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Fifteen
Surly Brewing Company
- From:
- Surly Brewing Company
- Minnesota, United States
- Style:
- Belgian Dark Strong Ale
Ranked #44 - ABV:
- 10.5%
- Score:
- 90
Ranked #8,230 - Avg:
- 4.09 | pDev: 8.8%
- Reviews:
- 20
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Nov 04, 2023
- Added:
- Sep 08, 2021
- Wants:
- 1
- Gots:
- 3
Brewed for Fifteen Years
Surly built its reputation on not necessarily brewing to style. Our 15th anniversary beer embraces that ethos. Fifteen is a Belgian strong ale aged for eight months in Parker’s Heritage Heavy Char Bourbon Barrels, then back-blended with a touch of wine barrel-aged wild ale. Expect cocoa, milk chocolate, and dark fruit notes with a hint of tartness beneath, plus honey and vanilla from the barrel, and a little spice from the Belgian yeast for good measure. Unclassifiable and wholly unique, Fifteen is a true celebration.
Surly built its reputation on not necessarily brewing to style. Our 15th anniversary beer embraces that ethos. Fifteen is a Belgian strong ale aged for eight months in Parker’s Heritage Heavy Char Bourbon Barrels, then back-blended with a touch of wine barrel-aged wild ale. Expect cocoa, milk chocolate, and dark fruit notes with a hint of tartness beneath, plus honey and vanilla from the barrel, and a little spice from the Belgian yeast for good measure. Unclassifiable and wholly unique, Fifteen is a true celebration.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by stortore from Illinois
4.3/5 rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.3/5 rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
16 ounce can into a snifter. Canned 8/17/21, had 9/25/21.
Pours a clear orange copper color, with no real head or lacing. Aromas of bourbon, caramel, oak, malt, vanilla, brown sugar, light spices, light char, slight cherries- more as warms. Flavors are mostly the same- bourbon, caramel, oak, malt, vanilla, brown sugar, spices- especially cloves, some wine, light cherries- again, more as warms. Smooth, a very good medium body, appropriately carbonated.
Not especially Belgian, but it’s really good. Great bourbon barrels, and the wine barrel shows pretty well in a minor role. Solid effort.
May 24, 2023Pours a clear orange copper color, with no real head or lacing. Aromas of bourbon, caramel, oak, malt, vanilla, brown sugar, light spices, light char, slight cherries- more as warms. Flavors are mostly the same- bourbon, caramel, oak, malt, vanilla, brown sugar, spices- especially cloves, some wine, light cherries- again, more as warms. Smooth, a very good medium body, appropriately carbonated.
Not especially Belgian, but it’s really good. Great bourbon barrels, and the wine barrel shows pretty well in a minor role. Solid effort.
Reviewed by REVZEB from Illinois
4.03/5 rDev -1.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
4.03/5 rDev -1.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Lighter brown murky pour with a head of tan foam. Smells of strong wood and char with bourbon and significant wine must to the dark malts. Taste adds mild funk, fig, and more defined yet faint yeast. Feel is medium light bodied but with little depth, smooth but not lasting on the palate. The wife liked it
Sep 01, 2022Reviewed by SpeedwayJim from New York
3.75/5 rDev -8.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
3.75/5 rDev -8.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Thanks to Jeff for this one. 16oz. can into a Founders snifter.
Pours a dark bronze. Stringy lace with really nice legs. Very little head to speak of. Nose is lightly tart... uhoh. I get booze, caramel, molasses, oak, and tart red fruit notes like cherry and sour grape. Beer opens molasses, brown sugar, and maple syrup candy. More brown sugar and a mellow booziness in the middle. There's some red fruit notes but it never becomes tart and never takes over. Rather, it creates a nice complexity of cherry and anise overtones. End is more maple and more brown sugar with a caramel aftertaste. Pretty solid. Body is medium with ample carbonation. Prickly and lively on the palate and goes down aggressive, sparkling with a long, lingering, messy aftertaste.
