Overrated West Coast Style IPA
Surly Brewing Company

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From:
Surly Brewing Company
 
Minnesota, United States
Style:
American IPA
ABV:
7.3%
Score:
91
Avg:
4.08 | pDev: 8.09%
Reviews:
260
Ratings:
1,709
Status:
Active
Rated:
Oct 16, 2021
Added:
Feb 05, 2013
Wants:
  123
Gots:
  316
It's been said; "Its easier to brew an extremely hoppy beer than an extremely balanced beer." And you know us, we are always looking for the easy way out, so we jumped on the West Coast IPA Bandwagon and brewed this dry and hoppy ale. "Surly's a little bit of a one-trick pony, they just brew gimmick beers," and maybe we are OVERRATED, but at the end of the day it's just a beer. If yo like it, great, so do we. If you only liked us when we were small, then leave this one on the shelf. Let one of the fanyboys grab it.
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Ratings by tectactoe:
Photo of tectactoe
Reviewed by tectactoe from Michigan

4.21/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Thanks to maximum12 for this one. Based on my past experiences with Surly IPAs, I jumped at the chance to try their newest one. Overrated pours a solid copper, like a penny straight from the mint; modest clarity with just a touch of haze surrounding the core. The foamy white head lasts for a few minutes and leaves nice, wet lacing legs along the sides of the glass.

The aroma is densely packed with a huge, wet, fresh hop aroma; herbal, peppery, and just a touch spicy, staying very true to the West Coast style. Equal amounts of fruity aromas march in; grapefruit peel, orange zest, and citrus rinds compete with the raw hop aromas for center stage. The hops fire back with more and more oily pungency with each successive whiff. A very raw and unabashed IPA according to the nose - can't wait to finally taste it.

One sip and your tongue experiences a serious raw hop abrasion. A good truck load of oily, resinous, and pungent hops and pine needles are dumped on your palate right from the start. The hops are peppery and highly herbal, again, playing well to the strengths of many West Coast style IPAs. A decent amount of sticky bitterness hits halfway through and gets stronger in the end. Overrated is definitely more (perceivable) bitter than Furious, and I'd go so far as to say it might be more bitter than Abrasive. At least perceptibly.

The citric flavors do not go unnoticed throughout this herbarium, however. Grapefruit and tangerine seem to be the most vibrant, playing more towards the bitter side of things than the sweet side. Peels, rinds, and just a touch of sweetness in the finish to mesh into the bread-like malt body. As often seen with this style, the malts are relatively quiet until perhaps the aftertaste itself, where they coat the mouth with a thick bread and biscuit flavor. Medium bodied, oily and slick with just a touch of stickiness left behind; plenty of carbonation.

Once again, Surly has made an incredibly enjoyable and drinkable IPA, this time with a much more herbal and "spicy hop" stance. I'd definitely give the nod to both Furious and Abrasive over this stuff, but there's no doubt that it's a well-crafted brew. Definitely worth a shot if you're looking for something to scrape your tongue.
Apr 24, 2013
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.81 by LesDewitt4beer from Minnesota

Oct 16, 2021
Photo of cyclonece09
Reviewed by cyclonece09 from Wisconsin

4.12/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Poured from a can into a pint glass. Pours orange yellow with a fluffy white head. Smells of citrus hops with pine notes. Tastes of citrus and piney hops, nice balance. Beer is light bodied and easy drinking, good carbonation. Overall, a very good beer.
Jul 19, 2020
 
Rated: 3.75 by BEER88 from North Carolina

May 17, 2020
Photo of defunksta
Reviewed by defunksta from Wisconsin

4.04/5  rDev -1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
Appearance: Pours a clear, deep, medium orange color with a strong, clinging white head. SRM of 10. (4.25)

Aroma: Mild to medium aromas of deep and soapy orange and grapefruit citrus. Fresh wet orange pulped orange peel. It's deep and resinous with a sharp pine & flower aroma underneath the resin. Definitely deep and soapy. Not exactly what I was expecting on my first attempt. (4.00)

