Mild - Surly Brewing Company

blackenmn

Minnesota

3.98/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

Served into a pint glass via cask:

Appearance:Served a light brown/amber with a very dense creamy head with plenty of retention. Not the most appealing color in the world but the head made up for that.

Smell:Smelled of caramel, citrus, and definite cinnamon like spice on the nose. Light and pleasing.

Taste:Tasted of caramel, sweetened coffee, and light citrusy hop bitterness. There was enough going un to make this alot more enjoyable than I expected.

Mouthfeel:Pretty light bodied brew, almost watery. Light with a bit of creaminess probably due to taking in the foamy head which stuck around on this until the glass was empty.

Drinkability:Extremely drinkable. I could definitely enjoy a few of these on cask. Plenty of subtle character to this. Sweeter and thinner than I expected. Happy to have it on cask, not sure I'd enjoy this as much at much cooler of a temp.

Serving type: cask

04-18-2010 18:53:14 | More by blackenmn

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

4.15/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On draft during the Surly event at Churchkey in D.C. Review from notes.

The beer is a dark, mahogany brown color with hints of auburn when held to the light. The nose brings caramel malt and roast. Bready and light. This is terrific beer. A fine example of the style, and what a session beer can be. Light bodied and creamy with moderate carbonation. Silky smooth on the palate. I would definitely have this again.

Serving type: on-tap

06-06-2012 23:04:05 | More by Huhzubendah

minnesotaryan

Minnesota

4.35/5  rDev +11%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Pizzeria Lola. Poured into a pint glass, nice deep mahogany, slight reddish hue at the bottom, abundant cream head and killer lacing.

Nicely sweet malt, cocoa nibs and slight orange.

Rich chocolate malts, light a chocolatier Bender. Cereal, chocolate pudding. Wonderfully sweet.

Smooth, perhaps a little on the thick side, but not by much.

So good, so smooth, so much flavor for such a low abv!

Serving type: on-tap

04-03-2012 02:14:40 | More by minnesotaryan

gatornation

Minnesota

3.88/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

on tap @ Buster's

A- pours a clear light mahogany color with a small tan head that settles to a whispy collar

S- roasted malts , toffee

T-followed the nose with hints of coffee and chocalate, some vanilla and burnt meats

M- was thin with low carbonation had a nice roasted flavor that made you want another sip

O- crisp and yet watered down but a brew that you just wanted to drink more of

Serving type: on-tap

03-31-2012 15:34:52 | More by gatornation

drabmuh

Maryland

4/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

At the time of this review, this is the #1 beer on the "Top Beers - English Dark Mild Ale" list on beeradvocate.com, on tap at Churchkey.

Beer is brown, dark, mostly clear with a thin tan head of small bubbles, no lacing, low carbonation.

Aroma is mildly roasty, a little nutty.

Beer is thin in body and a little ashy at the end, mildly bitter from the grains, overall an easy drinking decent beer but it is not my favorite mild.

Serving type: on-tap

03-21-2012 15:19:11 | More by drabmuh

JackieTH

Minnesota

4.03/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Old Chicago in Plymouth.  Toffee malt nose, pleasant all the way. A hint of roasty elements. Taste is subtly chocolate, fully caramel taste and light roasted malt. Bittering hops keep palate light and clean, very malty, yet light and refreshing. Darn
Good.

Serving type: on-tap

03-21-2012 04:46:58 | More by JackieTH

starrdogg

District of Columbia

4.23/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at ChurchKey.

Pours a dark brown/nearly black with a pretty big fluffy tan head. The smell is nice and roasty with some caramel malts also factoring in. The flavor really nails it: it really toes the line between roasty and flavorful and being sessionable and refreshing - just how a dark mild should taste. Mouthfeel is somewhat thin-bodied, but that suits the style just fine. I'm a big fan of dark milds and this really is one of the best out there.

Serving type: on-tap

03-19-2012 15:14:58 | More by starrdogg

Thorpe429

Illinois

4.38/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Churchkey during the Surly 10-tap event for Omar's visit to DC. Served in a goblet.

