The Drunken Polack

Last Thursday I started on a beer crusade that would take me from Minneapolis to Munster, Indiana in 3 days.  I woke up at 4:45am sharp knowing I would be soon meeting up with 3 guys who I have never really met but have talked to a bunch of times on their blogs, through twitter, and have traded with all of them.  You see I think the beer community is a tight knit one.  I wouldn’t meet up with just any old strangers but I felt like I knew these guys before I even really met them.  Who are these people you ask?  Aaron from The Captains Chair, Stu from Friday Night Beer, and the Vice Blogger himself, Aaron.

This just wasn’t Dark Lord Day though.  We hit up a ton of places.

Brewpubs and Bars:

Stubs and Herb’s - The first place we went to.  If this bar was by me I’d be in trouble.  It has a great atmosphere, good food, and a hell of a beer list.  I could of honestly sat there all day.  Did I mention it was located in the middle of the University of Minnesota?  That provides a whole different thing to look at if you know what I mean =)

Beers consumed at Stubs and Herb’s: Surly Abrasive Ale (Batch 1) and Surly Furious

Barley  John’s - Second stop of the beer tour was to this little brewpub off the side of the road.  If you blink you could miss it.  Stu explained to me that the deck outside is usually overgrown with hops but when we were there it was barren.  Maybe to early in the year?  They are known mostly for Rosie’s Old Ale but sadly Old Rosie wasen’t available.  So we picked up a flight of 4 of their other brews.  The Bitter being my favorite out of the four.  All really good though.  We sat outside and enjoyed the perfect weather.

Beers Consumed at Barley Johns: Little Barley Bitter, Stockyard IPA, Wild Brunette, Old 8 Porter

The Captain’s Basement Brewpub – Ok so this isn’t really an official brewpub but we did enjoy some fantastic homebrews from the Captain himself.  3 to be exact.  I really enjoyed all 3 but my favorite had to be the Hefe.  It just hit the spot.  We got to meet his lovely wife and daughter, drink some fantastic beers, and enjoy some grilled food.  Thanks for letting me stay Aaron.

Beers consumed at The Captain’s House: The Captain’s Slightly  Better IPA, The Captain’s Hefeweizen, The Captain’s Wild Rice Brown Ale, Sam Adams Utopias

Ale Asylum – We stopped by Ale Asylum on the way to New Glarus.  I didn’t know much about these guys so I was very surprised when we stepped into the brewpub.  Loved the look of the place, their food was really good (pull pork sandwich with chips and salsa was great) and I loved the samples they give you.  You can buy 10 samples of their stuff for 20 dollars.  It’s such a bargain.  Out of everything their Bedlam IPA was #1 and was simply a delight to drink.  The Citra hops used in the brew was just amazing.

Beers consumed at Ale Asylum: Bedlam IPA, Ballastic IPA, Ambergeddon, Bamboozleator, Big Slick Stout, Contorter, Gold Digger Blonde, Hopalicious, Sticky McDoogle

Minneapolis Town Hall – I wish I could write a fantastic story about this place but I can’t and it’s not because the place isn’t fantastic because well it is.  You see the trip here came on my first night.  At this point I was sorta drunk and well I had the worst headache I’ve had in a while.  The brewpub itself is awesome.  Great atmosphere, a nice selection of brews, and a nice little guest tap list.  I did get to try one of the beers I had hoped to try, Mango Masala Mama, and well it was just fantastic.  Next time I go to Minneapolis (Hello DLD 2011) I will make sure I go here first.

Beers consumed at Minneapolis Town Hall: Mango Masala Mama IPA

Flossmoor Station – Once again I was in the same boat for this visit.  It was just after DLD and I was on the verge of being to drunk.  I didn’t get to have any beers since I felt if i had just one more beer, i’d be over that limit of getting sick.  God I hate that.  But Flossmoor Station is just pure class.  It’s such a beautiful place to eat and drink.  They stuck us outside though.  Guess they didn’t want any drunkards in their place =)  I don’t blame them.  Heck I didn’t even though it was still a working station until I heard the train pull up.  I want to go back to this place so bad.  Oh and they teased me with the empty bottle of Wooden Hell in the window to the brewery.  Bastards! =)

Beers consumed at Flossmoor Station: Uhh none dammit!

