Hell - Surly Brewing Company

falloutsnow

Illinois

3.71/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

From: France44 dot com
Date: Canned on 2013-01-03
Glass: Ayinger willi glass

Note: about four months of age seems to bring out a stronger peach-like essence in this beer, at least from the 2013-01-03 canned batch.

Surly's helles lager is a fairly solid representation of the style, crisp, clean, malty, with slight American hopping-style influence. That being said, there isn't much that separates it from fresh versions of its German-created counterparts, and the difficulty in obtaining this and its relative price make it likely I won't seek it out again.

Pours a 1cm tall head of white bubbles, small to medium in size, and of average retention, lasting about a minute. Fades to a thin ring around the glass, with a few flecks of foam lingering atop the center of the beer. Lacing consists of a few spots adorning the innser sides of the glass, nothing very substantial. Body is a transparent orange-yellow color, fairly bright, with carbonation that is visible, but sparse and somewhat sluggish. Light brings out brighter yellow hues.

Aroma is of light, sweet, grainy malt, lager yeast, slightly grape-like and plenty doughy with hints of a mild fruit ester akin to orange peel mixed with cantalopue. WIth age (four months), the fruit ester becomes rather like the scent from a mild, ripe peach, adding that pleasant component to the beer.

The overall flavor of the beer is sweet, somewhat grainy and bread-like, with slight grassy and vegetative aspects, but a fairly interesting mix of yeast-mixed peach and honeydew melon-like esters, either from hops or generated by yeast. Tasting opens with a front palate that is grainy, bready, and slightly grape-like, moving on to a mid-palate that is grassy and vegetative, mingled with mild hints of grapefruit, peach, and honeydew melon. Back of palate features continued peach and honeydew, mild graininess, and bready brewer's yeast. Aftertaste of malt sweetness, yeast-flecked peach-like esters, and slight graininess.

The beer is medium bodied with carbonation that is of medium intensity and feels "big" on the tongue. This creates a fairly full mouthfeel with some foamy nuances. Closes semi-dry, with little residual stickiness on the palate.

Serving type: can

02-27-2013 00:02:19 | More by falloutsnow

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3.85/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from 16 oz can into pilsner glass.
A: Pours a clear pale yellow with high carbonation producing a 1/2 inch white bubbly head. Good retention.
S: Soft and sweet malt notes, toasted grains and bread, hint of pepper and funk...and something akin to 7UP.
T: Gently sweet malt, toasted grains, and soft citrus hops in the distant background.
M: Light body. Mild effervescence from the carbonation.
D: A solid example of style. A wonderfully sessionable brew.

Serving type: can

05-16-2013 03:28:58 | More by mwilbur