Abrasive Ale - Surly Brewing Company

freewheelinbob

Minnesota

4.97/5  rDev +10%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

On cask at 3 Squares in Maple Grove.

Deserves a full review, and I'll give it when I get my notes out, but for now a 250 word comment must suffice...

just wow. I've enjoyed it in cans before, but it was pretty special from a cask. Right up there with CBS and Surly Moe's Firkin Bender as the best beers I've ever had.

Serving type: cask

01-21-2012 04:44:45 | More by freewheelinbob

sita3081

Minnesota

4.68/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Definitely my favorite beer. Similar taste to Hopslam minus the rich honey/citrus. This one kicks you in the mouth with the amount of Hops. Slightly bitter when you first taste it but a very smooth finish. Recommend trying this one in-season, as it seems to go stale fairly quickly.

Serving type: can

05-09-2013 20:57:01 | More by sita3081

rboinski

California

4.54/5  rDev +0.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

16 oz can pored into a La Fin Du Monde Tulip

Appearance: A light copper color in appearance with a strong off-white head (for this ABV). Retains well.

Smell: Piney, resinous hops upfront with a touch of citrus, especially grapefruit. The resin notes dominate at this point, but I remember my first can having more citrus notes, so it is probably the age taking some away.

Taste: The taste is a nice pine bomb up front which is well balanced by the malt. This is not syrupy or sweet like some DIPAs, it is a hop showcase. A little grapefruit on the finish but at this point, as with the smell, it is mostly piney/resinous.

Mouthfeel: Superb. The head on this is really spectacular. Microbubble awesome foamy head that is one of the most stand out parts of this DIPA. I love this!

Overall: Awesome DIPA. I was not a fan of other Surly offerings, but this one really earns it's reputation. I am looking forward to getting more of it next year!

Serving type: can

05-08-2013 02:09:19 | More by rboinski

da_beers

Vermont

4.5/5  rDev -0.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

I have definitely been on a DIPA kick lately, and was very excited to try this one.
A - Pours a hazy orange, great two/three fingers of head that dissipates somewhat quickly, great lacing.

S - Sweet resiny smell. Some earthy notes in there for sure, a little pineyness. Light hop smell relatively, also has some hints of tropical fruit towards the end of the nose.

T - A punchy wave of flavors blast the palate. Bitter earth tones, pine, and citrus notes all dance around. Taste was on point.

M - Changes flavor across the palate. Good carbonation, aftertaste somewhat lingers, but in a good way.

O - Great beer, leaves me wanting to try all the other Surly brews! This is a DIPA that I could have multiples of.

Serving type: can

05-08-2013 01:34:48 | More by da_beers

Rizalini

Nevada

4.76/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Received as an extra from jeremy6566, and poured from the can into my Deschutes tulip...

A - Pours a very hazy, speckeley golden yellow with a creamy 3 finger ivory colored head. A nice ring of lacing is left behind when it fades.

S - Woah! The smell fills the room as soon as I pop the can. Great citrus smells of lemon zest, and some trpical fruits like mango and papaya. One of the best smelling DIPAs I've ever smelled.

T/M - The taste really matches the smell nicely! Great juicy tropical fruits on the front, a nice caramel malt middle, and a fresh lemon zest back. Really great hop bitterness aftertaste (which I love!). Medium mouthfeel, great carbonation.

O - This is the perfect example of what a DIPA should be. Mouthfeel isn't too light, hops take center stage, great resinous aftertaste. Great great great all around. If I could get this in Vegas, I would stock up a healthy suply. But I can't, so a huge thanks to jeremy for hooking me up with this gem. Cheers to you bro!

Serving type: can

05-04-2013 04:35:35 | More by Rizalini

SPLITGRIN

Kentucky

4.64/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

One pint can poured into my Duvel glass. A rich golden honey body has a consistent haze to it. I get only about one inch of head that fades in just a couple of minutes. Head is a soft beige in color. Only edges of lace are left behind. Nose is full of orange rind and marmalade. Softly fragrant but very nice. With first sip I am really taken by how dry this beer is. Based on the nose I was really expecting something a little more citrus based and maybe a bit sweater. Not that I am complaining but the nose threw me off. The hop profile is nicely bitter and extremely dry. There is a twinge of lemon zest on the on the back end of the palate. This beer is not heavy at all and would go wonderfully with some stinky blue cheese. Dryness lingers on the mouthfeel but is just wonderful. A very nice break from all the more sweet IPAs out there lately.

