Coffee Bender - Surly Brewing Company

bashiba

Iowa

3.23/5  rDev -22.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured a deep clear shade of brown with bright clear cherry wood colored highlights and a thick tan head, some nice lacing.

The smell is that of very fresh ground coffee with hints of roasted malts creeping through.

The coffee flavors are very aggressive with a mix of slightly bitter coffee and dark roasted barley. There seems to be a strong level of bittering hops as well as it continues to get more bitter as I drink it in a very even and earthy sort of way, some light smoke and toffee flavors sort of come out as it warms has a touch of astringency as well.

The mouthfeel has a medium body and a bit of oily and resiny quality to it.

Very much a coffee beer, its not bad, but a big to heavy handed with the coffee for my taste.

Serving type: can

09-19-2011 21:24:29 | More by bashiba

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

3.18/5  rDev -24.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Had on tap at the OBF today. Was looking forward to this beer, so came armed with pencil and paper, and bought the full glass.

The beer pours a dark brown color with very good head retention and lacing. The nose on this beer is really impressive, with a huge aroma of (surprise, surprise) coffee. It really drowns out pretty much anything else.

On the palate this beer is a surprise. I appreciate the fact that the abv. is low, but the flavors on this beer are anything but impressive. The one dimensional flavors come across as light and disappointing, smacking of cheap coffee dumped into some boring brown ale. There's almost a grainiess/grittiness, from what tastes a bit like coffee grounds. I'm not the least bit impressed. A friend I was with made a very good comment I thought; noting that it tasted as if Surly used a very low grade of coffee making this beer. Texture is light and almost watery, and drinkability is unimpressive. You can tell the abv. is low, thankfully, but the flavors are so disjointed, it's really no fun drinking this beer. It really tastes like an uninspired brown ale with some cheap coffee grounds thrown in.

After drinking a can of furious last week, this beer more then any other was something I was looking forward to at the OBF. All the more reason it was the disappointment of the festival. Maybe it just didn't travel well from Minn. to Portland. Oh well...

Serving type: on-tap

07-26-2008 04:24:38 | More by johnmichaelsen

xpdrinker

Florida

3.18/5  rDev -24.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

16oz can poured into my Surly pint glass.

Pours a dark brown with reddish hue, more murky than Bender. Mocha pencil-thin head, not much lacing.

Aromas include empty metal coffee can, dry malt, mixed nuts, a bit leathery.

Light body, medium carbonation. Standard brown with extra roastiness, most of the coffee comes on the dry finish. Bitterness hangs out on the perimeter of the tongue. Slightly peppery.

Enjoyed it a bit more than regular Bender but still don't find anything about it that stands out. Balanced but not very complex. I'd like to try it again but wasn't extremely impressed this time around.

Serving type: can

12-15-2011 07:30:52 | More by xpdrinker

beerkittycat

Minnesota

3.15/5  rDev -24.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

From a can poured into a smaller tasting glass and shared with others. Appearance is a murky amber brown with a tan head. Decent lacing. Aroma smells awesome of freshly ground high-quality coffee and some citrus hops in the background. Taste was....a little disappointing compared to the aroma. First off was the thin mouthfeel which surprised me considering the line-up of big beers that Surly makes. The flavors were rather thin, too, and was dominated by the coffee with little malt or hop flavor to balance things out. Too much carbonation in this beer probably allowed the mouthfeel to seem a little thin. I'll try it again, but I've had much better coffee beers than this.

Serving type: can

01-29-2009 20:17:13 | More by beerkittycat

jrallen34

Illinois

3.15/5  rDev -24.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I drank this form the can into a chalice.

The beer is a very dark fown with about a finger and half of light tan head that fades way to quickly. The lacing is good. As the head fades it sticks to the sides like a shadow from the past.

The aroma is combination of wood and coffee, but despite these two normally dominating aromas the aroma overall is pretty light.

The taste is very light and somewhat disappointing because it is pretty flavorless. If it wasn't called coffee bender I wouldn't even think of coffee and be able to pick any out of it. To me its tastes like a light fun of the mill brown ale.

The mouthfeel is heavy and lasting but because of its blandness its not very drinkable, not because its filing but because its just bland.

