It had come from Minnesota, and it was precious cargo. Surly Brewing, of Brooklyn Center, MN, for all intents and purposes does not distribute outside their state. Given their incredibly stellar lineup of extremely excellent beers, which have earned them the 11th and 14th spot in 2012 and 2013 on RateBeer's listing of the best breweries on earth, this small distribution footprint makes anything from Surly a huge score for beer nerds elsewhere in the country.
On the basis of a tip from a fellow beer nerd that I met at the Hell's Kitchen Pony Bar the preceding week, I managed to track down a small beer shop in Minnesota that ships Surly to NY. I couldn't even believe my luck. The second I got home that night, I ordered two four-packs of tall-boy cans (16 oz each) of their Imperial IPA (Surly Abrasive) and one four-pack of their IPA (Surly Furious).
The next week of waiting was nigh unto intolerable. When the package finally did arrive, I tore it open to reveal:
There they lay! I took them out to examine these canned delights in all of their splendor:
I've always liked breweries that can their craft beer: Heady Topper is amazing, Sierra Nevada Torpedo is super-dependable, and dozens of other breweries have also initiated canned lines of brews in recent months. The can vs. bottle debate deserves it's own post, but cans win the day in most categories. The fact that they're opaque cuts down the light-fueled oxidation that destroys hoppy flavor in beers, the stack more easily, they're better to carry when you go out camping or hiking, and they chill faster because aluminum conducts heat better and is thinner than glass. Ergo, getting to try brews from one of the breweries most famous for canning was an even cooler experience given my can-ny persuasions.
The second I cracked the can of Abrasive (9% ABV), an enormous hop aroma hit me in the nose from more than two feet away. Woah. Pours a giant head, with 2.5 fingers-worth of rich foam. The cast is a darker golden color with suspended carbonation in the clear, honey toned liquid. I could write a whole chapter about the aromas that spring forth from this one: juicy hops, a bit of lemon oil, a touch of cantaloupe, bready pine, cidering spices, some orange sherbet, and finally starfruit and other tropical fruits as the beer warms and volatilizes. Upon drinking, it sits relatively light in the mouth for a Double/Imperial IPA, but still has a lovely smooth, silkiness to the medium-full body. The swallow transitions from smooth to a bit more of a pronounced caramelly note that's just doused in hop-fueled flavor, chiefly tangerine. The close is a beauty, honeyed with only the faintest bitter reset on the tongue. The only thing keeping this one from perfection is that after a whole can, there's just a touch too much sweetness that sits on the tongue. All in all, a monumentally impressive beer that takes its place in the pantheon of the truly great Double/Imperial IPAs. Having tasted Bell's Hopslam, another superb example of the same style, the night before, I was well-placed to comparatively situate Abrasive. I'd put it fourth in the style, after Pliny the Elder, Heady Topper, and Rye da Tiger, just ahead of Hopslam. Overall, a very high 4.5/5.
Now onto the (normal) IPA! Furious (6.2% ABV) pours a reddish caramel color, with a thin head that recedes to a slight foamy float. An initial smell yields aromas of toasty caramel, pralines, and unexpectedly, banana french toast, rounding out into a hint of pine. Further sniffs reveal an earthy, scotch-like smell with a touch of tobacco. The first taste features a biscuit-like dry and piney hop, that segues very nicely into a juicier second stage that's redolent of ruby red grapefruit. It even exhibits that specific kind of bitter tang characteristic of that particular citrus fruit! Furious closes with a nice malt assertion, riding in on a smooth, yet well-carbonated, mouthfeel. Less well-balanced than the next-to-perfect Abrasive (which is interesting given the lower ABV), but still an excellent example of the style, earning a 4/5.
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I'm still drinking my way through the remaining cans of Surly, having shared a few with beer friends who hadn't yet had the chance to try it. I'm a huge fan of what Surly's doing, and I'm looking forward to trying their Coffee Bender and Bender (both brown ales) next. Check back in for those reviews down the line!
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