Serving type: can

05-02-2013 00:39:14 | More by SPLITGRIN

JMScowcroft

Vermont

4.61/5  rDev +2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Surly Brewing Company - Abrasive Ale

I have beer trading to thank for this one and a few other Surly brews.

Look - Slightly hazy but mostly clear bubbly golden. Nice frothy head. Lacing abound.

Smell - Intense deep resinous hop bomb with malt overtones. Beast mode!

Taste - Pucker blast of hops. Resiny, piney, citrus, the whole shebang. Malt heavy as well but it lines up quite well.

Mouthfeel - Super hop citrus feel rests, the initial resin blast fades. Not too boozy. Good drinkability.

Overall - Phenomenal contender with the rest of the DIPA crew. This brew is for serious hop heads. Others are likely to cringe or cry.

Serving type: can

05-01-2013 11:23:43 | More by JMScowcroft

lunarbrew

Wisconsin

4.44/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Beer pours light golden with 1.5 fingers of foamy head which is dying pretty quick. Not outstanding retention, but pretty good. The lacing is also relatively sticky.

Smell is very pleasant. Piney, floral, and grapefruity citrus. It's a big smell, but not the biggest Ive ever had.

Wonderful flavor. Rich, medium sweetness, and complex. Notes of pine, grapefruit peel, resin. The flavor is very earthy. Definitely high bitterness, but somehow easily manageable.

Medium-low carbonation with medium-low MF. Very resinous feel after each sip. A puckering dryness coats the mouth.

I like this beer a lot. It definitely strikes the chords as "abrasive." I tend to like a little sweeter and brighter IIPAs, but nonetheless I have to hand it to Surly. They hit their intended mark with this beer right on the head.

Serving type: can

04-28-2013 21:58:56 | More by lunarbrew

Teleweizen2

New Jersey

4.53/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.75

Surly abrasive

A - pours a fairly cloudy marigold color into a big bulb wine glass. Looks like a hazy round sun on a clear day. Around a fingers worth of pearly white foam on top which quickly dissipates.

S - the nose is thick, sticky, piny and dank. Resinous. Sort of like the sap stuck on pine needles or pollen on flowers. And lots of tropical fruit. Delicate notes of pineapple, mango, passion fruit and meyer lemon.

T - at first blush there is a honey malt character. Which almost immediately gets dominated by notes of snappy bitter citrus and resin. Notes of pine. Tropical fruit adds to the sweet honey malt flavors. The finish is sweet with hints of fruit and pine.

M - interesting texture. The beer seems crisp because of the intense hop character but its actually on the creamy side. Medium bodied with high tight bubbled carbonation.

O - an excellent ale. Just one of the finest dipas i have ever had the pleasure of trying.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2013 01:36:10 | More by Teleweizen2

cw577enfield

Virginia

4.76/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

Muchas Gracias to Yamar68 for this wonderful beer!

S: When I opened this car, the first thing I got is that intense citrus and hoppy smell! After taking my time to savor the aroma of it, I could begin to pick up some honey from it. Great balance to it via my olfactory system!

T: Definitely a hop-forward taste...could begin to taste some of that honey, pine, and grapefruit. It continues to overwhelm my taste buds while they're screaming for more....bitterness taste comes through at the end and left me yearning for more when I'm done with it.

M: Medium body, and none of that malt-tasting that you would get from other DIPAs. Sorta of light taste but still come through with its punch in the mouth. Somewhat similar to Hopslam but the bitterness flavor takes over that and start to feel balanced at the end.

O: Wow, this is one of most under-hyped beers and I'm glad folks keep it that way...for now. I can see why it continues to receive 100% score from people and it's right up at the top...even better than Hopslam at the elite level. It's all about the citrus and bitterness flavor. If you prefer a malt-forward or sorta "barleywine" DIPA, don't waste your time trying this beer. Okay, do try this beer if you haven't done so because it has the power to convert you! Kudos to Surly Brewing Company.