Pours a very dark brown, bordering on black. There was a good tan head and some nice lacing on the way down. The nose brought some roasted malt and a bit of coffee. Good integration that gets even better in the flavor. Packed with beautiful malt notes, especially considering the low abv. Light-medium body with a slight bit of chewiness and nice carbonation. Overall, a really excellent beer.

Serving type: on-tap

03-14-2012 13:21:16 | More by Thorpe429

craytonic

District of Columbia

3.48/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Draft at Churchkey DC

Appearance: brown pour with decent head and lacing

Smell: toasted malt, breat and biscuits.

Taste: Similar to the aroma, although a bit sharp and chocolatey. Slightly watery

Mouthfeel: thin, not much substance here

Overall: not particularly impressive, although nice it is 4.20%. Would potentially be better on cask.

Serving type: on-tap

03-14-2012 02:45:22 | More by craytonic

smakawhat

Maryland

4.1/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured on tap into a small snifter at Churchkey DC.

Looks like a simple pot of coffee was poured for me, A faint coffee brown head, falls pretty easiliy, leaving a good tan collar. Body is brown ale looking with red hues very see through and light sans the dark color.

Woah what's that smell! Just charring ripping pan roasting gravy and carbon I mean KARBON and malt dry grain. Toasty bread, light, airy. Give it up for the milds man! Scrape that pan it smells so good!

Taste brings that pan gravy and blackened char and husk. As like a mild so incredibly light bodied, but like a good one full of flavor that doesn't take away from the palate. There's some woody splintered action here, and even some faint mellow hop pine on the swallow, and even borderline "crisp".

So light and refreshing, so blackened dark and evil, I want to make gravy. Really dam good and fun, I feel like I could just pound this beer all day!

Serving type: on-tap

03-14-2012 00:37:58 | More by smakawhat

mdfb79

New York

4.2/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

From 03/12/12 notes. Had this on tap at Churchkey in Washington, DC at their Surly event.

a - Pours a dark mahogany brown color with one inch of light tan head and moderate carbonation evident. No lacing or real retention.

s - Smells of roasted malts, bready malts, caramel malts, nuts, toffee, and light chocolate malts. Pretty nice.

t - Tastes of roasted malts, bready malts, cream, caramel malts, chocolate, vanilla, and burnt malts. Again, pretty nice.

m - Light to medium body and low to moderate carbonation. Super smooth and creamy, insanely easy to drink. Perfect mouthfeel.

o - Overall I thought this was a realy good beer. Lots of malts and super easy to drink; would love it if they canned this one. Would love to have it again.

Serving type: on-tap

03-13-2012 23:11:18 | More by mdfb79

brentk56

North Carolina

4.03/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Arrives with a cola brown color and an impressive cap that leaves a lot of lace behind

Smell: Caramel, chocolate, tobacco and a bit of citrus

Taste: Caramel and roasty notes, up front, with a nice earthy hop middle; tobacco, after the swallow, that lingers into the finish

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation

Overall: Love low ABV beers that are packed with flavor and this is no exception

Serving type: on-tap

03-06-2012 01:51:51 | More by brentk56

tewaris

Minnesota

4.15/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Garnet to brown colored with a good creamy light brown head. Very good head retention and lacing... better than what I was expecting. Aroma is dominated by dark malts and some coffee notes, with caramel/toffee only in the background.

Taste is... very similar to Bender? Except for the hop profile which takes a back seat here. Light malt backbone with ample dose of specialty malts... a good kick of roast without the tartness that comes along with it. Finishes dry with a long roasty aftertaste.

Good carbonation and good mouthfeel... I haven't had any other mild before but knowing Surly I don't expect it to be "true-to-style". However, the fact remains that it's a very good beer and an excellent low alcohol option. The taste rivals bigger brown ales and this beer is almost a junior stout.

Very easy to have a few... I can't recall the last time I had five pints of the same beer in the same sitting!