Serving type: can

11-08-2009 03:17:43 | More by jrallen34

gatornation

Minnesota

3.15/5  rDev -24.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

pored very dark brown with thin beige ring with little head it did have some nice sticky lacing smell was all coffee and some vanilla some burnt malts..the taste was coffee first strong coffee it overwhelmed the bender with roasted somewhat bitter taste.. the malts and the hops could not be detected..overall i did not enjoy this one like say Peruvian morning it was not balanced between malt hops and coffee..ill stick to plain bender for my brown ale fix

Serving type: can

11-22-2009 01:12:21 | More by gatornation

n2185

North Carolina

3.15/5  rDev -24.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A: Pours a very dark brown with only hints of red coming through at the edges and a finger of light tan head. The head quickly recedes into a thin ring with little lacing.

S: Coffee dominates the nose. There are a sweet creaminess and some chocolate notes to it as well, but mostly coffee. As it warms, a slight nutty aroma comes out.

T: Robust coffee up front followed by some slight roasted malt characters. The finish has a nutty and lightly bitter character to it.

M: Medium body and carbonation, though the body has a slightly watery characteristic.

O: Overall, not a bad beer, but almost indistinguishable from a typical coffee stout. I pick up on a slight nuttiness in the finish, but that's about the only brown ale characteristic this beer has. You could put it in a lineup of coffee stouts and likely not be able to pick it out. As a brown ale, it's almost unrecognizable and as a coffee stout it doesn't really stand out from the pack.

Serving type: can

03-27-2011 02:49:00 | More by n2185

Roland45s

Virginia

3.15/5  rDev -24.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Surly compares to a starbucks iced coffee in a can, almost like one of the starbucks energy drinks. A very strong potent smell of coffee and beans, but a very weak beer. It's almost like a light beer with color additive. Overall I would drink it again b/c I am a coffee fan, but I truly believe the "coffee" added makes it like left over coffee from the pot in the afternoon.

Serving type: can

11-30-2012 00:22:40 | More by Roland45s

twelvsies

Maine

3.13/5  rDev -25.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

16oz can, courtesy of sonicdescent. Interesting beer. I should preface this by saying I usually like about 1/5 beers I try with coffee added. Call me a purist... Anyway - pours a robust brown color, edges of ruby. Not unlike the regular Bender, but I think it's a little lighter if that makes any sense at all and not as nice of a head. Nose is all coffee - really great clear coffee bean aroma. Unfortunately that's pretty much all I'm getting, besides a muted cry from the roasted malt trying to be heard. This is a tasty beer, I just find it a bit one-dimensional. If you like coffee beers, this will surely do the trick. I really like the coffee flavor I'm getting here but I just wish there was more to go along with it in this case. I had the regular Bender the other night and thought it was actually more full and more complex than this spiffed up version. Mouthfeel came across as a bit thin and watery, I don't know why. All in all this is a fine beer, it just might not be my thing. I've loved everything else I've tried from these guys so this beer was definitely worth the try, especially if coffee is your bag.

Serving type: can

05-05-2009 19:19:47 | More by twelvsies

IdrinkGas

Pennsylvania

3.1/5  rDev -26%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Poured from the can into a snifter.

A: Reminds me of water from a rusty pipe. Watery brown color.

S: Coffee in the nose but much less than I expected.

T:Burnt watered down coffee flavor. This is what I imagine artificially flavored coffee seltzer water to taste like.

M: A little high in carbonation. I would like this more if the carbonation was toned down slightly.

If I want a coffee beer I would chose a coffee stout instead of this. The brown ale and coffee just seems like an odd pairing to me. Not my cup of tea at all. The only beer from Surly that I have disliked thus far.

Serving type: can

03-08-2011 21:28:21 | More by IdrinkGas

TheGordianKnot

Tennessee

3.1/5  rDev -26%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Canned 3.11.11... Poured into goblet

A- Pours very dark brownish amber color with mahogany corners. Very large tan crema head, light, fluffy, stable... Incredible lacing

S- Very sweet burnt sugar and the obvious coffee aroma is present, but a bit dull and approaching stale. A bit tart as well that clashes with some chalkiness; almost like a tart cherry Tums...

