Vietnamese Coffee Darkness
Surly Brewing Co.

Surly Vietnamese Coffee Rum BA Darkness Imperial Stout, 12% ABV. Pours very dark brown/light black with a murkiness that is certainly the add-junks, with a light cap of brown bubbles that can't be called a head. Nose is rum, chocolate, coffee, and slight vanilla. Taste follows, with slight sweetness, slight coffee bitterness, and a real nice rum finish. Excellent thick and smooth mouthfeel with just-right carbonation, overall world-class. They had me at rum BA.

 

 

 

 

 

A - Pours jet black with a thin tan head. Nice amount of soapy lacing.

S - Aroma is big black coffee, vanilla and coconut.

T - The taste is big black coffee, dark chocolate, vanilla, coconut, molasses and a nice punch of warming rum barrel.

M - Full body with medium carbonation. Creamy mouthfeel with a soft dry finish.

O - This is everything a coffee stout should be. Big rich flavors with just enough rum barrel.

Very dark, tan head and lacing. Smell is a standard barrel aged RIS-strong scents of dark malt and wooden barrel, while mild notes of vanilla and coffee are present. Taste is where, like the base version, it really delivers. It’s roasty, it’s malty, it’s flavorful, and it’s tasty. There’s a bit of everything-vanilla, coffee, coconut (not as strong), and a strong tangy rum barrel presence. Medium to big bodied, semi-thick feel, slightly syrupy, boozy as hell. Darkness is one of my favorite beers of all time, and every variant has been outstanding as well.

 

Poured from a 16 oz can dated 11/16/20 into the goblet.
A - Inky cobalt black in color, hides all the interior from view. A quick to receed thin cap, leaves any evidence of carbonation in the form of an archipelago hanging during the experience.
S - Dark fruits, date, plum, cocoa, espresso, hint of vanilla. The barrel treatment adds a lot to this already complex offering.
All this is under the umbrella of fudgy chocolate volcano cake.
T - Vanilla, dried dark fruits again, coffee is stronger on the palate than the aromatics, Char, bitter chocolate wrap around that dark fruit. There a hint of tobacco, and anise, as the offering warms the coconut sneaks in, reminds of a rum soaked dark choclate almond joy,with sharp bitter bite.
M - Chewy, viscous, semi sweet start quickly accelerates toward the bitter side, layer after layer, with a surprisingly dry roasty finish. The palate is wiped a bit with an alcohol swab of boozy 12%.
O - Wow, thats the way to start the day, coffee, vanilla, all that dark fruit , the rum kiss avoids being too sweet.
Well done on every level

Pours jet black. Aroma is multifaceted with rum, molasses, roadted oaks and coffee. Taste is complex mix of coffee, molasses, vanilla, rum & dark fruits. Medium body. Incredible stout.

 

Poured from pint can into snifter. Canned on 11/16/20.
A: Pours an extremely dark brown hue with 1-2 inch dark mocha bubbly head with decent retention.
S: Very potent aroma, able to smell it a good foot away. Nice rum barrel, coffee, dark dried fruit, vanilla, molasses, and hints of wood char, leather, and coconut.
T: Lovely smooth coconut, dark chocolate, soft coffee, vanilla, warming rum, and subtle dark dried fruit, molasses, and leather.
M: Medium-heavy body. Thick and viscous feel, coating. Dark sweetness, alcohol burn, and chocolate and coffee bitterness. Lingers nicely on the palate.
D: A very nice variation on the base beer. Regular Darkness this year was superb. With a name like Vietnamese Coffee, one might expect a more pronounced coffee note. However you shouldn’t leave disappointed...I think the coffee blends perfectly well with the other elements, playing more of a supporting role.

2020 pint can from a trade. Bold. Lots of barrel. Starts bitter, but sweetens as it warms. Coffee is full bodied. The whole thing is a chewy experience.

 

16oz can, dated 11.17.2020, poured into a stemless wine glass.

The beer pours very thick and viscous, jet black in color with a thin khaki head that dissipates immediately leaving no retention nor lacing. The aroma is lovely, tons of rich coffee, mild roast that brings out charred oak, hearty grain, chocolate brownie, fudge, cinnamon, vanilla, stone fruits and light rum spirit. The flavors are excellent, chocolate brownie, dark chocolate covered espresso bean, rich coffee with just a hint of roast that pairs to the charred oak, a hint of rum spirit offers vanilla, cherry, and a the finish is of light acidity. The mouthfeel is great, coating and thick heavy body, rich and warming with a soft finish that is lightly dry.

Verdict: An exceptional coffee stout from Surly. A really interesting take on Darkness and the Rum barrel adds a nice element of intrigue to match the coffee addition. A top notch variant.

Pours deep brown, not much he’s sir lacing sadly. The smell is of sweet cocoa and toffee/caramel/chocolate. The taste is sweet up front but finished spicy and dry. The feel is smooth but definitely has a spicy finish. Overall this is a very good beer from start to finish. A big thanks to Stofko92 for grabbing f this one and sharing!!

 

 

A big thanks to Jeff for this one. I love Surly. I love Darkness. And I loooooove Vietnamese coffee beers.

16oz. black can into a Brooklyn Brewery snifter. Shared with schen9303.

Pretty typical look. Very viscous. Nice head with solid legs. Nose is a super robust mocha. I get notes of roasted malt, chocolate, fudge, molasses, and cocoa powder. Rich iced coffee mixes in nicely. Really love the aroma here. Beer opens rich chocolate, fudge, and mocha. As in the nose, the vietnamese coffee is apparent. Syrup and more mocha, cocoa powder, and coffee in the middle. End is a touch of dark fruit. Prunes and raisin mixed with more mocha in the finish and aftertaste. Body is full with moderate to low carbonation. Some bubbles in the mouth and goes down rich and viscous.

This is hands down my favorite of this year's Darkness variants. Gotta get me more of these!