The nose here gave me a scare but the flavor is spot on. Pretty unique and very delicious!
Jun 14, 2022Pours a dark bronze. Stringy lace with really nice legs. Very little head to speak of. Nose is lightly tart... uhoh. I get booze, caramel, molasses, oak, and tart red fruit notes like cherry and sour grape. Beer opens molasses, brown sugar, and maple syrup candy. More brown sugar and a mellow booziness in the middle. There's some red fruit notes but it never becomes tart and never takes over. Rather, it creates a nice complexity of cherry and anise overtones. End is more maple and more brown sugar with a caramel aftertaste. Pretty solid. Body is medium with ample carbonation. Prickly and lively on the palate and goes down aggressive, sparkling with a long, lingering, messy aftertaste.
The nose here gave me a scare but the flavor is spot on. Pretty unique and very delicious!
Reviewed by jlindros from Massachusetts
4.44/5 rDev +8.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
4.44/5 rDev +8.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Canned 2021/08/17
Pours a fizzy 1/2 finger head that fades almost instantly, mostly clear cranberry to chestnut red color
Nose sweet malts, candy, toffee, nutty, caramel, lots of toasted bread crust, biscuity sweet bread, a bit of dark fruit, candied date, fig like, buttery toffee candy, vanilla and buttery oak, quite a bit of the buttery oak with a bit of port wine raisin, chocolate, hint of tart sour funk beer character, and some sweet spicy bourbon
Taste brings more sweet malts and fruits, candy malt, candi sugar and caramelized sugars, toffee, a bit nutty, some bitter spicy hop notes, a touch syrupy into the candied dark fruits, fig, date, etc, port wine, raisins and some glug like with a hint of spices, vanilla barrel with more buttery oak, mild perfumey alcohol, a bit more sweet spicy bourbon as well, raisins soaked in port candy, a bit of chocolate raisin, and touch of funky sour fruit notes, sweet bourbon barrel juice, semi sweet sticky finish
Mouth is fuller bod, med to a touch lighter frothy carb, fair warming alcohol that gets a touch hot, tad syrupy
Overall very nice beer, great sweet malt characters very Barleywine like (or Belgian strong in a way), with good fruits, lots of great barrel characters, all blended nicely, alcohol was a tad hot but nice otherwise
Feb 28, 2022Pours a fizzy 1/2 finger head that fades almost instantly, mostly clear cranberry to chestnut red color
Nose sweet malts, candy, toffee, nutty, caramel, lots of toasted bread crust, biscuity sweet bread, a bit of dark fruit, candied date, fig like, buttery toffee candy, vanilla and buttery oak, quite a bit of the buttery oak with a bit of port wine raisin, chocolate, hint of tart sour funk beer character, and some sweet spicy bourbon
Taste brings more sweet malts and fruits, candy malt, candi sugar and caramelized sugars, toffee, a bit nutty, some bitter spicy hop notes, a touch syrupy into the candied dark fruits, fig, date, etc, port wine, raisins and some glug like with a hint of spices, vanilla barrel with more buttery oak, mild perfumey alcohol, a bit more sweet spicy bourbon as well, raisins soaked in port candy, a bit of chocolate raisin, and touch of funky sour fruit notes, sweet bourbon barrel juice, semi sweet sticky finish
Mouth is fuller bod, med to a touch lighter frothy carb, fair warming alcohol that gets a touch hot, tad syrupy
Overall very nice beer, great sweet malt characters very Barleywine like (or Belgian strong in a way), with good fruits, lots of great barrel characters, all blended nicely, alcohol was a tad hot but nice otherwise
Reviewed by Beginner2 from Illinois
4.01/5 rDev -2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
4.01/5 rDev -2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
While making a humongous pan of Surly's most favored imperial (Darkness), I complained the ABV was in my face. So, I'm glad to report the second strong I've had from them (Fifteen) is much more subtle.