T/M- A bit light in flavor. Tastes like weak diluted coffee without a strong base beer. Again that tartness shows up and I really feel like it shouldn't be there. I'm really not feeling this beer for first bit, but as it warmes a sweetness takes over and a little chocolate shows to bring me around. My final impression is a nice nutty chocolate brown ale with a touch of coffee. Fairly light on the tongue with moderate carbonation, would appreciate a bit heavier feel I think.

O- Decent. Not great as I had hopes for, but it did save face in the end. I look forward to trying regular Bender to get a better grasp on the base beer before trying this again

Serving type: can

06-23-2011 18:31:54 | More by TheGordianKnot

jegross2

Illinois

3.1/5  rDev -26%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Reviewing the Coffee Bender from Surly Brewing Company.
Score: 79

Canned 11/01/11, served in a pilsner glass (the only beer glass available), and and enjoyed 1/4/12.

Appearance: Pours three and a half fingers of foamy khaki-colored head (obviously exaggerated by the glass it was poured into) on top of a dark soda/caramel red/brown colored body that falls between transparent and translucent. Head settles into a half finger, leaving lots of sticky residue on the side of the glass. Good lacing. 4/5

Smell: Coffee and vanilla cream soda. Plenty of caramel aroma too. The aroma is a little fizzy, with the sugarier smells from the head of the beer "crackling" and "popping" such that they shot up my nose (akin to taking that first sip from a freshly poured Coke) when I got in too close for a smell. 3.5/5

Taste: My first impression was coffee up front that quickly turns into a caramel finish. Very malty middle (in fact, very malty overall), but not overly sweet. Hints of vanilla soda in the linger. As the beer layers, it becomes a more consistent coffee and caramel flavor throughout, including the finish. For a beer with a fizzy smell at pour, this beer tasted surprisingly flat. Did not detect any nuttiness. 3/5

Mouthfeel: Light-medium bodied with light-plus carbonation. Felt a little flat and much waterier than expected. Finish is slightly sweet and the mouthfeel kind of reminds me of a totally melted malt ball. 2.5/5

Overall: Perhaps I cannot adjudge this beer too harshly because it was slightly over 60 days old, but I was not overly impressed with the base beer (Surly Bender) either (though that one too was old -- I tried a "fresher" can recently, but that can had no carbonation). I guess this one could be a step up from Bender if fresh, but I honestly felt like Bender had more "freshness upside" to it. Alas, some have informed me that Bender and Coffee Bender are not particularly the type of beer to "rapidly age," unlike Surly Furious (which was much better fresh). I really do not know how to feel about this beer, other than I did not particularly enjoy my first experience with it. Both Bender and Coffee Bender looked and smelled much better than they tasted. If you are buying Surly beers right now, do yourself a favor and skip this one and buy some (more) Abrasive Ale for a few extra dollars

Recommendation: Worth trying, but not particularly worth seeking out -- at least not if its 60+ days old. Flavors are not too intense or too harsh to put off casual beer drinkers.

Pairings: Peanuts?

Cost: $11.99 for a four pack of 16 oz cans.

Serving type: can

01-05-2012 04:55:51 | More by jegross2

djmichaelk

Florida

2.98/5  rDev -28.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

16oz can into a perfect pint. Courtesy of pullen (thank you!).

A - Translucent brown, with a rocky one-finger head. Retention is poor, it's gone after a few seconds, and some lacing down the glass.

S - Nothing too special here. Very much the standard brown ale, with some stale coffee flavors on top. The coffee helps, but otherwise it's a bit underwhelming.

T - Well, hmph. I had very high expectations for this brew. What I'm getting instead is the standard roastiness from a brown, maybe a bit of toast and some nuttiness, but then completely blown out by the three-day-old stale coffee flavor in the finish. The base beer seems to taste pretty good, but that coffee is killing any subtlety or flavor. Disappointing.

M - Again, nothing special. Thin like a standard brown, high carbonation. Medium to dry finish.

D - For the most part, I could drink a ton of this based on the ABV. The problem is the aftertaste from the coffee. The staleness and bitterness of it just gets to me. Still maybe a bit above average, but only just.

O - This was a huge disappointment for me after having such high hopes for it. It's possible I just got an old can of it, so I'll be seeking this out again to give it another shot, and I'll come update this if there's any difference.

