Sur Lie
Revolution Brewing

This one pours a very dark black color, with a small head, and not much lacing.

This smells quite roasty and chocolatey, with black cherry, raisin, fig, pumpernickel, spicy oak, cedar, and char.

As always, this is exceptional. It’s quite roasty, which mixes well with the fruity and jammy wine notes. It’s quite chocolatey, with caramel and vanilla, and tons of oak.

This is thick, but not syrupy, with some nice oaky warmth, but not much booziness.

This is a really, really nice blend and collaboration.

4/23/26 - (Revolution Brewery) (Chicago, IL)): $13 + tax 10 oz draft pour. Collaboration with Surly Brewing. Bourbon Barrel + Redwine Barrel Aged Imperial Stout.

Appearance: 10 oz draft into a snifter glass yields a near pitch black base, presented faint tan ring around the rim with minimal 4% cover. 4.25

Aroma: I let this warm for about ten minutes, as it’s served 38-39 F. Yielding a red wine and a smooth bourbon early, backed by roast malts.Light initially, warms wonderfully consistent with the colder state characteristics. 4.5

Taste: Consistent with the aroma, nice red wine and grapes lead, dark bakers chocolate, roast malt, nice bourbon. Everything blends well and also present distinct flavors individually. Chocolate covered berries / strawberries. 4.5

Mouthfeel: Drinks strong, consistent with the 13.6% ABV, though this is my fourth on the day and third here. Syrupy stick near full body, no carbonation. Alcohol helps balance against the sweet red wine and chocolate flavors. Strong, bold, really digging the whole experience. 4.75

Overall: This is a great selection. Didn’t need the $35 19.2 package, so this full 10 oz draft is perfect to enjoy the whole experience. Full strength, thuck rich feel, chocolate and grapes / strawberry. Glad I came in for this one and the bartender suggested this would be first to kick, in case I can return for another. Worth the price and effort to get here. 4.75

WBAYDN 4934

Glossy black with a short khaki head that dies to a softly supple curled quarter pipe ridge that actually seems to become slightly pink.

The red wine really comes through here, with that splintery, cedary sort of tannin before even giving hickory, but in multiple other threads as well, while the bourbon gives char to the chocolatey stout.

Carbonation is unusually airy and lifting. Though it was a stovepipe, I wish I could have downed an entire one of these, it was intriguingly complex.

Sur Lie (2026) from Revolution Brewing. 19. fl oz can from Revolution Deep Wood six-pack from Half Time. Ordered 20/01/26, received 13/02/26 (Not shipping until after 04/02/26). $ 28.26 (Including tax and shipping)/ $ 1.471/fl oz. Stored at 40 degrees F at home. Reviewed 15/02/26, review 3690. Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Printed on can bottom “13.6% ABV 01/15/26.” Stored at home at 40 degrees F. Served at 56.6 degrees F in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature is 63.6 degrees F.
Appearance – 4. Pretty much like any Imperial stout with a small head.
First pour – Amber Brown (SRM 18), nearly opaque.
Body – Brown (SRM 30), opaque. Under direct light, same. When rear-lite, light penetrates the bottom edge, ruby.
Head – Small (Maximum 0.7 cm, aggressive center pour). Tan brown lightening to biscuit as it oxygenates, high density. Excellent retention, eventually dropping to a 0.5 cm crown and a partial cap.
Lacing – None, as expected.
Aroma – 3.5 – Little aroma – weak roasted malt, nearly imaginary chocolate. No alcohol (13.6 % ABV, as marked on the can bottom). No bourbon, no wine, no barrels.
Flavor – 4 – Begins slightly bitter with roasted malt and just a ghost of chocolate. No hops. No alcohol. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl. Neither bourbon nor oaky barrel. As it warms to final temperature, some vinous qualities arise. Initial marked gastric burning ameliorates.
Palate – 4.25 – Medium to full: Creamy: Soft carbonation.
Style: Sort of follows the BA style description.
Final impression and summation: 4 Uncredited label art. Overall, a decent imperial stout with an extreme price point – probably due to the excessive handling and passing between barrels and lees.

L - Pitch black with a tan head that dissipates quickly, leaving behind no real lacing
S - Dark chocolate, oak, red and black currant, leather, slight bourbon
T - complex - dark chocolate, oak, and red and black currant, dark cherries, and blackberries up front and throughout intermixed well. Good amount of oak and leather. Slight bourbon. Finished with dark fruit.
F - medium, leaning on full bodied, with light carbonation. Smooth. Slightly sticky
O - a pretty nice barrel aged stout with some good wine character, bringing the dark fruit notes in to mix with the chocolate bourbon of Deth.

Canned 1/15/26; drank 1/29/26 @ the Yarchives.

Black/brown appearance; champagne bubbles at first.

A rough pour yielded a small, noisy dark tan head; almost no lacing remained.

Dark chocolate, red wine & wood notes in the nose.

Thick, smooth mouthfeel.

Red wine & wood flavors up front; milk chocolate notes on the finish. Just a hint of booze heat emerged as this warmed.

A wine/beer hybrid that hit the benchmarks for both beverages without a lot of fuss. I'd have another!