Surly Ginger Lager

That's a nope.

 

I appreciate what Todd did for the MN beer scene, truly he is due a huge part of the current success, but what did he (or anyone else) do at Surly that really embodied the "surly" moniker? Yes, he made some great beer in his tenure and helped usher in this booming era of MN craft beer but IMHO the whole heavy metal attitude and personality had a lot more to do with the brewery's image and marketing than it ever did with its beer.

 

“I think this is going to be a big hit for this year’s pack.”

Really? Just looking at the list of beers in that pack, a ginger lager would be in the bottom third for me, if not lower ... maybe above the Raspberry Sundae.

 

I don't know, I like Ginger Ale, so Ginger LAger should be okay

 

The St. Arnold's and Tree House collabs are the most appealing to me.

 

Just based on who the collaborating brewer is, whether the description sounded intriguing, and my general preferences in beer style ... as a quick first pass, I would put them in this order of what I would be looking forward to tasting:

1 East Meets West IPA with Tree House Brewing Co.
2 Dunkel Weisse with Ayinger Brewery
3 Dry-Hopped Barleywine Style Ale with Avery Brewing Co.
4 Atlantic Vintage Ale with Fuller’s Brewery
5 Dry-Hopped Berliner Weisse with Saint Arnold Brewing Co.
6 Campout Porter with Garage Project
7 Ginger Lager with Surly Brewing Co.
8 Hoppy Belgian-Style Golden Ale Brewed w/ Lemon Peels with Duvel
9 West Coast Style DIPA with Boneyard Beer
10 White IPA w/ Yuzu with Kiuchi Brewery
11 Thai-Style Iced Tea with Mikkeller
12 Raspberry Sundae with The Bruery


Of course, actual tasting may change this order considerably!

And, the Surly ginger lager ended up in the middle third!

 

I actually think the Surly beer will be good for what it is, but it's obvious how much their focus is shifting, and at their price point, I just don't find myself reaching for them much at all.

Even Todd seems a peg below where it was. Might be in part that right now there 4 breweries within about an hour of where I live (TG, Pulpit, Forager, and Grand Rounds) that are making as good or better IPAs that I can drink totally fresh with the same amount of effort it takes to get Todd that may or may not be fresh.

 

Interesting list. But a west coast DIPA brewed with Boneyard... yes please. Move that up to the top 3.

 

I'm don't know how old you are, but this is written very much like someone who wasn't drinking beer in 2008. Surly's beers were revolutionary, & remained heads & shoulders above other local packaged beer (meaning no offense to Summit & Schells - Surly was just different) for years. This has nothing to do with marketing or the horrifying heavy metal blaring at D-Day, & the fact that there was nothing locally like Bender, Coffee Bender, Darkness, Furious, etc. on shelves.

That said, the brewery has rested on its laurels for several years. I have no idea what role Todd played, but I'm hoping his departure leads to A LOT more experimentation, both in cans, bottles, & the beer hall.

 

I definitely don't want to take anything away from what Surly did to the beer scene in the Midwest. It's just that recently it's not worth my time and money. But they have enough good will built up that I'll probably always give them a shot. I remember the first time I drank Furious and Coffee Bender like it was yesterday.

 

Hear, hear!

Surly's beers have rarely been in my sweet spot (and they got me all riled up a couple of years ago when they f----ed up one of their few favorites of mine --- Bitter Brewer), so I can't comment really on resting on their laurels and the like.

However, they deserve all the recognition they get for innovating and shaking up the craft beer market here. It may not even be an exaggeration to say that their bursting onto the scene is a major factor ... if not THE major factor ... in the explosion in craft brewers in MN.

 

That...was a horrible travesty. I loved that beer before they hosed it up.

 

I was 24 in 2008 and though new to the craft beer scene but very much an enthusiastic adopter of all things Surly in those first few years. I don't mean to diminish what they did for the beer scene in MN, they absolutely deserve all sorts of praise. My point is that if you think about the core beers that made them who they are -- Furious, Cynic, Bender, and Hell -- these are styles which were very common in 2008. Yes, Furious was certainly the most hop forward IPA coming from MN at the time and the introduction of Darkness and Abrasive REALLY pushed the envelope for MN beer drinkers, but my point is that these weren't exactly beer styles that matched up with the heavy metal revolutionary brand that they established. Many breweries across the country were making very similar beers, even in 2008. Like I said, Surly is a big reason I'm such a MN beer enthusiast and has probably indirectly led me to meeting a lot of my closest friends. I consider them probably the best overall brewery in the state and am proud to share their beer with friends from other parts of the country. I am definitely a surly fan, I just think that when you consider the departure of Todd and the introduction of beers like a ginger lager it shouldn't really be considered that far off the path of where they came from, even if that isn't consistent with their brand ID.

 

Idk, been in craft beer for a while, but traded for a bit starting in 2011 and u could get most hoppy beer $ for $ w furious, any IPA/iipa for abrasive, and just anything period for darkness. I don't think similar beers were produced in most states.

Edit: I don't like metal at all, but it's never deterred me from drinking their beer. Some recent changes I'm not fond of, but am still a big fan of several offerings.

 

Didn't Surly announce this beer 4-5 years ago as an April Fools joke?

 

Surly berry!

 

so has anyone actually had it, or are we just shitting on something we've not tasted while rehashing the same "surly ain't what it used to be now that todd's gone but maybe he wasn't that great to begin with" posts that make up every thread?

 

Maybe this is what Omar talked with Lienie about last summer?