Darkness - Chocolate Limoncello (2024)
Surly Brewing Co.
- From:
- Surly Brewing Co.
- Minnesota, United States
- Style:
- Imperial Pastry Stout
Ranked #924 - ABV:
- 12%
- Score:
- 83
Ranked #33,774 - Avg:
- 3.49 | pDev: 21.2%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 6
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Dec 28, 2025
- Added:
- Dec 06, 2024
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 1
SCORE
83
Good
83
Good
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho
3.85/5 rDev +10.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.85/5 rDev +10.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Can at share. Black pour, small bubbly head. Now, at first, I didn't think this sounded good. But I was surprised to find out well the limoncello and chocolate worked with the Darkness base. Lemon hard candy accents, dollops of milk chocolate on a big boozy stout. Very interesting.
Dec 19, 2025
Reviewed by DarkLordScott from Wisconsin
3.87/5 rDev +10.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
3.87/5 rDev +10.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Pours a delightful dark chocolate with a brief two finger head. Aroma is intense lemon and a thin veil of chocolate. Taste is intense lemon with chocolate making an appearance only at the very end. Mouthfeel is moderate, with any of the usual Darkness taking a backseat to the lemon profile. The lemon profile, while good, is perhaps a bit on the side of overwhelming, as it takes over too much of the normal Darkness variant. Still, I am glad I tried it.
May 10, 2025
Reviewed by LesDewitt4beer from Minnesota
3.33/5 rDev -4.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.25
3.33/5 rDev -4.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.25
16 oz can mfrg date 11/6/24 into a snifter.
L: SRM 40 pours jet black with a pillowy & rocky 2" creamy dark khaki head that has very good retention, very fine steady carbo, head recedes to heavy scattered froth, medium-heavy chunky loose lacing.
S: Dark chocolate, an unknown industrial aroma, a metallic note, lemon zest, light alcohol with warming.
T: Basically like liqueur filled chocolates. First candy sweetness then lemon zest, lemon concentrate, then dark cocoa and bitter dark chocolate, dark fruits, toasted malts. Sweet on the lips, bitter in the mouth. Has a very long lemon zest and resinous finish that lingers. The taste does a 180 degree turn in the center from lemon to cacao.
F: Fairly smooth straight ahead average medium-heavy to heavy mouthfeel with a dynamic center and a long lightly drying finish. It is gently warming.
O: Overpriced and kind of messy. IMHO the lemon puree is distracting flavor-wise and isn't even needed. The base beer is fine. This beer is kind of loose tasting and its aroma isn't very pleasing. It looks better than it is. Okay to good but I won't buy it again.
Apr 11, 2025L: SRM 40 pours jet black with a pillowy & rocky 2" creamy dark khaki head that has very good retention, very fine steady carbo, head recedes to heavy scattered froth, medium-heavy chunky loose lacing.
S: Dark chocolate, an unknown industrial aroma, a metallic note, lemon zest, light alcohol with warming.
T: Basically like liqueur filled chocolates. First candy sweetness then lemon zest, lemon concentrate, then dark cocoa and bitter dark chocolate, dark fruits, toasted malts. Sweet on the lips, bitter in the mouth. Has a very long lemon zest and resinous finish that lingers. The taste does a 180 degree turn in the center from lemon to cacao.
F: Fairly smooth straight ahead average medium-heavy to heavy mouthfeel with a dynamic center and a long lightly drying finish. It is gently warming.
O: Overpriced and kind of messy. IMHO the lemon puree is distracting flavor-wise and isn't even needed. The base beer is fine. This beer is kind of loose tasting and its aroma isn't very pleasing. It looks better than it is. Okay to good but I won't buy it again.
Reviewed by Sparty1224 from Michigan
1.27/5 rDev -63.6%
look: 3 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.25
1.27/5 rDev -63.6%
look: 3 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.25
Brief Review:
O: I wasn’t planning on reviewing this beer, but after my first taste (heck, smell), I just had to get something down. This might actually be the worst beer I’ve ever had. Both for style and just in general. Right off the bat, the lemon is way too strong on the nose. And it’s not even a good lemon, it’s chemical, pine-sol cleaner. Taste follows perfectly with a horrible, sour, repulsive lemon flavor. No chocolate to speak of. No roast or stout underneath. Not even sure I get barrel. It’s as if someone dumped a DIPA and then some toilet bowl cleaner into my mediocre BA stout.
Recommendation: Please avoid this beer at all costs.