Serving type: can

04-24-2013 23:46:00 | More by cw577enfield

vette2006c5r

Wisconsin

5/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Abrasive Ale pours a hazy and cloudy copper color, with a large white lacing head. There is a strong floral aroma, with hints of citrus. The taste is sublime, strong floral hops, hints of citrus. Such a full and complete flavor, yet sooo drinkable. Overall all I can say is WOW.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2013 01:58:26 | More by vette2006c5r

mechamifune

North Carolina

4.26/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Pours a nice golden/straw color with a big fluffy white head. Healthy carbonation. Looks inviting enough.

Smell is big citrus upfront, and a lingering smell that I can't fully define. It's pleasant, but I can't quite put my finger on it. Big picture though, this is a whole lot of citrus, very in your face, and I love it.

Taste is all sorts of hops and citrus upfront. No real malt presence to speak of. The name of the beer aside, it doesn't come across as hard to drink despite the big flavor notes. Finishes with a good bit of bitterness but nothing astringent. Complex? Not really, but if you are looking for a big hop/citrus bomb, this is it.

Moutfeel is about right for the style. Resiny, a little syrupy, but ultimately enough carbonation to give a nice sense or body and drink smoothly.

Overall this is a well made hop bomb of a beer. If that's your thing, this beer is worth a shot. In the realm of Pliny's, Hopslams, Heady Toppers, Pure Hoppiness and the like, does this beer hold up? It's in the conversation, but ultimately I couldn't say i'd put this beer ahead of any of those (my old ratings aside)... but if its a step down from those it is a very minor one. In the end, there is something to be said for a beer that delivers exactly what it promises.

Serving type: can

04-12-2013 02:26:51 | More by mechamifune

claspada

New Jersey

4.21/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Canned 02-28-13, sampled 04-12-13.

Pours a clear, dark golden yellow color with a medium sized off-white head of bubbly foam that had decent head retention which subsided to leave some thick, sticky, rings of lacing on the glass.

Aromas begin with super tropical fruits combined with lesser grapefruit and pine hops. There is a mild sweetish, candy malt backbone but really not much worth mentioning even as it warms.

The tastes begin with the lightly sweet, toasted maltiness immediately overcome by astrigent grapefruit and complementary tropical fruity hops. There are some lesser spicy and dank pine hops in the background

The mouthfeel is medium bodied with medium carbonation. Finish is mainly dry and bitter but by no means "abrasive" as the label indicates.

Overall I enjoyed this but sadly not as much as it's lighter cousin Furious. I don't think over a month is a death sentence for a DIPA but maybe a fresher example would have yielded a more impressive aroma. While this is a world class example of the style, I still found the price point a bit high. The flavor profile is super amazing, but nothing that hasn't been done before. With all the new hop styles available it seems you need to reinvent yourself to be continuously impressive to induce repeat purchases. If it was easier to get I would probably purchase again but for close to half the cost, Furious is more drinkable and sessionable and probably easier to get on the daily.

Serving type: can

04-11-2013 22:51:24 | More by claspada

Stevedore

Wisconsin

4.66/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

16oz tallboy canned 3/4/2013, poured into a Bell's tulip glass and quaffed today 4/8/13 after my beloved Wolverines lost in the national title game.

Aroma: As soon as I popped the can, I got hit in the face with tropical fruit, citrus and pine. Very hard to miss and extremely dense nose. That could be from the can's small opening, but still, as soon as it was all in the glass, it was still very strong. There is also some honey and bready sweetness in the background. Very excellent hopforward nose. (5)

Colour: Beautiful, hazy amber body with a thick, dense 3cm white head that stays for a minute or two before dissipating into a persistent thin white film and thick white collar. The lacing is sticking all over the glass such that by the end, there are tons of it. Really good looking beer that makes me smile and want to drink it. (5)

Flavour: Really good stuff. I get a lot of the pine hopforwardness up front that quickly transitions to a honeyed, bready sweetness and then that gets overcome by citrus bitterness remniscent of grapefruit and some ripe oranges leaving me with a clean, dry and very bitter finish. Definitely not a balanced DIPA as its extremely hopforward, I suppose I'd call it abrasive if my palate weren't attuned to DIPAs, but I certainly prefer a little bit more balance to it. I get no heat at all, which contributes to its quaffability. (4.25)

