Hell - Surly Brewing Company

WYVYRN527

Minnesota

4.33/5  rDev +11%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Just arrived today, so I picked up a 4-pack.

A: Pale golden color with a quick-settling white head. Carbonation is fine, with small bubbles. Alot more clear than I would normally suspect from an unfiltered lager.

S: Malty at first, with hints of rising bread dough, grass, and caramel, but followed with crisp floral hop presence.

T: Malt is present at first, with biscuity, grassy notes. I wasn't expecting the hop profile I got from this beer. Floral, slightly fruity, and incredibly crisp. It's very clean and almost perfectly balanced.

M: Hell is a medium bodied brew, and it's contents stay on the palate for a good amount of time.

D: This is yet another unique brew from Omar and the guys. It's excellent, and I wish they would have brewed more of it. Definitely a great session brew.

Serving type: can

08-28-2009 03:33:05 | More by WYVYRN527

hardy008

Minnesota

4.1/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I found a 4 pack of Surly Hell at my local liquor store. It was not on the shelf or in the cooler. You have to ask to get it. I like that idea. It gives more people a chance to try it.

Pours a pale gold color with a small white head with decent retention. Smells of grain malt and bitter hops. There is some sweetness from the malt, some bread flavors, with the hops having some bitterness, but not strong bitterness. Good flavor to this one. A great lawnmower beer.

Medium bodied and medium carbonation. This beer is well made and very drinkable.

Serving type: can

08-28-2009 01:54:39 | More by hardy008

CHSLBrew

Minnesota

4.2/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

16 oz. can poured into an imperial pint glass.

A-Solid yellow-colored brew, quite clear. Big, bright-white head rose off the pour, which reduced rather quickly to a thin, sparse layer.

S-Spicy hops, floral. Some dryish, bready and grainy malt.

T-Aggressive floral, perfumy hop flavors take control, allowing specks of grainy, bready malt through here and there. Firm bitterness opposite a dry, malty finish.

M-Medium-high carbonation, playful while allowing the flavors to come through. Moderate body makes this one an easy drinker.

D-Highly drinkable. Tasty, an accessible example of the style, while still slightly pushing the boundary in typical Surly fashion.

Serving type: can

08-27-2009 16:51:28 | More by CHSLBrew

garymuchow

Minnesota

4.55/5  rDev +16.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Oh Hell. Let's give 'er a go.
Gee, what do ya' know, a Surly beer that's hopped up. Nicely of course and really probably in the in the end rather balanced, but hopped up nonetheless. It's the first impression.
Pretty darn clear, if it's to be considered a keller bier. Brilliant I'd say. Full very white head that is as loud as they come. A piercing golden yellow.
Quite a grainy aroma with the hops actually rather subdued in this one area. Pretty straight-forward and uncomplicated.
Good malt flavors on this one, high in grain quality and holding a bread like flavor. Bitterness starts slow and build gradually, yet eventually rather fully by the time the extended flavorful finish comes around with a tongue penetrating dryness. Nice hop flavors show forth, but not in every drink, and of a highly distinctive style. Noted on the can as American hops, but I'm unclear via flavor profile as to what they may be. Tasty anyhow.
Nice light body without being watery (how do you do that?). Excellently carbonated with just enough fullness, but not too much and the finest of fine bubbles. Exquisite.
This is an exceptional summer lager, made in right here in good old MN. So fresh. So tasty. So nicely balanced. So damn good.

Serving type: can

08-27-2009 02:08:15 | More by garymuchow

gatornation

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

went to my local store to buy a 4-pak of furious and what do i see helll in 4-paks on the shelf i did not think surly was canning this? of course i bought a 4-pak of a style that is not my favorite but this is surly ok..it pours a golden yellow with a really fresh head it smells of noble hops and sweet malts really smooth the taste is the same its a good version of the style bready and malty with a smooth hop bite..this is not a hop bomb but a good entry for 1st time surly drinkers..i wont buy this very often but will recommend trying because it is tops in its style.

Serving type: can

08-26-2009 21:55:25 | More by gatornation

Tballz420

Minnesota

4.28/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

I guess Surly did a limited release of this in cans, and I snagged a pack of cans before the Firkins sold out in 2 hours.

Very clear light gold body, small white head tops it off. Sweet pils malts dominate the nose, some grassy notes as well. Very sweet taste, bready and grassy. Bit of bitter hops rounds it out. Pretty lively on the tongue, wet and thin mouth. Quite a tasty brew, wish they would keep it around

Serving type: can

08-26-2009 03:44:08 | More by Tballz420

jjanega08

Minnesota

3.95/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

A= pours a translucent yellow color slightly darker than your average american macro lager with a large billowing white head that falls fast and just sits on the top of the beer in a very thin sheet.
S= lots of grainy malt in it. There's also a hop front on it. Sort of a stinky german smell too. I enjoy the odor just for the odd stink that it has.
T= really sort of plain for a beer from surly. Clean as hell. It says the hops take the back seat on the can which I don't find to be true. I think the hops over throw the sweet grain while the sweet grain is still present. Not bad but not amazing either.
M= low carbonation and smooth finish.
D= very high. This is a surly beer for everyone. Really nothing special about it and sort of rediculous due to the hype that surrounded the release. I would prolly not buy it again if it came out regularly just because its so plain for the price. Still a good beer though.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2009 18:15:13 | More by jjanega08

bsp77

Minnesota

4.1/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Serving glass: Poured from can into Frankfurter glass.

