Darkness - Bourbon Barrel Aged (2023)
Surly Brewing Co.

Surly Elijah Craig 12yr BBA Darkness RIS 2023, 12% ABV. Pours dark black with a 1.5 finger light brown head that left great foamy lacing. Nose is bourbon, sweet malt, spice, and chocolate. Taste is malt, chocolate, vanilla, oak, spice, and bourbon, slightly bitter. Excellent mouthfeel, overall world-class. Let this one warm.

Roasty, complex, and wonderful on the nose. Nuts, char, toast, espresso, honey, brown sugar, oak.

Surprisingly sweet on the palate for Darkness. I suspect the Elijah Craig barrels are carrying a lot of the load in that regard. Tasting notes mostly follow the nose, with an emphasis on an almost syrupy sweetness. The sweetness is not over the top, however; this is still an RIS, not a dessert beer by any means. It's a red grape or port-like sweetness from the bourbon.

Clearly a big, boozy beer on the palate, but it drinks smooth. Full bodied but not thick.

 

 

 

How is this beer 4.03 on here? On tap. Black color, tan head. Lace.

Classic darkness with a nice barrel flavor. Char, oak, vanilla. Whiskey/bourbon, chocolate/cocoa, dark fruits, molasses. Good body and feel. Well done per usual.

On tap at Monk's in Sioux Falls, SD. Barrel-aged stout with lots of vanilla and graham crackers in the background. Not hot. A bit syrupy.

Poured into a tulip.

Pours dark as night with very limited head but very persistent lacing, remarkable given the ABV level and barrel aging.

Aromas of dark chocolate, lighter cocoa/cake batter, vanilla, tobacco, anise. Hints of booze.

The brew delivers sweet chocolate malt for a fleeting instant before dark chocolate, tobacco, leather, oak, anise, vanilla, and dark/dried fruits (plum, raisin, fig, and a hint of cherry) all join the party. Plenty of bourbon at the finish.

Full bodied with a long finish. But the carbonation is solid and welcome; more present than most of the style. Very warm from the bourbon aging, but not hot or boozy per se.

Another great delivery of this Surly hallmark.

Pours an opaque dark brown with a mocha head, very nice lacing. Aroma is dark chocolate malt, bourbon, stone fruit. Flavor follows the nose, sweet stone fruit, bourbon, vanilla and chocolate. Feel is thick and rich, lightly carbonated. Overall another fantastic rendition of the Darkness we've learned to love. I do miss the silkscreened bottles.

 

16oz can. Poured out an opaque, oil-black color with a good-sized, light brown head of foam. It left thin rings of lace on the glass. It smelled of whiskey, chocolate, coffee, toffee and molasses. Sweet chocolate, molasses, toffee, bitter coffee and strong whiskey flavors.

From a can.
This beer pours pitch black. No light shines through when held up to the light. The head is quite thick, 2 finger, and brown. The head retention is quite amazing considering it's a 12% beer. There's some great lacing on the glass.
The nose is quite full of dark fruit, caramel, toffee, and chocolate. There's a faint hint of the bourbon barrel in it.
The flavor is full on dark fruit up front - tons of plum, raisin, and fig. The back is where the caramel, toffee, chocolate, and the bourbon barrel notes hit.
Body is full, and smooth. There's very little burn from the 12%, though there's a hint there.
Delicious as always.