Mouthfeel: Outstanding. A medium body, very resinous and dry. The carbonation is fantastic- its resinous but fizzes like crazy on my tongue. A true pleasure to quaff. The aftertaste is a very citrusy, pineapply bitter one that definitely wrecks my palate. I'm pretty damn sure I'm not going to taste anything if I drink another beer after this. When it comes to a hopforward DIPA, this is the one to rule them all. (5)

Overall: I see what all the hype is about. This is a really smooth drinking, hopforward double IPA that lives up to its name. It definitely hides its 9% ABV very well and is a delectable gobletful of citrus, tropical fruit and pine bitterness. If you're a huge hophead, this is a fantastic example of a beer you'll give all 5's to. For me, I think it could be a little bit more malty to back up the hops and it'd meet my preferences for a more balanced DIPA that I've come to love- such as Pliny the Elder and this year's Hopslam- both of which are on the sweeter side to go along with their hopforwardness. Nevertheless, I'm going to call it a 5 because I thoroughly enjoyed drinking this beer and would definitely get it every year as long as I live near Minnesota. (5)

Serving type: can

04-09-2013 04:25:21 | More by Stevedore

StonedTrippin

Colorado

4.23/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

finally, an abrasive in my glass! been reading about this one forever, so nice to finally get the chance to indulge. and an indulgence this is! pours a sleek reddish orange color with some haze and a couple inches of impenetrable white head. the nose is way way more fruity than I anticipated, super juice fresh squeezed hop complexion, with some pine and definitely an acidic citrus element, but I get a lot more berry and even passionfruit in this. some lighter American 2 row and caramel malts round it out. the flavor is more tropical than deciduous in the fruit department, but still pungently fruity. bitterness doesn't even come in until the finish, which makes this a really unique double ipa. the alcohol is almost entirely invisible until the beer warms up, and even then isn't punishing by any stretch. the mouthfeel is the weakest link, not bad, but a little more malt body might balance this out little better. I feel like it needs a bigger platform to stand out. carbonation is right on though, and it makes the grapefruit and other citrus hops characters come out a little more. id love to know what hops are used in this, its really different. Maybe not the most perfect example of the style out there, but you don't get to be a 100 on BA in this category by accident. Worthy of my anticipation, this is a stellar beer. I can still name a handful of others id draft higher, but this is awesome!

Serving type: can

04-08-2013 18:31:29 | More by StonedTrippin

argock

Virginia

4.31/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a 16oz tallboy can into an oversized wineglass. Canned on date of 030413 on bottom of can. SIngle pruchased by my brother Greg from a Minneapolis area bottle shop for $4.

A: Amber-orange with rocky, 2-finger off-white big-bubbled head with decent retention and several layers of lacing.

S: The hop aroma jumps from the glass, detectable from 2-3 feet or so. Mango, pineapple, and passionfruit, a tropical fruit punch like aroma without the sugary sweetness. There is some grapefruit, pine, and resin too, but the fruity aromas win out. The malt component is pretty bland and background, as it shoudl be with a little bit of crackery malt character.

T: The flavor is a hair below the aroma in quality, but not enough to knock it down to the next score. The fruity hops assault continues with lashing pineapple, mango, pine, and grapefruit. The bitterness is more than I would have imagined and sneaks up on you throughout the can with a more resiney quality that grows to almost take over the flavor profile by the end. The malt component is again fairly simple with some light grain and cracker notes. I don't get any yeast character. The bitterness level is high.

M: The attenuation on this beer is so high, it drink too light to me -- there should be a little bit of lush malt body to match up, otherwise the bitterness and resiney qualities, which I like but with some balance, tend to take over. I think Abrasive pushes it without missing, but I would love to see a little more body -- it comes off a near-watery at points. The carbonation is understandably medium, but maybe it should even be a little lower to keep any astringency from poking through.

O: I really liked Surly Abrasive ale and was psyched to get a chance to try it. I don't think it is quite as good as some of the top-shelf, hop-forward DIPAs like PtE (which while dry still has some malt slickness to it), Hopslam (also dry from the honey but still with more heft than Abrasive), or Maharaja (which has come off as a little sweet in the past but was great this year). If they ramped up the mouthfeel a tad to give a little more body, this would be a top 10 DIPA. Still a great beer and definitely worth seeking out.