Flavor: Follows the nose with soapy citrus upfront. There's orange & grapefruit mostly that has support from pineapple and apricot. Heavy and malty upfront. Some Caramel and Crystal malts come through the middle. As the malt fades it allows some citrus nectar resin to come forth that is reminiscent of fresh and concentrated orange peel. Bitter, but also sweet and heavy. This beer combines bitter and sweet. (4.00)

Feel: Not sure what else needs to be said in terms of the body. Heavy and resinous. Low carbonation. Resinous but not too sticky. Definitely sweet. Feels like a Belgian Tripel in terms of sweetness/body. (3.75)

Compared to Surly's Yummi Bear West Coast IPA 3/27/20: So different. Similar appearance, slightly darker with a stronger head. Less hops on the aroma. Less airy citrus and flower. More resinous orange peel, pine, and malts. Heavier and sweeter for sure. Stronger crystal malts

Compared to SN Torpedo 5/23/20: Pours a lighter color. Stronger aromas of fruit. More orange and grapefruit citrus and more soap. Less caramel and pine. Slightly more bitter.

Overall: This was not quite what I was expecting. I went in expecting a nice, airy, intensely bitter citrus and pine beer similar to Yummi Bear. This was not quite that. This one is heavy, soapy, and malty. Aromas and flavors are restrained. Strong crystal malt flavor profile that balances an otherwise strong soapy bitterness. Amazing how bitter yet also sweet this beer is. Similar to Sierra Nevada Torpedo, but this one is soapier. Maybe could compare to Centennial IPA. It definitely does improve on my second rating. (First Rating: 3.68. Second Rating: 4.09)
Could compare to Bent Paddle or Stone
Mar 27, 2020
 
Rated: 4.25 by nruhlig from Minnesota

Feb 29, 2020
 
Rated: 4 by ian_graf from Minnesota

Jul 28, 2019
Photo of GuyFawkes
Reviewed by GuyFawkes from Illinois

3.84/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Drank 4/20/14 on draft @ Fischman's.

Semi-opaque bright orange hue.

White head; thick lace.

Orange juice & grapefruit nose.

Medium thick mouthfeel.

Orange pulp & grapefruit rind up front; hints of resin. A dry finish.

This tasted more bitter on tap than from a can-it's more 'West Coast' this way but less enjoyable.
Jul 01, 2019
 
Rated: 4.25 by rking1226 from Wisconsin

Feb 25, 2019
 
Rated: 4 by dafla67 from Pennsylvania

Feb 25, 2019
 
Rated: 4 by Gaddabble from Ohio

Sep 27, 2018
Photo of ordybill
Reviewed by ordybill from Georgia

4.15/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Poured from a 16 OZ can into a pint glass. The appearance is a is a murky gold color with a large white head. The aroma is full of hops and spice. The taste is a well balanced blend of hops and citrus.
Aug 13, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by Bunuelian from Minnesota

Aug 04, 2018
Photo of lockh099
Rated by lockh099 from Minnesota

4.59/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Definitely a beer I put over Furious.
Jul 27, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by jchanley from Illinois

Jul 21, 2018
 
Rated: 3.76 by Jcreek from Illinois

Jul 21, 2018
 
Rated: 3.73 by robotic_being from Illinois

Jul 18, 2018
Photo of HoppyBastard
Reviewed by HoppyBastard from Nebraska

4.22/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.5
Poured from a 16 ounce can into a Shaker pint glass, "canned on" date 3-16-18.

APPEARANCE: pours a hazy, copper color with one-finger off-white head that slowly dissipated until a thin unbroken layer of small bubbles remained, there is significant lacing on the glass, medium carbonation.

SMELL: bread, caramel and some pineapple citrus.

TASTE: the taste follows the nose, initially bread and sweet pineapple citrus and then an earthy hop profile.

PALATE: medium body and carbonation.

OVERALL: this is a nice juicy IPA, I enjoyed and would buy again, I would recommend to anyone who enjoys the style.
Jul 02, 2018
 
Rated: 3.85 by Dms844 from Minnesota

Jun 16, 2018
 
Rated: 3.75 by Noelito76 from New York

May 18, 2018
Overrated West Coast Style IPA from Surly Brewing Company
Beer rating: 91 out of 100 with 1709 ratings