Jan 19, 2025O: I wasn’t planning on reviewing this beer, but after my first taste (heck, smell), I just had to get something down. This might actually be the worst beer I’ve ever had. Both for style and just in general. Right off the bat, the lemon is way too strong on the nose. And it’s not even a good lemon, it’s chemical, pine-sol cleaner. Taste follows perfectly with a horrible, sour, repulsive lemon flavor. No chocolate to speak of. No roast or stout underneath. Not even sure I get barrel. It’s as if someone dumped a DIPA and then some toilet bowl cleaner into my mediocre BA stout.
Recommendation: Please avoid this beer at all costs.
Reviewed by maximum12 from Minnesota
3.45/5 rDev -1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3
3.45/5 rDev -1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3
New Darkness variants! There was a time, when I was a younger man, that this time of year was defined by the release of Darkness (& DARKNESS DAY!). This one arrives in 16 oz. cans.
Black. Stringy, sparse head. Lemon Pledge in the nose. Oh my.
Darkness – Chocolate Lemon must be allowed to warm a bit. Straight outta the fridge it’s like being hit in the mouth with a peeled lemon. Bitter lemon, with only a touch of sour lemon, up front. Malts struggle up off the citrus-ridden floor with the cocoa to provide a weak counterpoint of sweetness & then the French oak takes over with a biting knock of wood. Mild booze that’s not usually a part of the D-experience. Zero chance I could take more than one of these, unless they were two ounces.
Like oil & water, this needs an emulsifier to mix & cocoa wasn’t it. I love limoncello, love Darkness, & consider chocolate to be the fifth food group, but the combo isn’t ideal. Good beer that should have been better.
Dec 10, 2024Black. Stringy, sparse head. Lemon Pledge in the nose. Oh my.
Darkness – Chocolate Lemon must be allowed to warm a bit. Straight outta the fridge it’s like being hit in the mouth with a peeled lemon. Bitter lemon, with only a touch of sour lemon, up front. Malts struggle up off the citrus-ridden floor with the cocoa to provide a weak counterpoint of sweetness & then the French oak takes over with a biting knock of wood. Mild booze that’s not usually a part of the D-experience. Zero chance I could take more than one of these, unless they were two ounces.
Like oil & water, this needs an emulsifier to mix & cocoa wasn’t it. I love limoncello, love Darkness, & consider chocolate to be the fifth food group, but the combo isn’t ideal. Good beer that should have been better.
Reviewed by Victory_Sabre1973 from Minnesota
4.19/5 rDev +20.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
4.19/5 rDev +20.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
From a 16oz can canned on 11/06/24. Served at room temp.
This beer looks like Darkness. Very pitch black pouring beer with a very thick, 3 finger, brown colored head. The bubbles are fluffy and frothy looking. Head retention is great, and some damn nice lacing on the glass.
Aroma, well, I would say unusual would be a good word for it, but not unexpected. I am just getting a huge lemon hit in the aroma. There's a decent, but not offensive amount of sweetness in the lemon. I also do get hints of the base beer here. I get notes of chocolate, caramel, toffee, dark fruit and vanilla.
Taste - Ok, well, this is interesting. There's so much lemon in this beer, and it hits hard right away. There's a good deal of sweetness to the lemon but there's also tart hints to it. The lemon flavor continues throughout the flavor profile. It is added to on the backside by the flavors that only the base beer can bring. I get hints of chocolate, caramel, toffee, dark fruit, and vanilla. There's also hints of barrel notes to the base beer, but not strong notes.
smooth, thick, and full bodied. It feels like Darkness to me.
I can see how this is not for everyone. They were really thinking outside the box here, but, it actually came together well.
Dec 07, 2024This beer looks like Darkness. Very pitch black pouring beer with a very thick, 3 finger, brown colored head. The bubbles are fluffy and frothy looking. Head retention is great, and some damn nice lacing on the glass.
Aroma, well, I would say unusual would be a good word for it, but not unexpected. I am just getting a huge lemon hit in the aroma. There's a decent, but not offensive amount of sweetness in the lemon. I also do get hints of the base beer here. I get notes of chocolate, caramel, toffee, dark fruit and vanilla.
Taste - Ok, well, this is interesting. There's so much lemon in this beer, and it hits hard right away. There's a good deal of sweetness to the lemon but there's also tart hints to it. The lemon flavor continues throughout the flavor profile. It is added to on the backside by the flavors that only the base beer can bring. I get hints of chocolate, caramel, toffee, dark fruit, and vanilla. There's also hints of barrel notes to the base beer, but not strong notes.
smooth, thick, and full bodied. It feels like Darkness to me.
I can see how this is not for everyone. They were really thinking outside the box here, but, it actually came together well.
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