Breweries:

Surly Brewing – On my first day there I got spoiled and visited Surly.  Aaron lives two miles from the brewery.  Maybe he’s more spoiled.  When we stepped in we automatically got to meet Omar the owner.  It was cool talking to him.  But it was totally great when the Brew Master, Todd Haug walked in and started pouring us some brews.  I got to try Coffee Bender which I loved just as much as the regular version but I also got to try Batch Two of Abrasive Ale.  Wow just friggin wow!!!  This beer was amazing and it totally beat the version I had earlier in the day.  Abrasive Ale is the real friggin deal!  After we bullshitted over the beers, Todd offered a private tour of the brewery.  This was amazing because this was pretty much one on one time with the guy who makes some of the best beer I’ve ever had.  He must of talked with us for a good 40 minutes about everything the brewery does, how everything works, etc.  He’s pretty much my favorite brewer right now.  He makes great stuff yes but he’s totally cool and a hell of a nice guy.

Earlier in the conversation, Aaron the Vice Blogger mentioned that he saw on twitter that Surly would be providing a firkin of Tea Bagged Furious.  Omar and Todd kind of played it off.  As we ended our tour Todd asked us officially if we would like to like to take the firkin with us to DLD and provide it for one of the guest taps.  Of course we said Hell Yes!  So on the way out we picked up the firkin and threw it in the trunk.  Wow were we really driving around with a rare beer in our trunk.  A rare beer provided by Surly themselves?  Hell yes we were.

Oh and in the fridge we spotted this box and no we didn’t get to try it.  I would of given a kidney for a bottle.

Beers consumed at Surly: Coffee Bender, Abrasive Ale (Batch 2)

Check out more pictures of Surly here

New Glarus – Wow just wow!  That’s all I can say about this brewery.  It’s nestled on a top of a hill overlooking the small town of New Glarus, population of about 2100.   This is the most beautiful brewery I’ve ever seen inside and out.  Just take a look at the outside of this place.  The inside is clean and just amazing.  What I like about it most though is that you can actually take a brewery tour yourself.  You can just walk around and see everything.  It’s cool how you can walk around while the brewers just do their work.  It’s seamless.  I also love their gift shop and tasting area.  For 7 dollars you can two tasting glasses and 6 pretty big samples.  All the beer was great.  Of course it was fresh.  I got to try their Golden Ale which is brewery only and part of their R&D line.  I’ll probably never come back to this place again since it’s kind of in the middle of nowhere but I’m so glad I got to see it.

Beers consumed at New Glarus: Golden Ale, Stone Soup, Moon Man, Belgian Red, Cabin Fever

Check out more pics of New Glarus here

Dark Lord Day:

So before I go into the actual day let me rewind to the night before.  We arrived in Chicago around 6pm.  We had every intention of going to Flossmoor Station that night but instead Aaron had the idea of dropping the firkin off at Three Floyd’s.  He gave Todd a call and Todd called back saying that it sounded like a good idea.  So we headed to Three Floyd’s instead.  We drove up and there was a huge line to get into the brewpub.  We drove right up to the doors which was a no no since their driveway was blocked off but we got around it.  Dirty looks ensued as we went into the pub.  The gentlemen that was guarding the door said we had to step back and get in line but that all changed when we said we had the firkin of Furious.  He said right this way gentlemen.  We brought the firkin through the main brewery doors and we were greeted by a few more Three Floyd’s employees who were happy to see the shiny object.  They then let us through the back doors to the brewpub and told the bartender to take care of us.  Wow what a night!  We each had a few drinks and dinner and just had an awesome time.  We felt like rockstars.  The brewpub is awesome.  The atmosphere is electric, fantastic art, weird movies projected on the wall, awesome people.

Last year Three Floyd’s released a brown ale along with Dogfish Head named Popskull.  While Popskull was good, that night they have a Barrel Aged version.  Well holy shit that beer knocked my socks off.  One of the best beers I’ve had in a long time.  It was a shell of it’s former self.  Around midnight we got out of there because we knew we had a long day ahead of us.