Serving type: can

04-08-2013 02:35:52 | More by argock

DaftCaskBC

British Columbia (Canada)

3.23/5  rDev -28.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3

Generously shared by Rutager.

A: Cloudy amber liquid with 1/2" white head.

S: Smells like a combination of rank body odor, garlic and onions.

T: Like it smells: body odor, garlic and onions as well as earthy hop flavours.

M: Medium to thin viscosity and a medium level of carbonation.

O: I really dislike CTZ hops and I have a palate that picks up off flavours with beers that are heavily hopped with CTZ which is why I disliked this beer so much.

Serving type: can

04-08-2013 01:13:52 | More by DaftCaskBC

xmorgan

California

4.2/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 1

This is a very tasty west coast type IPA, I found it a very tasty beer. I enjoyed using the can for beer can chicken and unless I can find this beer on tap I will only use it when making a very hoppy beer can chicken and drink the left over of the 4 pack.

The appearance was first rate with a nice lacing when poured from the can into a glass.

The smell had a significant hoppyness and was as flowery as one would expect from a Great Douple IPA, however great IPAs are not from a can.

The taste was full and hppy and was as good as one would expect from a beer from a can.

I rate this beer a 5 in all catogories exept overall as it is in a can.

No amount of plastic lining in a can can compensate for a bottled beer.

I really want to like this beer and the brewery, but I can get as good or better beers in glass. I know cans are better for recycling, but anything is better in glass then cans. I would pay more for glass then cans, and craft beer is best in a bottle or a keg. NEVER a can.

Serving type: can

04-05-2013 04:34:03 | More by xmorgan

MCain04

Illinois

4.46/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

From a trade with StPaulSuds, thanks for the fresh 4pack brotha. Canned exactly 1 month ago, poured into an oversized Mikasa Tulip glass.

A: Hazy orange body with a thick, creamy 2+ finger head of creamsicle color, awesome retention and lacing.

S: Very aromatic, nice blend of a sweet malty backing with a hop medley that is mostly tropical fruits, mango, and peaches, with some citrus and a touch of pine.

T: Quite bitter from start to finish with a lingering bitterness on the aftertaste. Could have a little more hop flavor to it. You can tell theres a large malt backbone but it doesn't suffer from being overly sweet. Easy-drinking and hides the alcohol very well.

M: Definitely a high point with this brew. Into elite category with a medium to full body and creamy mouthfeel that makes each sip close to perfect.

O: Definitely an elite DIPA, and especially for the bitter-seekers. The mouthfeel makes it for me, it could be near perfect if the hop flavor was more present in the taste as it is in the nose. Definitely enjoyed though.

Serving type: can

04-04-2013 18:41:07 | More by MCain04

Andrew61923

Connecticut

4.69/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

My last can from my trading partner and I'm sad to see it go. Canned 1/17/13. Poured into Duvel tulip.

A: Pours a golden orange with a finger's worth of white head that takes its time dissipating into a thin halo with some superficial film on top. Nothing groundbreaking, but certainly solid.

S: Holy citrus. A ton of grapefruit and tropical fruits. This is one of my favorite smelling beers ever.

T: The taste mirrors the aroma. For a hoppy beer that's 75 days old, this has retained many of its original qualities. Fantastic.

M: There is no way I'd be able to pick up on the 9% ABV if I hadn't looked at the can first. Unbelievably drinkable and the delicious hoppiness lingers, inviting the drinker to have sip after sip.

O: On my Untappd check-in, I said "I will miss this beer" and it's true. I've had a few different offerings from Surly and have enjoyed them all, but Abrasive is definitely my favorite. Would love to try it on tap someday. Drink it if you can.

Serving type: can

04-04-2013 00:22:53 | More by Andrew61923

AndyP612

Illinois

5/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

On tap served in a pint from The Blue Door Pub reviewed from notes.

A- Nice fluffy one finger worth of head that lingered long. Great lacing and retention.

S- Hops bite your nose with citrus and tropical fruit hints.