Serving type: on-tap

02-21-2012 06:35:57 | More by tewaris

MattyG85

Minnesota

4.4/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Brit's Pub in Minneapolis, MN. Served in a classic English pub glass.

Appearance: A very Dark brown with some ruby red and copper color. Solid two fingers of creamy off white head with decent retention and lots of lacing around the glass.

Smell: A fairly sweet and dark aroma of roasted malts with hints of caramel, toffee, chocolate, nuts, spice, oat, and a little citrus orange. Also some herbal hops in the mix. A pretty balanced aroma.

Taste: Roasty and somewhat sweet. Roasted caramel malts with good notes of toffee, nuts, oat, citrus orange, and a little rye like spice. Finishes with some nicely bitter and spicy earthy hops. Good balance of malts and hops. Tastes kind of like a more roasty version of Surly's Surlyfest.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a moderate level of carbonation. Creamy and finishes fairly dry. Pretty rich feel for a smaller beer.

Overall: A very good take on the English Dark Mild. Pretty full flavored and hearty for a lower abv beer. Fairly easy to drink but not exactly a session ale to me. A very good beer overall.

Serving type: on-tap

02-14-2012 21:37:19 | More by MattyG85

KarlHungus

Minnesota

4.03/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at The Bulldog in Minneapolis. This beer arrives a dark brown color. The head is an inch in height, and recedes slowly leaving nice lacing on the sides of the glass. The aroma is of milk chocolate, and burnt malt. The taste is a nice balance of chocolate, burnt malt, and roasted malt with a dry finish. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with a smooth texture, and moderate carbonation. Overall, this is a nice example of the mild style. I would really like to try this on cask as I think its true colors would come through more from that serving type.

Serving type: on-tap

02-09-2012 19:38:11 | More by KarlHungus

ChopperSmith

Minnesota

3.73/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from tap at Brit's Pub in Minneapolis into a standard clear pint glass.

Appearance: Pours a clear dark amber with thin white foam that faded fast and left minimal lacing.

Smell: Sweet malts, toffee, caramel with a little hops underneath. Has a good welcoming smell.

Taste: All about the darker malts with this one. Slightly sweet with big malty and biscuit flavors. Some brown sugar and caramel in the mix, as well as a little hops bite for balance. A good hearty malt flavor to this one.

Feel: Light to medium body with soft carbonation. Finishes smooth and a bit dry.

Overall: Good flavors with a low ABV makes this a great session beer. A good interpretation of the style. The extra hops flavors balance the big malts and make it a great easy-drinking brew.

Serving type: on-tap

02-02-2012 16:38:08 | More by ChopperSmith

plfahey

Minnesota

3.88/5  rDev -1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Grumpy's in Roseville, 3/24/11.

Appearance-Dark Brown with garnet highlights. Brilliant clarity. Modest off-white head with good retention.

Aroma-Malt-light coffee roast, toasted bread crusts, hint of chocolate, and light oaty aroma. Very faint earthy spicy hops. Some secondary biscuit and bread notes as well.

Flavor-Malt palate similar to the aroma-light roast, coffee, faint chocolate, and bread crusts. A little bit of acrid malt in the finish along with medium low earthy hop flavors. Finish is dry from low hop bitterness and acidic roast.

Mouthfeel-Medium light body with moderate carbonation. Not bad, but a little thin-this would probably be excellent on cask.

Not bad, but like I said, a little thin on the palate. Milds were meant to be served from a cask, and this beer would certainly benefit from that treatment. Nonetheless, quite drinkable and at 4% alcohol, this is a pint you could stick with all night.

Serving type: on-tap

03-24-2011 22:54:32 | More by plfahey

bsp77

Minnesota

4.1/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Serving glass: Poured from tap into pint.

Appearance: Very dark mahogany with thin off-white head.

Smell: Chocolate, coffee, smoke and caramel.

Taste: Espresso, chocolate, nuts, smoke and caramel. Fairly dry despite the relative lack of hops.

Feel: Moderate carbonation, light body, very dry finish.

Overall: Extremely drinkable and a decent amount of flavor and complexity. Brewers should make more beers like this. Damn you Omar and Todd, can this now!