So it was time for DLD.  I really didn’t know what to expect.  I knew it was going to be packed but I also heard they were expecting 3k more people this time around bringing the total to around 8k.  We got there around 10am and took our spot the lawn.  We didn’t get in line, we just sat there watching all the suckers get in line while we staked our piece of grass.  It was drinking time and boy was it ever.  Aaron and I jumped to the guest tap area and picked up our glasses of Tea Bagged Furious.  Fantastic stuff.  I also picked up a Apple Brandy Barrel aged Cigar City Warmer Winter, Winter Warmer which was great.  When we got back to our spot we noticed some extra people.  It happened to be Mike from Thank Heaven for Beer with his brother and his brother’s girlfriend.  He shared his homebrew which was over 40%.  Yes 40% and wow it was one of the best beers I’ve had in a while.  Mike is a hell of a guy and I’m glad I got to meet him.  Nate his partner in crime was supposed to be there with him but he had car issues.  Finally got to meet him later in the day and he was also a hell of a guy!  His homebrew ruled too.  Two standup guys.  Through out the day we got to try so many brews.  Stuff that I brought like Isabelle Proximus, CBS, BA Blackbeerd, etc.  But somehow a ton of other beers got into our stash.  Probably the worst beer of the day was a 1995 Sam Adams Triple Bock.  Holy shit, nasty!

But the MVP of the day had to be my man Stu from Friday Night Beer.  The man got us both Oaked and Vanilla Dark Lord.  That guy is magic.  I was afraid I wasn’t going to able to try those two rarities but the man came through.  Stu I salute you!  Needless to say DLD was awesome but it was also a very unorganized even  In the middle of the day the beer per ticket allotment went from 4 to 3.  That surely pissed some people off.  The lines were out of control.  A lot of cutting. I also saw some stuff I wish I didn’t see.  Like a guy sitting in a car with puke on his shirt, passed out.  I also saw some pour guy sitting in the bathroom line surrounded by cops because he couldn’t get up.  He was so drunk he was afraid he would pass out or fall if he got up.  Wow he was drunk.

So would I go again?  Oh I already plan on it next year.  I had such a good time.  I met some fantastic people and drank some legendary beers.  I just need to be more prepared to drink next time.  I was the lightweight of the group.  Oh and Stu you did order those wings and that bottle buddy =)

If I’m missing any guys, let me know =)

Surly Hell - Before I get started with any kind of reviews, I’d like to thanks Aaron over at The Captains Chair for providing both of these beers.  It’s great try beers I normally couldn’t get a hold of.  Thanks bud.

Surly Hell is one of the newest brews from Surly out of Minnesota.  The brewery who loves to can all their stuff!  Except Darkness of course.  This time around they went with a sessionable brew.  A Helles lager to be exact.  Since I’m not really a lager drinker I had to look up what to expect fromt his style of beer.  Straight from Beer Advocate I got this description.

“When the golden and clean lagers of Plzen (Bohemia) became all the rage in the mid-1800′s, München brewers feared that Germans would start drinking the Czech beer vs. their own. Munich Helles Lager was their answer to meet the demand. A bit more malty, they often share the same spicy hop characters of Czech Pils, but are a bit more subdued and in balance with malts. “Helles” is German for “bright.”

Ok so now I have an idea of what to expect?  Well what did I get?  Read on.

Surly Hell pours clear golden color.  Nice fluffy white two finger head.  Great retention and minimal lacing.  Smell is what you usually expect from a lager.  Well most lagers, Southern Tier Krampus is a exception to the rule =)  The smell is grainy, malty, and grassy.  I also picked up a bit of a fruity aroma.  Very sweet aroma and very malty.

Taste really isn’t much to write home about.  Don’t expect a huge flavorful ale kind of taste here.  Because well that’s not what they were trying to do here.  They tried to create a nice sessionable and enjoyable brew and they did a hell of a job doing so.  Up front from me what the grassy hoppy flavor followed by the nice little fruity taste.  The ending is mostly a yeasty and bready grainy taste.   The mouthfeel is light and crisp.  Like I said sessionable.  I could pound down a six pack of this stuff and not even blink.

I like what Surly did here.  They made a nice drinkable beer available during the Summer.  For those hot days.  How hot does Summer in Minnesota get anyway?

Found: Beer Trade
Price: Not to sure on this one.
Website: http://www.surlybrewing.com/
What the company says: Finally, a Surly beer my German mother will drink. She says this one tastes like a bier from back home. Not unlike a Zwickel Bier from Germany, Hell is our filtered and fermented with lager yeast, American hops takes a back seat to the Pils malt sweetness and fresh bread aroma. The color is well… hell (Deutsch for light). It’s fiendishly drinkable, and you don’t have to sell your soul to get another.
ABV%: 4.50%
Other beers to try from this brewery: Surly Furious, Surly Bender
Other beers to try within the same style: First time I’ve had a beer in this style
Rating: B

New Glarus Unplugged Cran-bic Ale - Oh New Glarus.  What you do with fruit just makes me a happy camper.  I was blown away by their Wisconsin Belgian Red and Raspberry Tart.  This time around they are working with Cranberries.  This time they made a Lambic that has been pitched with cranberries and aged outside in oak barrels.  It’s light, funky, tart and just a beautiful beer.

