a Zwickel beer. Quite Germanic, easy drinking lighter bodied and a little bit dry. It's very good.
Oct 15, 20214pack of 16 ounce cans.
Has a bright gold look, a white capped head, good aromas of bread crust and malt with "spicy hops". Tastes malty with a bit more hops than I was expecting and is kind of sweet like a Zwickel beer. Quite Germanic, easy drinking lighter bodied and a little bit dry. It's very good.
Reviewed by Jacobier10 from New Jersey
3.99/5 rDev +4.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
3.99/5 rDev +4.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
12 oz can. Thanks to Chaz for hooking this up!
Been wanting to try this one for years and it did not disappoint. Beautiful, deep gold color with good clarity and a creamy head. Very inviting. Fresh Pils malt up front but there is ample presence from the hops. The flavor brings out more spicy hop bitterness than your typical Helles. Not as much of a malt showcase as others in the style. Very dry in the finish and medium-light bodied.
More hop forward than its German counterparts but tasty enough in its own right.
Sep 02, 2021Been wanting to try this one for years and it did not disappoint. Beautiful, deep gold color with good clarity and a creamy head. Very inviting. Fresh Pils malt up front but there is ample presence from the hops. The flavor brings out more spicy hop bitterness than your typical Helles. Not as much of a malt showcase as others in the style. Very dry in the finish and medium-light bodied.
More hop forward than its German counterparts but tasty enough in its own right.
Reviewed by TedHead from Illinois
3.62/5 rDev -5.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
3.62/5 rDev -5.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
Ours a standard translucent golden with a huge white head that dissipates into a fine cap and leaves pretty lacing all over the glass. It smells like slightly spicy grassy hops with a thin and sweet malt presence. It tastes very crisp and light, but is much heavier on the bitter finish than othe helles lagers. The malt has a slightly toasty taste with very subtle hints of caramel and coffee detectable. It goes down very easily. Overall I like it, but this one needs food to stand up to the bitterness in my opinion. Your craft beer friends will like this one but your buddy stuck at the craft beer bar that doesn't will not like this one.
Aug 30, 2021Reviewed by mickyge from Massachusetts
3.81/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.81/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Pours straw colored fairly clear with a thick white fluffy head. Medium lacing full white cap
Aroma of bread/ cracker and yeast, faint roasty malt note
Taste is peppery, a little hoppy and yeasty. I got a slight floral type of taste
Mouthfeel is spicy and carbonated, slightly bitter dry finish
Overall it is a nice crisp, clean tasting shiny lager. Extremely refreshing
Aug 14, 2021Aroma of bread/ cracker and yeast, faint roasty malt note
Taste is peppery, a little hoppy and yeasty. I got a slight floral type of taste
Mouthfeel is spicy and carbonated, slightly bitter dry finish
Overall it is a nice crisp, clean tasting shiny lager. Extremely refreshing
Hell Lager from Surly Brewing Company
Beer rating:
86 out of
100 with
1276 ratings
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