Serving type: on-tap

03-20-2011 22:22:51 | More by bsp77

IgneousROX

Minnesota

2.25/5  rDev -42.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 1 | overall: 2

The palate and finish of this ale are poor. Extremely thin, watery and flat. Flavor does not match the nose (which isn't too bad - chocolate, coffee, roasts) and wrecks the experience. Not a great product from a respected brewer. Pales in comparison quality wise to the rest of the Surly offerings. I realize it's intended as a different beast but let's be blunt and honest - if you tasted this blind you would not reach for it again. Meek would be a better name.

Serving type: on-tap

03-02-2011 03:59:40 | More by IgneousROX

rye726

Colorado

4.03/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Up for review is Surly Brewing Company's example of an English Mild. Poured cold into a pint glass. Nice Mild, just lacks the intricacies found in the finer Milds found over the pond. But a very nice session beer. Go get some, try it out for yourself.

Serving type: on-tap

02-22-2011 03:28:18 | More by rye726

evanlarkin

District of Columbia

3.95/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance:
Dark, brown on the edges. If there was any significant head, I missed it (was sitting away from the bar, and they made sure I had a full pint).

Aroma:
Malty, not super sweet, but a nice smell. Roasted barley for sure, and maybe some dryish smelling caramel?

Taste:
Not too sweet, not too dry. a little toasty. No real hops, but very malty.

Mouthfeel: Medium body and heavy.

Drinkability: Good, but I don't know if it should be considered a session beer. I could see myself drinking way more Furious, though Mild would probably be a better decision as far as the ABV goes. A great high-taste, low alcohol sipper for a designated driver.

Serving type: on-tap

02-07-2011 03:47:35 | More by evanlarkin

kbutler1

Minnesota

4.1/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Draft. Served at Cafe 28 on 1/31/11 for the celebration of 5 years of business. Poured into a snifter a darker caramel brown color with a nice 2 finger tan head, at first I thought I had been given Bender but the aroma/look soon made me realize I was given the correct beer. Not sure why I thought this was going to have a lighter look to it. The aroma is more pungent than I would have expected with a light roast coffee and chocolate nose. Medium/Light mouthfeel. Very robust flavor with the roast and coffee notes, some mild bitterness as well. Very flavorful and enjoyable. I really wish this was one that they did all year round.

Serving type: on-tap

02-01-2011 15:13:06 | More by kbutler1

fear025

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +14.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 3 | overall: 5

On tap at the Bavarian Lodge, Lisle, IL.

Aroma:Nicely malty and dark.

Appearance:Brown in color, ok head.

Taste:Tons of dark malts, caramel, chocolate, coffee. This tastes hugely malty.

Mouthfeel:Medium body, good carbonation.

Drinkability:Fantastic tasting beer, refreshing and flavorful. As a homebrewer, I find this beer reminiscent of prefermented wort.

Serving type: on-tap

08-15-2010 05:26:11 | More by fear025

homebrew311

Illinois

4.15/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Had this on draft at Durty Nellies.

A: pours a dark clear brown, with a thin creamy head, some retention, no lacing

S: nose is roasted malts, reminds me of a dry stout with a large presence of roasted barley, some notes of toffee and caramel as well

T: very clean and refreshing palate with toffee, coffee, and caramel. Lots of flavor while at the same time being quite refreshing.

MF: creamy, smooth,

D: this is the definition of a sessionable beer. Tons of flavor with out the huge abv or caloric intake. I wish there were more of this style around.

Serving type: on-tap

05-07-2010 23:00:19 | More by homebrew311

nbeattie

Minnesota

3.95/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Beer is fairly drinkable and does have a dark, coffee-like malt base. It does seem slightly watery but that helps it be drinkable past the first beer. Despite the flavor however, it is NOT brewed with coffee at all says Surly's own Omar. It makes for a good chance of pace beer if you're looking to switch from most of Surly's other stronger beers.

Serving type: on-tap

04-14-2010 00:23:27 | More by nbeattie