Blond Ambition
Surly Brewing Co.

 

 

 

L: Pours a brilliant dark orange with hints of yellow where the light hits it, with a foamy white head and foamy lacing around the glass.

S: Some caramel, mint, sweet cereal malt,toasted bread, the mint seems odd but it works.

T: Sweet caramel and cereal malt, mixes with some toasted bread and a hint of mint from the hops and a bit of hop. You can notice the alcohol a little bit.

F: Big body, the carbonation is pleasant.

O: This is a very nice high abv bock.

From a tall white can, this brew is a hazy honey-colored liquid with an off-white foamy head. Slightly sweet aroma with a bit of pale malt scents. The taste is somewhat sweet, with just enough bitterness for balance. Not a lot of additional flavors going on. Frankly, this one is a little disappointing.

 

 

 

A fancy high grade expensive malt Liquor. I have mixed thoughts on this beer. I drank (2) 4 packs, plus had it on tap at bars a few times. if your looking for a imperial Mai bock this really isn't it.

You get a bunch of different flavors, none of the flavors are strong or overly dominate. A little toasted bread, Honey comb., butterscotch. wood/earth, ester of some thing? maybe a little floral hops too, hint of grain. Slightly sweet, rather smooth considering the ABV. The ABV is well hidden but you always know there is plenty of alcohol there.

I like it but the price is too high. I like it best at about 45 to 50 degrees. any warmer the alcohol comes out strong. 3.81/5

Poured from a pine can into a pint nonic.

Pours a crystal-clear caramel-amber with a decent head and lacing, Somewhat light for the style.

The aromas are fairly sweet, with diacetyl caramel malt melded with bready notes, honey, tobacco, leather, and hints of grassy and earthy hop. Skewed sweet for the style for sure.

The brew has a similarly strong diacetyl-sweet initial presence on the tongue, with bready festbier-like doughy yeast notes in midstream, along with just a bit of sour grain. The finish delivers only hints of grassy and earthy hops. Skewed strongly sweet even for the style.

The brew has a medium feel, and some nice carbonation, but beware, as the brew warms, this one becomes more and more of a chore.

Doppelbock's are sweet and bready by nature, but this one is quite a bit out of focus and balance. Too much buttery sweetness.

Picked up at 16oz single can at BevCo for $4.59. Brewed with Pilsner, Munich, Carafoam, Melanoidin and acidulated malt. Hopped with Sterling. 9% ABV. Aged on hickory honeycombs, "german lager yeast", no other specs per the can or website. . Pours out to a hazy medium peach, forming a tall yellow head with exceptional retention and sticky solids sheets of lace. Carbonation is a bit mild, but this is also really cold, so letting it warm up a bit. Appears around 1.75 carbs or so. Nose has a bit of diacetyl, minimal sulfur, some grassy hops, a bit of cat pee like malts which I sometimes get with melanoidin. The mouthfeel is a bit syrupy, medium-dense bodied. The taste is a recap of the nose. That melanoidin cat pee character, a bit of rotting orange peel, , some grassy hops, diacetyl. The alcohol is warming. Biterness is mild.

I'm not a fan. This tastes like if Budweiser were 9% ABV. Really. Have you had any of those high abv pale lagers from Slovakia? Yeah, basically like that. Diacetyl has no place in a beer like this, and really wasn't thought out. It also has that woody character that I don't care for. The first beer from Surly that I haven't cared for. I'm glad I bought the Helles Lager, because it blows this out of the park. Not recommended.

This beer pours a bright clear gold with a smallish head. The aroma is sweet and mild, with note of light toast, butterscotch, toasted almond, and honey. The flavor is a rich balances mix of butterscotch, honey butter, toasted almond, and sweet bread. The mouthfeel is full with loose, bold carbonation. Overall this is a great beer in a little done style, rich, easy, a full flavored.