Fifteen has a beautiful mid-amber to ruby color; but I deduct for its Looks because its can looks sinister to me. Smells are generous with the dark fruit having gone through the barrel treatment. Tastes follow, too; full and fruity and finishes integrated... with just enough alcohol to be popular as well. Smooth in the mouth with some ABV penetration.
While this is my sixth from Surly, I've not given them a micro-review. So I went on their website and they do all the cool things that a brewery should do (Surly Gives A Damn!), but they do it better than most in a city (Twins) that is one of the cooler North American places to live if you can take the cold. So for that (despite rating all six beers below their average), I give Surly some pretty damn good Overall Hugs.
Feb 08, 2022Fifteen has a beautiful mid-amber to ruby color; but I deduct for its Looks because its can looks sinister to me. Smells are generous with the dark fruit having gone through the barrel treatment. Tastes follow, too; full and fruity and finishes integrated... with just enough alcohol to be popular as well. Smooth in the mouth with some ABV penetration.
While this is my sixth from Surly, I've not given them a micro-review. So I went on their website and they do all the cool things that a brewery should do (Surly Gives A Damn!), but they do it better than most in a city (Twins) that is one of the cooler North American places to live if you can take the cold. So for that (despite rating all six beers below their average), I give Surly some pretty damn good Overall Hugs.
Reviewed by Roguer from Connecticut
4.22/5 rDev +3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
4.22/5 rDev +3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
Very clear dark brown body with ruby highlights. No head worth mentioning, as it fizzes out as quickly as you can pour, leaving a completely flat body occasionally broken by small rising bubbles.
First impression on the nose is chocolate, followed by bourbon, Belgian yeast esters, dark fruit, nuts, alcohol burn, white grape. It's a bit intimidating and boozy, but quite lovely.
Not overly sweet, but there is a decent amount of sugary and fruity sweetness from both the malts and the bourbon influence, which itself returns on the back third. Nuts, banana, chocolate, white grape, prune, caramel, toffee. A bit of alcohol heat up front, but it quickly relaxes. Overall a fairly short sip.
This is a lovely, complex, flavorful, and big beer, quite appropriate for a Surly anniversary offering.
Jan 17, 2022First impression on the nose is chocolate, followed by bourbon, Belgian yeast esters, dark fruit, nuts, alcohol burn, white grape. It's a bit intimidating and boozy, but quite lovely.
Not overly sweet, but there is a decent amount of sugary and fruity sweetness from both the malts and the bourbon influence, which itself returns on the back third. Nuts, banana, chocolate, white grape, prune, caramel, toffee. A bit of alcohol heat up front, but it quickly relaxes. Overall a fairly short sip.
This is a lovely, complex, flavorful, and big beer, quite appropriate for a Surly anniversary offering.
Reviewed by 57md from Pennsylvania
3.9/5 rDev -4.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.9/5 rDev -4.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Pours a bright copper color with practically no head. The nose has notes of bourbon. The flavor has sweetness from the bourbon followed by a residual tart essence that doesn't quite fit.
Jan 01, 2022Reviewed by chum_husk from Minnesota
2.49/5 rDev -39.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 2
2.49/5 rDev -39.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 2
Damn, time flies, I remember waiting in line for seviin back in thee day. Thanks for the can, TB
Light root beer pour, nice head, good amount of barrel in the scent. Same with the taste, big barrel blast then mild belgian yeast (fruit, coriander, powdered sugar maybe..) along with plenty of dry leaves and dark fruit, my two nemeses
Ehhhh....
Dec 11, 2021Light root beer pour, nice head, good amount of barrel in the scent. Same with the taste, big barrel blast then mild belgian yeast (fruit, coriander, powdered sugar maybe..) along with plenty of dry leaves and dark fruit, my two nemeses
Ehhhh....
Fifteen from Surly Brewing Company
Beer rating:
90 out of
100 with
38 ratings
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