Cranic pours a mixture of light red and amber.  Really a beautiful color that you can see in the pic.  A small head forms but quickly fizzes away like a champagne.  First thing I noticed in the smell is a light fresh dose of Cranberries.  Mixed in their is a small amount of acidity and tartness that makes your nose sting just a tad.  In the end is a hint of malt and oak.  It’s just a very light smelling beer.  Heck if you can even call it a beer.  To me it’s more like a mixture of a beer and wine.

The taste came in three parts for me.  The first part was definitely tart and slightly funky on the palette.  As the ale hits the middle of your mouth it starts getting richer.  The cranberries start to really come in.  Mix that in with the oak and it’s a nice rich deep taste.  Then in the end the tartness comes back a tad mixed in with some bitterness.  Just a beautiful beer.  Mouthfeel is on the lighter side with the perfect amount of carbonation.  Just a joy to drink.  This beer blurs the line between a lambic and a wine for me.  It’s just amazing.  Pick it up soon folks, it’s a limited brew and might only be brewed once.

Found: Beer Trade
Price: No idea on this one
Website: http://www.newglarusbrewing.com/
What the company says: A few times a year we will cut Dan loose to brew whatever he chooses, uncensored, uncut, unplugged. Always handcrafted, the bottle you hold is brewed for the adventurous soul. This is a very limited edition and we make no promises to ever brew this style again.

Sparkling and bright this is a Wisconsin original created for you in the traditional method employed by the Lambic Brewers of Belgium including five months of outdoor resting in oak barrels. Indigenous yeast and cranberries from the “wilds” of Wisconsin flawlessly pair to dance on your palette. You have discovered a rare and delightful treasure to be served cold in a fluted glass.
ABV%: 6.00%
Other beers to try from this brewery: New Glarus Belgian Red, New Glarus Spotted Cow
Other beers to try within the same style: First time I’ve had a beer in this style
Rating: A

So when does an A- rating really disappoint me?  When we are talking about Darkness 09.  You see, Darkness 08 is one of my favorite beers of all time.  I remember popping that bottle open and being in love.  I really thought I was going to feel the same way about the 09 version of the brew.  While 09 is still a very good beer, they changed the recipe.  It has stout like qualities but it really doesn’t scream stout to me.  Maybe the recipe didn’t change all that much, heck I’m not a brewer but Darkness 09 doesn’t even come close to 08.  Totally different.  I understand breweries need to change things, keep people interested but this is such a big change and to me they kind of ruined a great thing.  On to the review.

Darkness 09 pours a pitch black color ( I bet you’re sick of hearing that on all my stout reviews =)  Big frothy mocha colored head dies down to a one finger head.  Darkness 08 had a really nice sweet cocoa smell.  09 replaces that with a big piney/citrus hop aroma.  I swear to god when I poured this beer I thought I poured a Black Double IPA and not a Russian Imperial Stout.  As you let the beer warm a little bit more the hops still take a front seat but more stuff starts to come through.  Chocolate, roasted malt, and molasses.

It’s really more of the same with the taste.  When you take your first sip, the hops are pretty much all you get.  Totally reminded me of an IPA.  Then the beer transforms into more the traditional stout.  The creamy chocolate comes in nicely and has a nice aftertaste along with the slight roasted malt, caramel, and molasses.  For being almost 10% the alcohol is nicely masked.  You do get a little bit of a warming feeling as it goes down.  The mouthfeel is more on the thicker side and smooth like velvet.

This is a good beer.  I would never turn down a bottle of it.  It’s doesn’t have the greatness that 08 has.  Maybe we’ll never see that version again but I’m glad I got to try it.  Thanks to Aaron and Stu for providing me bottles.  I can’t wait to age one and see how it turns out.

Found: Beer Trade
Price: I believe a bottle of this runs between 20-25 dollars
Website: http://www.surlybrewing.com
What the company says: This massive Russian Imperial Stout brings waves of flavors; chocolate, cherries, raisins, coffee, and toffee. We add a touch of hops to make this delicious brew even tasties.
ABV%: 9.60%
Other beers to try from this brewery: Surly Furious, Surly Cynic
Other beers to try within the same style: Otto’s Jolly Roger Imperial Stout, Brooklyn Brewery Black Chocolate Stout
Rating: A-

Before I even get started with this best of list let me just say that I totally ripped off this idea from The Vice Blogger.  What can I say, the guy inspires me.

