Double Furious - BA
Surly Brewing Co.

Surly Double Furious BBA DIPA, 13.6% ABV. Pours dark brown, with a three-finger tan head that left great lacing. Aroma is roast malt, caramel, and bourbon. Taste follows, slightly sweet and moderately bitter. Excellent mouthfeel, overall outstanding. If you gave me this blind, I wouldn't have identified it as a DIPA.

See review of Furious & add....waitaminnit....13.6%?!? This ain't a 2x ipa it's a triple approaching a 4x! Take the already excellent Furious & add a much mo' caramelly/malty presence with a subtle side note of whisky.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Canned on: 03-08-23

A - Hazy ruby colored pour with a dense bright white creamy layer resting on top with a steady cascading of carbonation.

S - Caramel, vanilla, and Bourbon sweetness dominate the nose.

T - Toasted caramel malt backbone from start to finish with prevalent light to moderate Bourbon and some citrus buried in the background.

M - Big, thick, and silky on the texture with warming while it slides down the back of the pie hole.

O - Not at all what I expected (in a good way).

 

 

Clear, dark copper body; excellent carbonation; thick, off-white head, dense and foamy with a partially creamy thin layer riding atop it all. Rich caramel malt nose with a touch of barrel wood; some zesty spiciness. Rich malt flavor and heavy caramel sweetness; earthy spiciness; anise; whiskey undercurrent. Heavy body; sticky; big residual sugar feel.

This is a massive beer, unusual being a barrel-aged India pale ale, thus pretty unique. It seems like a cross between a double India pale ale and a barleywine or strong ale. Regardless, it packs a punch and delivers some tasty goods.

Pouring temperature: 47.5 ℉; canning info: 03/07/23
Source: @GreenBayBA

 

16oz can. Poured out a clear, golden orange color with a small, off-white head of foam. It left sudsy trails of lace on the glass. It smelled of whiskey, caramel, toffee and a pine notes. Nice whiskey taste with vanilla, oak and toasted caramel. Sharp bitterness.

Woody, boozy, vanilla, and bitter would wrap up the description of this beer. Other breweries have had better attempts at this type of beer than Surly. Toppling Goliath can do this type rather well. Not getting very much hop flavor but I am getting all the bitterness.

Poured from a pint can into a tulip snifter glass.

L: Pours dark, transparent brown with a light-ish brown head that dissipates very quickly, leaving a bit of lacing.
S: Apparent whiskey-barrel aroma with some hoppy notes underneath. Fairly strong boozy smell.
T: Immediate notes of wood and very faint vanilla from the barrel aging, followed by some hoppy, piney bitterness. Fairly strong warmth flavors from the alcohol.
F: Rich mouthfeel with very little carbonation, some heat but not as much as I'd expect given the high ABV.
O: It's an interesting sipper, bringing some positive characteristics from the realms of barrel-aged ales and imperial IPAs. That being said, it's not something I see myself getting again. Worth a try at least.

From a 16oz can:

Appearance: Clear ruby, ok head but not much retention.

Smell: Woody, vanilla, boozy, hint of citrus.

Taste: Moderately sweet, lots of barrel wood and vanilla coming through. Light body for 13%. Caramel sweetness. The hops show up mostly in the finish, leaving a citrus bitterness after swallowing.

Overall: The barrel aging takes control of this beer. It'd be interesting to taste a double furious without the barrel aging, I think it would be a massive malt and bitter bomb of tastiness. I think the barrel aging kind of turns this into an interesting experiment that doesn't quite hit, like a lot of Surly's experiments.

16oz can. Can bottom is stamped 'CANNED ON 03/07/23'.
Clear, amber brown colored body. Two fingers of off white head. Leaves behind sheets of lacing on the non-drinking side of the glass.
Aroma of fruity hops drenched in oak and barrel, with vanilla and caramel malts.
Taste is barrel and vanilla dousing the caramel malts, with back ground fruity and floral hops. Big alcohol presence.
Fuller than medium, and kind of frothy in the mouth. No mouth or tongue burn to speak of, but the alcohol sneaks up in the nose. Good carbonation.
Certainly warming, and feels like a beer cocktail. Something in your face from Surly.

 

Whiskey barrel aged Furious I guess. Huge ABV of 13.6%. A ton of nice barrel aged notes on the taste. Toffee, caramel, vanilla nougat. Not much, if any of the Furious IPA notes. Aroma is not as impressive as the taste as none of the barrel aged impressions come through....just more of a botanic or floral aroma...a bit odd.

Overall this is fine beer. It's not cheap though and for the price point I'll never buy it again.