Appearance: Bright, clear gold with billowing foamy head. Certainly doesn't look unfiltered.

Smell: Somehow smells both sweet and dry at the same time. Light semi-sweet fruits (apple, pear) and doughy bread. Despite these notes, it leaves my nose feeling dried out.

Taste: Certainly tastes unfiltered. Packs more of a malt punch than expected for such a low abv pale lager. Nice rounded flavors consisting of apple, pear, hay and bread dough. Slight noble hops detected at the end.

Feel: Pretty high carbonation, smooth clean body that is light but heavier and softer than a Pils. Dry finish.

Drinkability: Endless.

This August, Surly and Summit both released an unassuming German beer style and hit home runs with their Helles/Zwickel and Kolsch, respectively. I want to face them off against each other to see which is better. I really don't know who would win. While Surly did a fantastic job here, I have to commend Summit for standing up to Surly's challenge to the Minnesota craft beer scene.

Serving type: can

08-25-2009 00:50:06 | More by bsp77

Buebie

Minnesota

4.25/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

With all the hype and glory surrounding this beer, I couldnt pass it up. I'm not big on this style, but I'm confident Surly will represent it well. My before thoughts....I'm afraid I wont like it, which would be a travesty to the Surly Nation. I'm not a fan of the style, I keep telling myself, as not to get my hopes up.
I walked into Heritage with another person leaving, arms filled with cans of hell he'd just purchased. I was told there was a line at Firkins and Zipp's waiting for hell to arrive. I did not have to wait in a line, my Hell sat there cold and plenty of it.

So, without further delay, lets review this beer and quite procrastinating already.

Poured from a 16 oz can into a pub glass. Although recommended for a mug, I couldn't bring myself to drink this from one.
2 inches of white froth builds off the pour. Somewhat slow to recede, leaving a thin cap and nice collar of retention.
Bits of sticky white lace clings to the glass where the head once was. Beyond that, lace is thin and spotty. The color is a darker straw yellow, semi transparent with a bit of chill haze.

The aroma on this is much different then any lager similar to this. Its not filled with corn, dust or fillers. Its smells much more fresh, much more natural. No metallic scents, or aroma's that have turned me off to the pilsners and lagers before.
Aroma is somwhat sweet, with hints of apples, a snap of lemon rind, grassy hops. Hops are not really bursting at the seems either, they are there, yet they are not.
Grain aroma is cereal like with hints at sweetness.

Taking the fist sip also brings me into unknown territory. There is actually flavor here. I have said I do not like the lagered pils style, because there is no flavor, no mouthfeel, just carbonation bite. This is different, mouthfeel does exist. It ist creamy by any means, but there is a fuller bodied feel here. Carbonation is laid back giving way to a good welcoming feel for this brew.

Taste is also present, who'd a thunk it?
A touch of sweet malt up front, with a touch of hops coming through the middle. Grassy, hay like and mildly bitter. This is what a lager should taste like. Lemon lime zest, although minimal, is still present into the linger after the swallow.
Its a lager, I keep telling myself, and yet I can taste it. Malt, aroma, mouthfeel, hops, everything I thought this would lack is all here.

Great brew Surly, you fooled me into liking lagers again.

Serving type: can

08-24-2009 19:01:48 | More by Buebie

younger35

Minnesota

4.1/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had a pint of this at Bavarian Lodge on Friday while enjoying some tasty ass potato pancakes. I went specifically to drink as much Coffee Bender as I could fit in my belly but thought I better start with this. Drank from a normal ol' pint glass.

Appearance- Pours a light yellowish orange with excellent clarity and a nice half finger bright white head. Lots of fizzy bubbles permeate throughout maintaining a nice cap and collar that leave some spotty lacing.
Smell- Has a very light grainy sweetness that seems par for the course. Very light floral aspect and soft fruity peach skin. Pretty much exactly what you'd expect a light lager to smell like, inoffensive and fairly neutral.
Taste- Much like the nose it's very crisp and clean. Lightly sweet and bready with a bit of raw graininess and malty bite. The hops do come into play with a grassy start and slightly (stress, slightly) citric finish. The slight bitterness continues into the finish with a some yeasty tones.
Mouthfeel- After seeing all the bubbles fizzing throughout the beer it's surprisingly lightly carbonated. Smooth and clean and super refreshing.
Drinkability- Great! Nice easy drinking lager that does manage to not be totally lame and bland. Nice and malty with the slightest kiss of hops that I really enjoyed. It was very drinkable and could easily be sessioned for hours and hours. Without getting crucified for blasphemy, this would be an EXCELLENT beer for Sunday morning bloody beers. Tasty football beer that accompanied my potato pancakes wonderfully.