So with 2009 coming to an end (good riddance by the way) I looked back on all the beer I drank and said to myself “Damn you’re getting fat” Oh I also said “Damn Dave you drank a lot of great beer”  Some of these beers I didn’t think I drank this year but I went back and sure enough I reviewed them in 09.  Cool thing is though I think 2010 is going to be better.  I’ll explain that later.  So here goes, the top 15 beers I’ve tried this year.

1. Ballast Point Sculpin -If you look back at my ratings you’ll notice that this beer isn’t rated as high as some of the other beers on this list.  That’s because the first time I had this fantastic IPA it wasn’t as fresh as it could be.  It was still great though.  The second and third bottles I had just blew me away and that’s why this is sitting #1 on my list for 2009.  This is the best IPA I’ve had. It’s 100% a West Coast IPA at it’s finest.  Good news is, in 2010 they are bottling this stuff more often.

2. Surly Darkness 08 - There are times in your beer drinking career that you will always remember and when I popped open this brew I instantly knew I was in love.  I remember getting off the couch and running into the bedroom where my girlfriend was.  I tried and tried to get her to try this awesome stout but she just wouldn’t do it.  Oh well, more for me.  This was the best stout I had this year, hands down.  Too bad this years version is just totally different.  Review for that coming in 2010 =)  Thanks to Aaron over at The Captains Chair for hooking me up with this.

3. Russian River Pliny the Younger -So how the hell did I get to try a beer that is only available in draught form and is only available at select spots across the US?  Not to mention when it is available it sells out in less then an hour and is only available once a year?  Pure luck honestly.  I didn’t get to try a lot of it.  Maybe just a few ounces but what I did have is one of the best Double IPAs (They call it a Triple IPA) I’ve ever had.  I remember holding my glass up every time I finished it off hoping they would dump more in it.  Before I knew it the growler was empty and I was a sad boy.  This beer is a pure hop monster.  Hops just sit in your mouth for hours after you have it. Come back soon Younger.

4. Alpine Nelson -This is a beer I received in one of my first beer trades ever.  Nat over at The Beer Rover reviewed it and I knew I had to try it.  He was nice enough to send me a growler of it since it wasn’t bottled yet (is now) and I was blown away by the taste.  It’s a simple IPA but the Nelson Sauvin hops used in this brew are unbelievable.  With it being bottled now it’s a little easier to get this fantastic IPA.

5. Allagash Odyssey - I bought this beer in 2008 but was told to hold off on it and try it a year later.  Glad I did.  Odyssey was the best Belgian Strong Dark Ale I’ve ever had and I don’t think anything has come close to it since.  The complex taste full of oak and vanilla was just perfect.  I can’t wait to try this brew again.

6. Russian River Temptation - Wild Ales are starting to become big in the craft beer.  On beer trading sites everyone seems to want them.  Some of the best Wild Ales made in the US are made by Russian River.  The mixture of tartness, brett, and fruit make this beer  just unbelievable.  I cannot wait to try their other sours and wild ales.

7. Deschutes Abyss -  What can I say? I love and I mean love huge ass stouts.  This is one of them.  Deschutes makes some fine beers but this is my favorite from them.  Bourbon, coffee, licorice, and molasses make this just a big and beautiful beer that will age nicely. 

8. Alpine Expoential Hoppiness -I’ve always heard about this beer.  Just like Nelson, this beer was only available in draught form for the longest time.  Recently it’s been bottled (I have a few coming in the mail, can’t wait) but my first dealings were in growler form.  I visited Alpine while I was on vacation in San Diego.  I went up there hoping that this beer would be available.  I couldn’t believe it when I saw it up on the board!  Score!  This is one of the best Double IPAs I’ve ever had.  It has a nice smokiness to it to go a long with the hops and everything else thrown in.  I had no problems finishing off the growler before I had to take the trip home.

9. Boulevard Brewing Imperial Stout -I wasn’t expecting to be blown away by this stout but I so was.  For some reason I held off on trying this brew for the longest time.  I would open the fridge and never pick it up.  I’m glad I finally did.   It has a lot of the characteristics of Abyss but it’s toned down.  The dried cocca, bourbon, and coffee are perfectly balanced. 