Serving type: can

09-04-2010 15:35:37 | More by djmichaelk

biglite351

Pennsylvania

2.98/5  rDev -28.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A - odd combination of brown and red. Tall creamy tan head that leaves spiderweb lacing.

S - very mild. Some coffee, malts and something mildly sweet. Actually it seems to have some "freezer burn" smell for some odd reason.

T - mild iced coffee flavor that increases in the after taste. A bit of q bitter hit, but not from the coffee.

M - light coating good tingle on top and sides of tongue.

D - maybe one, depending on the other choices.

Serving type: can

10-12-2010 21:22:38 | More by biglite351

AgentZero

Illinois

2.88/5  rDev -31.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A - Deep dark brown with a tan head. Quickly receeded leaving some nice lacing to look at.

S - Smells like burnt cocoa and wood. Almost reminds me of gin.

T - And the taste reminds me of gin, has that really woody taste to it. Definately get the roasted malts but I don't really taste any coffee in this at all. Too woody, don't care for it, and just not a whole lot going on.

M - Solid, medium bodied with some solid carbonation.

D - It's not hard to drink, but it's just not particularly pleasant either, not going to do much of this.

Serving type: can

11-09-2009 01:28:57 | More by AgentZero

Cresant

Kentucky

2.88/5  rDev -31.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured this 16 oz. can into a Sierra Nevada Hops glass. The modest head sat atop a murky brown body. It reminded me of really strong brewed tea that has sat too long. Not too pretty.

Smell was porter-like. Some raisin notes. No coffee aroma? Odd.

Taste was coffee. Sweet fruitiness, raisins. Tangy. Light brown sugar. Much more Brown Ale than Coffee.

Mouthfeel was thinner than expected. Mild carbonation. Not a favorite.

Serving type: can

04-02-2010 13:30:03 | More by Cresant

PatronWizard

California

2.83/5  rDev -32.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Shared by Mauerhan (getting really tired of typing that).

Pours a dark cola and super deep burgandy. Froths up a creamy half finger head. Nice looking.

Smells of straight coffee grounds. Reminds me of my grandparents roasting coffee in an old percolator over a fire at the river. I like coffee flavor but this may have pushed the boundary too far.

Tastes like old coffee. Trying to enjoy it. Fresh coffee now. Fresh coffee grounds.

Very dry and not very thick. Did I mention that it's dry as dirt?

Overall: they went too far with the coffee

Serving type: can

08-29-2009 20:14:10 | More by PatronWizard

CuriousMonk

Virginia

2.8/5  rDev -33.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

This is a great low ABV beer for coffee lovers. Unfortunately, I am not a coffee lover hence the low ranking here. Poured from fresh can into a tulip glass. Pours a dark brown body with a few reddish hues. Inch thick, dense and creamy, brown head that dissipates slowly and leaves a nice lacing. Aroma has lots of fresh coffee up front. When this warms up a bit, some nice roasts, caramels, and toffee brown malts come out. A light chocolate, nuts, and vanilla. Flavor is similar. Lots of fresh, espresso coffee with a nice, rich brown maltiness. Caramel, chocolate, roast, vanilla, some biscuit, and a light earth. Finishes dry and lightly bitter with lots of coffee and a nice earthy roast. Lengthy aftertaste following a medium, somewhat watery body at times and a moderate, creamy carbonation.

Serving type: can

04-18-2011 16:56:16 | More by CuriousMonk

craytonic

District of Columbia

2.8/5  rDev -33.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

On-tap at churchkey DC

Appearance: Dark amber-brown pour with some blood red tint; tan head with little lacing. Not entirely opaque.

Smell: Old coffee, sweet dark candy malts

Taste: Loads of thin, stale coffee and some residual sweetness

Mouthfeel: Way to thin

Overall: Too thin and too much coffee. I've had this in both a can and on draft and didn't enjoy it either time.

Serving type: on-tap

11-15-2011 02:25:38 | More by craytonic

badbeer

Iowa

2.78/5  rDev -33.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured out black with a nice head that retained well. Smell was of old coffee, maybe a little cream to the nose as well; wasn't good. Taste was full of old and not enjoyable coffee. Mouthfeel was medium bodied and medium carbonation levels. Drinkability is not good. I didn't even finish my first glass of it. Surly makes good beer, but this was disappointing. Give me the regular Bender.

