Surly Furious: Am I Missing Something?

Having just recently tried it for the first time yesterday as well I can honestly say it isn't anything spectacular. I had relatively no expectations going in but the only impression it left on me was a forgettable, mildly hopped IPA.

 

I had it for the first time this week too because I live near Chicago and I had the opposite experience. I liked it more than I thought and there are only a few regular IPAs I have liked more. It will be my go-to until I get tired of it. Its still new to me so I am biased but I'd say as of right now it's my favorite year round ipa.

Edit: Also of those you compared it to I would only take Zombie Dust over it but I rarely ever have the chance to.

 

It's nothing like the brews you mentioned, so you will be disappointed if that's what you're expecting. Still one of the better daily brews out there IMO, but I'd classify it more as amber/red IPA. It's not light and fruity, though the grapefruit flavor is fairly dominant.

 

Give it a 2nd shot and if you get the same results you got your answer.

 

Was looking forward to tryin this thursday might have to hold off for a week or 2 and try to find some pipeworks instead

 

I agree with you, OP. Furious is just too malt-forward for me. I've had it fresh multiple times and my opinion hasn't changed. I'm getting some Abrasive soon though, so maybe that'll make up for the hop content that Furious wasn't delivering

 

It is not a west coast IPA. Closer to a red ale.

 

We need to wait around for Surly Abrasive. That is their beer that will blow you away so I hear.

 

Celebration Ale, I also found it somewhat similar to Two Brothers Heavy Handed which is wet hopped.

 

As far as I'm concerned Abrasive belongs in the "top tier" of Imperial/Double IPAs along with Heady Topper, Dreadnaught, Pliny, etc... I just received some fresh Abrasive yesterday from my buddy in Minnesota...along with some 2013 Darkness .

As far as Furious goes, it's always puzzled me why this site lists Furious as an American IPA. It most certainly is a hoppy amber/red ale. I think it above average for the style, however since ambers/reds are one of my least favorite styles, I'm not all that big on Furious.

 

Even very hoppy reds? Have you tried Green Flash's Hop Head Red? Besides that, I was a huge fan of SN Flipside, and Founders Red's Rye PA is in my top 5 or 10 favorite beers. Red's is more pricey this year, but sounds like it's still about as much per ounce as Surly is for you Chicagolanders.

 

There are posters with far more experience with it than I, but Furious is a top notch IPA when fresh, IMO. With its substantial malt bill, it is certainly never going to be mistaken for a west coast IPA, but it works great as long as the hops can stand up to it. So, in short, I think you just got a weak batch - at its best, you should be getting lots of hop character - loads of citrus aroma and balanced bitterness. Also, big brother, Abrasive, is overrated - stay away

 

Furious is definitely a hoppy amber/red ale. It's in a somewhat different category than Heady, Pliny, etc. Not like the tropical, citrusy IPA's that tend to get the notoriety on the best IPA lists.

 

I agree. However, I wasn't comparing Furious to Heady, Dreadnaught, Pliny, etc. nor should anyone. Furious wouldn't be in the same category as any IIPA/DIPA. The first half of the post was regarding Abrasive.

 

Can we please, as a group on a website, stop posting threads when we're "underwhelmed" by a beer? The ratings on BA.com speak for themselves. If you disagree, review the beer in a proper fashion, and post it to the review page. If enough people agree with your analysis, the rating will drop. Stop trying to smear the reputations of beers that are clearly very good.

 

Yeah, we're on the same wavelengths. Completely agree.

 

@broodog, this is a message board, for open discussion on a particular topic. I agree that it should possibly be reviewed, but it's not an end all be all. He is hardly smearing the "reputation" of said beer....With that said...

Furious is a hybrid of sorts for me. I haven't had a (beer label discriptor) amber/red ale that I've thought was more than just ok. I enjoy Furious myself, and what I like is that it has the right blend of hops, with a strong malt backbone to carry it along, without one being more overly assertive than the other.

On the topic of beers mentioned, I think Pliny(each time I've had it, both on tap a few years ago in S.F. and also again recently twice out of the bottle(within 30ish days of bottling) I feel it is a overrated beer for my own personal liking. Give me Abrasive, Sosus, Enjoy By...to name a few.

 

Abrasive is my number one DIPA, and I had huge expectations for Furious. Have had it fresh on multiple occasions, and can only say its alright. It has a nice grapefruit smell to it, but so does Lagunitas Maximus and it destroys it in the taste factor. Overrated is pretty good, but without Abrasive in their inventory I admit I would probably not purchase their beers.