10. De Proef Signature Les Deus Brasseurs Ale brewed with Jason Perkins -This is the only collaboration beer on the list and it totally deserves it.  This is the second in the line, first brewed with Tommy Arthur from Lost Abbey.  I loved that one but this one was just a tad bit better.  The sourness, funk, fruit, and oak make this beer just a pleasure to drink and I almost had it higher on the list.  You can still find this brew on shelves if you look hard enough and it should be aging nicely.  The third in the series is now on the shelves also.  It’s brewed with John Mallett from Bell’s.

Rounding out my top 15
11. Firestone Walker 12
12. Ballast Point Victory at Sea
13. Goose Island Bourbon County Stout
14. Cigar City Hunahpus Imperial Stout
15. New Glarus Raspberry Tart

Those who just missed the cut!
Ballast Point Tongue Buckler
The Lost Abbey Bourbon Angel Share
Three Floyds Dreadnaught
Alpine Duet
Founders Harvest Ale
Nogne O Dark Horizon 2.0
Russian River Consecration
New Glarus Wisconsin Red
The Bruery Partridge in a Pear Tree

I mentioned that I think 2010 will be better.  Here are some of the beers I have in my possesion for 2010 – The Lost Abbey Veritas 004, The Bruery Black Tuesday, Russian River Beautification, Olde Hickory Olde Rabbits Foot, Coast Jack Daniels Barrel Aged Blackbeerd Imperial Stout, Lost Abbey Duck Duck Gooze, Westvleteren 8 and 12, Pelican Pub and Brewery The Perfect Storm, Kuhnhenn Raspberry Eisbock, Ithaca Brute, Boulevard Saison Brett, Firestone 13, Ølfabrikken Porter and many, many more!

So that’s it. Bye bye 2009 and hello 2010. I wish you all a great New Years and make sure you drink some great stuff.

So I can personally thank Steve over at the Summer of Beer for introducing me to this brewery.  Since I’m from the East Coast, some of the small West Coast breweries slip through the cracks for me.  I saw him mention this brewery on his blog.  So later that day I went to the South Bay Drugs website and sure enough they had some of their beers for sale.  This was the only one I bought because I really didn’t know the quality of their beer.  I’m happy to say that I will be trying more from these guys.  I can thank their Quadrupel, Partridge in a Pear Tree for that.  This is a damn fine beer.

This brew pours a dark cloudy brown color with a small tan head.  The smell is full of candi sugar, dark fruits (raisins and figs), sweet malt, belgian yeast and spices.  It’s  a very big smell.  Very sweet smell.  Complex but it all comes together nicely.

I said it was sweet in the nose, yeah well it’s sweet in taste too.  If you’re diabetic, don’t drink this beer.  Ok if you’re diabetic you probably shouldn’t be drinking any beer but heck don’t touch this one.  What I love about this brew is that it’s good from start to finish.  The taste kicks in up front and doesn’t die in the end like some beers.  Taste just pops.  The candi sugar is the highlight, followed by what seems to be brown sugar, raisins, figs, spices, and the Belgian yeast.  I’m not a quad expert but this is a very good tasting beer.  The mouthfeel is full bodied, smooth, and syrupy.  The alcohol content doesn’t really show in the taste or smell of this beer but when you’re done with the bottle, you definitely feel it.

This beer has a lot going on, but in the end it tastes fantastic.  Great from first sip to the end of the bottle.  I would easily buy this again, but next time I would find someone to share it with me for sure.  I will be buying more beer from this brewery.

Found: South Bay Drugs, Imperial Beach, CA (Mail order)
Price: 10 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.thebruery.com
What the company says: Our holiday beer is a Belgian-style Dark Strong Ale, brewed with our brewery-made dark candi sugar, Munich and Vienna malts. Dark brown in color, fruity and complex with a rich malt backbone. This is a simple yet immensely complex beer meant to be savored and shared with friends and family.
ABV%: 12.0%
Other beers to try from this brewery: The Bruery Saison Rue, The Bruery Orchard White
Other beers to try within the same style: St. Bernardus Abt. 12,  Avery The Reverend
Rating: A

Good ole Aaron from The Captain Chair comes through again with a beer from Surly.  This time around it’s there version of a American Brown Ale.  Folks this isn’t your usual American Brown Ale either.  I’m loving Surly for their take on different styles.  This beer has a ton of taste to it.  It had me wanting more.  If you ever check the bottom of each review, you’ll see I like to put a little section that states what the company says about the beer.  Usually I can’t agree with everything they say, it’s usally my lack of expertise in finding a lot of flavors in certain beers but their description of this beer is right on.  To a tee.