Serving type: on-tap

11-10-2008 16:13:27 | More by younger35

Pitmonkey

Minnesota

4.5/5  rDev +15.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Hell? Hell yes!

That is damned good beer.

Kellerbier, Munich Helles, German light lager... whatever... this is what American lagers should be like.

Mine was surprisingly clear for an unfiltered beer, no haze and no floaties but the light wasn't the best so maybe there was a light haze I wasn't able to see. It looked yellow and clear to me. Head was thin but persisted on glass as the beer went down.

Primary smell was grain.

Taste was sweet and... you got it, grain, malt yum. Smooth, finishes with hints of bitterness at the corners of the tongue. Reminds me of a legendary local lager only better.

Lightly carbonated, light, refreshing but a lot of flavor and balance.

Did it knock me over with flavor? No, but I didn't really expect it to. It was malty, balanced and refreshing. I am sad that is likely the only glass I will get but I'm glad I searched 5 places for it.

Serving type: on-tap

09-18-2008 04:54:08 | More by Pitmonkey

thathockeyguy

Minnesota

3.5/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On tap at Grumpy's in Northeast Minneapolis

Appearance is a very nice hazy yellow with a thin white head.

Smell is sweet and grainy, not offensive, but not inviting either.

The taste is sweet and malty all the way through.

The mouthfeel is pleasant, good carbonation.

The drinkability of this beer is high. It is a beer that I would consider "lawnmower beer", meaning that it could be drank to quench thirst on a warm day or after a bit of vigorous activity. It is not a style of beer that I drink that often, but I will gladly recommend to fans of American lagers that are ready to try something different and more complex.

Serving type: on-tap

09-12-2008 23:19:50 | More by thathockeyguy

Duffman

Minnesota

4.13/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

On tap at Cafe Twenty Eight

Pours a wonderful golden hue with an almost orange touch to it. Looks brilliant with a nice head straight off. A nice fragrant bouquet of floral and fruity notes with a almost grassy overtone. Tastes wonderful. Peach and pear are predominant tones. A nice restrained bitterness from the hops and great flavor from the malted barley as well. Some sweet honeyed notes trickle in too. A nice mouthfeel, crisp and light but with a nice firmness to it. As others have noted before me it is ridiculously drinkable. You really could have this one all day and get in many pints before you even realized it. Wonderfully smooth and drinkable. A fantastic summer, or really anytime beer that is yet another hit from surly. I'll be sure to catch as much hell as I can before it's gone in not too long. Lovely.

Serving type: on-tap

08-29-2008 00:05:52 | More by Duffman

esch

Minnesota

4.43/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Brilliant clarity, dark straw color. Almost no head to speak of. 2mm compact off-white bubbles ring the glass.

S: Very grainy. Malt is dominant but still not overwhelming. Hints of hop aroma, honey-like... Some DMS.

T: Grainy-sweet. The first thing I think of is Honey Comb Cereal. Again, only the vaguest hop contribution. Malt sweetness is countered mid-palate by just enough bitterness to keep the malt in check. Finish is quite even, perfect balance of sweet and bitter; leaving the palate clean with the aftertaste of pils malts.

M: Medium body. A bit more than I expected. Medium carbonation. No alcohol heat, astringency or creaminess.

D/O: If Mild didn't, this should shut the Surly critics up pretty quickly. While it's not something I'd expect to see as a year-round, this is a knockout session lager. Proving once and for all that Omar, Todd and crew can produce solid beers from 100 IBU IPAs to century old German recipes.

Serving type: on-tap

08-28-2008 04:05:27 | More by esch

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

4.33/5  rDev +11%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

"Surly Hell is brewed in the style of a German Light Lager or Munich Helles. Pale Yellow in color, this unfiltered lager or "kellerbier" is brewed with Pilsen and Carahell malt, Opal hops and a German yeast strain. Delicate malt flavor finishing with a tart crispness. 15 IBU.

Hazy straw yellow, big, lovely white head...
Beautiful aromatics, floral, herbal,...a trifle grainy...but altogether pleasing.

to drink: bing: there's the smooth. Bang: there's the malt, and Boom:...there's no Boom...just the smooth and the malt, and some light hops, plus the deliciousness of the yeast.

Disclosure: To those who don't know already, I'm not a lager lover. Just not enough flavor. I'm partial to unfiltered brews, as well. Like Belgian ales, some German ales, certain Americans...like Surly...wait, Surly made a
German lager...and it's unfiltered? Sign me up...wait, I'm already drinking it...oh, okay...

I do like kellerbiers, when I find them. Can't think of one I haven't liked. Kep that yeast in, please! More flavor, por favor!

And here I am drinking Hell (a name I wish they'd saved for an abbey ale, or something, but I'm not charge, am I?)...and I am enjoying it. If this had zero yeast in it, I probably would report the doldrums by now, but there's just enough going on in the mouth to keep my tastebuds happy.

Drinking this sample from a tall Schneider Edel-Weisse glass. Seemed appropriate.


clean, yet fully flavored. You can hand this to a lager-lover and win them over, I think. Hey, it worked with me!

Serving type: on-tap

08-26-2008 00:50:19 | More by feloniousmonk