Ghost Empire
Surly Brewing Co.
- From:
- Surly Brewing Co.
- Minnesota, United States
- Style:
- European Dark Lager
Ranked #42 - ABV:
- 5.4%
- Score:
- 85
Ranked #29,269 - Avg:
- 3.66 | pDev: 9.02%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 4
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Aug 12, 2022
- Added:
- Feb 10, 2022
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 0
SCORE
85
Very Good
85
Very Good
Empires rise. Empires fall. A hauntingly delicious dark lager? Those are forever. Ghost Empire conquers the palate with rich malt sweetness and a spectral touch of hops. Scary good.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by zeff80 from Missouri
3.99/5 rDev +9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.99/5 rDev +9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
12oz can. Poured out a clear, amber color with a small, khaki-colored head of foam. It let minimal lacing on the glass. It smelled roasty with some coffee notes. Nice toasted caramel taste with some coffee bitterness and toffee sweetness. Crisp and sharp.
May 25, 2022
Reviewed by defunksta from Wisconsin
4.06/5 rDev +10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.06/5 rDev +10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Appearance: Pours a completely clear, bright and glowing amber and ember color with a mild white head. Beautiful color, but small head. SRM of 14. (4.00)
Aroma: Mild aromas of chocolate, brown bread, brown sugar. Faint. (3.50)
Flavor: Moderate flavors of brown bread, bread crust, toasted barley malt, brown sugar, and nuts. Some light yeast and spice are present too. (4.25)
Feel: Medium-bodied. Lower carbonation. Finish is slightly flat, but clean with a nutty flavor lingering. (3.75)
Compared to Modist Brewing Olde Omen 4/17/22: Pours much lighter, lighter head. Milder aromas. More brown bread, toasted malt, nuts. Less chocolate, roasted malt, leather.
Compared to Leinenkugal's Dark Lager 7/5/22: Pours a lighter color. More caramel malt, toasted bread, Munich malt. Less dark malt, bittersweet cocoa and cream. A more malty finish.
Overall: A nice and clean dark lager. The flavors are mild, but there. Leans malty with the brown sugar and caramel malt. Complex yet not overpowering. Drinks quite similar to a Vienna or Oktoberfest Marzen lager. Expected it to be darker, but the flavors are enjoyable. (Rating: 4.06)
*Compare to Surly Oktoberfest or a malty Oktoberfest*
Apr 17, 2022Aroma: Mild aromas of chocolate, brown bread, brown sugar. Faint. (3.50)
Flavor: Moderate flavors of brown bread, bread crust, toasted barley malt, brown sugar, and nuts. Some light yeast and spice are present too. (4.25)
Feel: Medium-bodied. Lower carbonation. Finish is slightly flat, but clean with a nutty flavor lingering. (3.75)
Compared to Modist Brewing Olde Omen 4/17/22: Pours much lighter, lighter head. Milder aromas. More brown bread, toasted malt, nuts. Less chocolate, roasted malt, leather.
Compared to Leinenkugal's Dark Lager 7/5/22: Pours a lighter color. More caramel malt, toasted bread, Munich malt. Less dark malt, bittersweet cocoa and cream. A more malty finish.
Overall: A nice and clean dark lager. The flavors are mild, but there. Leans malty with the brown sugar and caramel malt. Complex yet not overpowering. Drinks quite similar to a Vienna or Oktoberfest Marzen lager. Expected it to be darker, but the flavors are enjoyable. (Rating: 4.06)
*Compare to Surly Oktoberfest or a malty Oktoberfest*
Reviewed by chum_husk from Minnesota
2.99/5 rDev -18.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 1.75 | overall: 2.25
2.99/5 rDev -18.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 1.75 | overall: 2.25
12oz can from the sampler - thanks for knowing what i want without asking, Sue
I dunno if it's the purple of the can, or the flavor of the substandard beer within, but i get a weird artificial grape hitting me here....... alongside leather and boring complexity of the flat, stale, and numbing variety
Apr 06, 2022I dunno if it's the purple of the can, or the flavor of the substandard beer within, but i get a weird artificial grape hitting me here....... alongside leather and boring complexity of the flat, stale, and numbing variety
Rated by Captain69 from Illinois
3.68/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.68/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
smooth lager grat every day beer not as good as some of there other beers but enjoyable
Mar 31, 2022
Reviewed by GuyFawkes from Illinois
3.9/5 rDev +6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.9/5 rDev +6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Canned 1/11/22; drank 3/24/22 @ the Yarchives.
See-through amber appearance.
A rough pour yielded a big, noisy khaki head; decent lace.
Burnt caramel, acorn & faint raspberry notes in the nose.
Medium mouthfeel.
Dry acorn, faint raspberry & faint cream.
Smelled better than it tasted; it's good, not great.
Mar 25, 2022See-through amber appearance.
A rough pour yielded a big, noisy khaki head; decent lace.
Burnt caramel, acorn & faint raspberry notes in the nose.
Medium mouthfeel.
Dry acorn, faint raspberry & faint cream.
Smelled better than it tasted; it's good, not great.
We love reviews (150 characters or more)! Check out: How to Review a Beer. You don't need to get fancy. Drop some thoughts on the beer's attributes (look, smell, taste, feel) plus your overall impression. Something that backs up your rating and helps others. Thanks!