Surly Bender pours a very dark brown with a frothy large head.  Now honestly when I poured this beer I didn’t know what kind of beer it was.  It looks like a stout or porter.  The smells it gives off reminds me of some stouts.  Oats, coffee, chocolate, vanilla, a nice kick of hops.  You pretty much get the same with the taste.  It’s a great mixture of all the ingredients I listed for the smell.  I got more of the caramel that the brewery mentions in the taste than I did in the smell.  It also comes together very nicely.  I really like the little kick of hops also.  It’s not huge.  It’s more of a tease.  The mouthfeel is light to medium.  It has a little bit of roughness to it.

I was very surprised when I went to the computer and found out this was actually a Brown Ale.  Pleasantly surprised.  These guys make a Coffee Bender that I must get my hands on one of these days.

Found: Beer Trade!
Price: No Idea
Website: http://www.surlybrewing.com/
What the company says: Here’s what happens when substance meets smooth. This oatmeal brown ale defies traditional categories. Bender begins crisp and lightly hoppy, complemented by the velvety sleekness oats deliver. Belgian and British malts usher in cascades of cocoa, coffee, caramel and hints of vanilla and cream. An easy-drinking ale with many layers of satisfaction.
ABV%: 5.10%
Other beers to try from this brewery: Surly Furious, Surly Cynic
Other beers to try within the same style:Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron, Voodoo Brewing Wynona’s Big Brown Ale
Rating: B+

Now sadly I think this is the first review that I have ever given a n/a too.  Reason being is that this is a beer that my girlfriend got me while she was in Chicago last week.  Basically I said to her, you see anything that says Three Floyd’s on it, please pick it up.  She came home with a Stout, Porter, and this beer.  Which ends up being an IPA.  Now the sad part is, this beer is over 8 months old.  This beer is far from fresh and you can definitely tell.  Does no one buy beer in Chicago?  You can read earlier review from Matt.

What I got from this beer was a beer that was just missing basically all the hops it had ever had.  I got some caramel malt in both the smell and taste as well as a sweet taste of tropical fruits and grapefruit.  Otherwise the beer had nothing else to it.  It really felt like it was missing other stuff.  It was a little bland.  Matt states in his review that this beer also had some herbs and spices in it.  I didn’t get any of that at all.  Shame really.  Sounds like a different kind of IPA.  The mouthfeel is light and juicy.  Goes down very easy.

Anyone else have this one?  Let me know what you thought.  I just hope my other two Three Floyd beers stayed ok.

Found: A store in Chicago
Price: Around 10 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.threefloyds.com/
What the company says: Nothing on the site about it.
ABV%: 7.0%
Other beers to try from this brewery:Three Floyds Alpha King Pale Ale, Three Floyds Alpha Kong
Other beers to try within the same style: Surly Furious, Ballest Point Big Eye IPA
Rating: n/a

Once again I have to thank Aaron over at the Captains Chair for a fantastic beer.  We’ve done a few beer trades in the past (I feel like I got the better end of the deal both times so I owe him!)  This time around I’m drinking an IPA from Surly named Furious.  If you don’t know Surly by now here’s a couple of facts.  They can most of their lineup.  I say most because they do bottle the godly nectar that is Darkness.  They are out of Minnesota.  And last but not least but more importantly, they make damn fine beer!  Oh and one last thing, this brew is currently sitting on the Top 100 on BA.

Furious pours a dark amber color with a nice huge fluffy head.  Head has good retention.  This one leaves a ton of lacing on the glass as you drink it.  This brew uses 4 different hops.  But what I got most out of the smell is what I thought was Simcoe (god I hope Simcoe is even in this beer, otherwise I’ll feel like a dumbass =)  I also got a nice bit of toffee, caramel, and citrus.  A really nice smell.

In the taste you get a nice bit of bitterness.  Not overly bitter.  This beer is actually 99 IBUs and you would think it would be more bitter but it’s not.  Again I got Simcoe hops from the taste.  A really nice taste.  Also really nice mixture of toffee and caramel malt.  It also comes together nicely.  Mouthfeel is smooth, crisp and medium bodied.  Great IPA.  I could easily drink a six pack of this stuff.  It’s just that good.  Thanks again Aaron!