Serving type: on-tap

12-28-2007 05:48:44 | More by badbeer

jmarsh123

Indiana

2.78/5  rDev -33.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Pours deep brown with a small tan head.

Smells of coffee obviously and some chocolate. Not bitter roasted coffee like I'm used to, but a smooth general aroma.

Lots of coffee flavors, but again not exactly like fresh roasted. It's kind of weird. A little earthy bitterness on the back end.

A little bit light on the mouthfeel with good carbonation.

Kind of weird and kind of a disappointment. I love Surly and I love coffee beers, but this one isn't for me. A little one note and kind of tastes like cheap coffee as opposed to something gourmet. I'll stick to the regular Bender.

Serving type: can

06-29-2012 19:55:04 | More by jmarsh123

johnnnniee

New Hampshire

2.73/5  rDev -34.8%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Received in trade from GPHarris, thanks for the opportunity! Pours a deep brown with garnet highlights when held to light. Tightly bubbled beige head shows moderate retention and lace. Smells like freshly ground coffee beans mostly. I try to find something else in the aroma but the coffee is overpowering my olfactory system. Taste really follows the aroma. Upfront I get bitter roasted coffee, midway through I get a hint of sugary sweetness (cream maybe?) finish is a long lingering acridic roasted coffee. Did I mention this tastes like coffee. Medium body and carbonation level, acridic bitter mouthfeel. I will preface this by saying I don't drink coffee. I enjoy some beer with coffee flavors or with coffee added, but this one is to far over the top for me. I can't find the beer underneath the coffee. One and done on this one.

Serving type: can

08-19-2011 01:45:36 | More by johnnnniee

harrymel

Washington

2.7/5  rDev -35.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Canned 25SEP11 A: dark brown with a transient finger or so of off tan foam which falls quickly to a scattered surface. excellent clarity and spotty lace. (2.5) S: Smells like breakfast coffee. Plain and black with the slightest hint of burnt nuts. Maybe a little bit of a cinnamon tone. (3) T: coffee is present, but seems stale. The beer itself seems a bit stale with a bit of soil and bitterness. Again, a hint of nuts. (2.5) M: Thin with moderate carb and a semi dry finish. Sadly, this so far has been the best part. (3.5) O: Not impressed with this offering. Like the regular version much better. (2.5)

Serving type: can

11-12-2011 06:55:58 | More by harrymel

zoolzoo

Connecticut

2.65/5  rDev -36.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

Surly Coffee Bender tastes strikingly similar to unsweetened iced coffee. Mission accomplished?

Firstly, I have to give Surly credit for infusing this beer with so much coffee flavor and aroma, pretty impressive. Unfortunately overall, I don't think the base beer can stand up to the beans. I cant really find many characteristics that are indicative to the brown ale buried under all of this coffee.

The aroma is pretty good actually. Ground coffee beans, slight bit of malt. I love the smell of coffee.

Taste is somewhat acidic, derivative of low quality, unsweetened coffee. Theres not enough malt to balance out the raw nuttiness - it needs to be a little sweeter and more well rounded. Goes down a little rough!

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2010 23:31:19 | More by zoolzoo

kojevergas

California

2.65/5  rDev -36.8%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Served on-draught at a bar in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Reviewed from notes. Serving vessel was a Surly Mug. Cost was $5.00 USD.

A: No real head at all. Solid black colour. Mildly appealing.

Sm: Coffee, mocha, and alcohol. A mild strength aroma.

T: Coffee, light chocolate and vanilla, and buried caramel. Not horribly complex, but balanced and decently built.

Mf: Smooth and wet. A bit too thick. Doesn't really suit the flavours; it should be coarse and dry.

Dr: Not really drinkable. More of a tame sipper, which is inexcusable at this low an ABV. I wouldn't have it again, but it's okay for the style. Coffee beer fanatics might be the only ones that will truly like this. Give me a Black Damnation II Mocha Bomb any day of the week, but leave this one be.

Serving type: on-tap

12-19-2011 03:35:01 | More by kojevergas