Found: Beer Trade!
Price: No Idea!
Website: http://www.surlybrewing.com/
What the company says: A tempest on the tongue, or a moment of pure hop bliss? Brewed with a dazzling blend of American hops and Scottish malt, this crimson-hued ale delivers waves of citrus, pine and caramel-toffee. For those who favor flavor, Furious has the hop-fire your taste buds have been screeching for.
ABV%: 6.20%
Other beers to try from this brewery: Surly Darkness, Surly Bender
Other beers to try within the same style: Green Flash West Coast IPA, Oskar Blues Gordon
Rating: A-

Before I get started with this review, just a few things.

I’ve had this beer for months now.  For some reason I’ve been putting off drinking it.  I think I was waiting for a special occasion.  I thought about drinking it on Christmas night but that never happen.  For some reason I just kept on holding off.  Yesterday I got a call from my mom.  A lot of the viewers here don’t know that my mom was diagnosed with brain cancer about 6 months ago.  It wasn’t just any brain cancer (no cancer is good of course) it was a grade 4 tumor.  The worst you can get.  After reading about how bleak this cancer is, it changes your aspect on life.  Well yesterday I got the call from her letting me know that she is now in remission.  The cancer is going away.  I felt like this is the occasion I was waiting for.  As I took my first sip I toasted my mom and her battle against one of the worse things in the world.

Secondly thanks to Aaron from The Captains Chair for trading me this beer.  Thanks for standing out in the cold state of Minnesota and thinking of me.  Thanks for allowing me to try a truly rare beer.  Cheers.

Now on to the review of possibly the best beer I have ever laid my lips on.  When I say that I really do mean it.  Darkness is just on another level.  It’s really hard to explain.  First off what is Darkness.  Darkness is a Russian Imperial Stout from a brewery named Surly.  Surly is known for releasing their beer in cans and let me tell you their stuff is just fantastic.  Never believe the hype that good beer can’t come in cans.  Once a year they release Darkness on a day called Darkness Day.  Last year it just happen to fall on my birthday, October 25th.  Go figure!  People line up very early at the brewery to get their hands on this brew.  I think last year they allowed 6 to 8 bottles a person.  Aaron was nice enough to pick one up for it.  This brew is rare, beer traders all over the US want a bottle of this stuff.  I believe it also comes in tap form but no matter what, once it’s gone, it’s gone until next year.

Darkness pours like no other beer I’ve ever seen.  It’s very dark with light brown highlights as you pour.  Just like other stouts out there, but the head on this beer is the creamiest, biggest, and smoothest head you will ever lay your eyes on.  It just looked so damn good I couldn’t wait to dive in.  The aroma of this beer is second to none.  First thing you’ll notice is cocoa.  It’s the biggest part of the smell.  It’s up front and just says hello here I am.  You’ll also notice smokiness, coffee, toffee, molasses, dark fruits, a little bit of floral hops, and a tad bit of alcohol.  So much is going on here.  But so much is going right here.  The smell is just fantastic.  It’s just sweet, rich, deep.  It’s a overload of goodness.

As I dove into my first sip, the first thing you notice is just how creamy, smooth, and thick this beer is.  It just goes down your throat.  The taste is huge.  You will not find this kind of taste in other Russian Imperial Stouts.  None that I’ve had to chance to try.  Cocoa is up front again.  Molasses, roasted malt, cherries, raisins, coffee, smokey flavor, and a nice big hit of alcohol that warms you up.  The taste is just unbelievable.  The texture of this beer is just beautiful.  Lacing everywhere.  Smoothest and maybe the thickest beer I’ve tried.  Drinking this beer was an experience.  Nothing out there like it.  I’m glad I got to try it.  I’m also glad it’s only available once in a year because it’s such a damn treat and if I drank it all the time I might go into a diabetic shock.  To bad most people out there won’t be able to try it.  If you get a chance to, sell a kidney if you have to.  It’s worth it =) 

Found: Beer Trade
Price: No idea (Priceless to me)
Website: http://www.surlybrewing.com/
What the company says: Nothing on their site about it.  They were updating the beers page.
ABV%: 10.30%
Other beers to try from this brewery: Surly Bender, Surly Furious
Other beers to try within the same style:Great Divide Yeti, Oskar Blues Ten Fidy
Rating: A++