T- Follows as the nose leads with citrus fruit punch and lingering pineapple and grapefruit.

M- Lacks the syrupy feeling common in DIPA/IIPAs and not overly thick. Finishes very dry an attribute I love in the abrasive when compared to others brewed under the same manner.

O- I wrote in my notes "Perfect" but this was not my first pint on this particular occasion but still rings pretty true. I love this ale. The bitterness hide the reasonably high abv Abrasive offers which needs to be taken into account since after only one or two is plenty for the consumer. The fact that this particular establishment served the Abrasive in pints and not smaller pours also could get people into trouble. Cheers.

Serving type: on-tap

04-03-2013 22:09:45 | More by AndyP612

Rutager

British Columbia (Canada)

4.59/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

A huge thank you to Steasy66 for this loooong time want.

Appearance. Pours a clear gold with a little amber and a half finger of white head that leaves some decent lacing.

Smell. Big fresh yellow grapefruits, some other mixed citrus and a little tropical fruit. Smells like my kind of IPA!

Taste. Grapefruits and tropical fruits, much more than the smell. There's some decent toasty caramel malt backing it up and some nice big bitterness in the finish but still fairly smooth all around.

Mouthfeel. Medium+ body, medium carbonation.

Overall. A fine DIPA with everything you could ask for. Very tasty. Thanks again, Ryan!

Serving type: can

03-30-2013 04:19:24 | More by Rutager

MNishCT77

District of Columbia

4.98/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5

On-tap at Pizzeria Paradiso DuPont Circle, unknown brew date, poured into a snifter glass, drank 3/28/13 over ~one hour.

A: 5 -bright orange, impressive clarity (considering the pungent hop aroma), soft vertical bubbles and legs, one finger frothy white head that resolves into subtle glass lacing;

S: 5 - BOOM!: like vaporized grapefruit pouring out of the glass; I love you Citra Jane

T: 5- BOOM2: please find a better tasting imperial IPA; the luscious grapefruit looms and lingers with every sip and even improves on warming

M: 4.75 - Bueller, booze? Bueller, booze? none at 9+%, tight carbonation and lingering flavors

O: 5 - BOOM3: this is the best imperial IPA in the world to my palate and satisfies all that I look for in a double IPA, but, in keeping with the Surly theme, they brew the kind of beers that you never knew you wanted until you tasted it; for me, this is better than Pliny the Younger, Heady Topper et al., welcome to your new favorite big DIPA

Serving type: on-tap

03-28-2013 23:40:20 | More by MNishCT77

vic21234

Illinois

4.68/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

16oz can poured into a snifter. No bottled on date listed.

A- Pours a clear light orange color with a good finger and a half worth of a white colored head. The head slowly fades to some froth hanging on the sides of the glass.

S- This beer smells awesome. Immediately upon popping the can I got hit with hop aroma. Grapefruit, citrus and pine dominate the smell.

T- The smells carries over into the taste. The most prevalent hop presence is the piney resin taste. There is some slight citrus/mango/grapefruit, but the pine notes seem to dominate. Not much of a malt presence here, just hop domination.

M- Well carbonated, medium bodied, hoppy and bitter with a very dry finish. The alcohol is well masked and this one is rather refreshing.

Great DIPA from Surly, and very easy drinking.

Serving type: can

03-28-2013 22:40:10 | More by vic21234

aefbjo

Bahamas

4.88/5  rDev +8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Can brought to me from my mom in Minneapolis.

This beer pours a beautiful amber golden color that is perfectly translucent with a smallish head but plenty of carbonation.

The aroma is super strong hoppy. Tons and tons of piney aromas with biscuity notes of course. Not saying anything that hasn't been said. This is one of the finest smelling hoppy beers I've had, though.

The taste is all hops; there is just enough malt to see this insane amount of hops through. The flavors are pine, pine, pine, with that little biscuit. In a good way. This is hop heaven. I can't identify specific hop characteristics too well, but this to me is on the piney side instead of the floral side. There is a great sweet note that comes through from the grains, which is strong and full-bodied, but doesn't dominate. One of the most amazing-tasting beers I've ever had.

The feel comes in just perfectly. Perfectly clear and not too heavy. Totally drinkable for the style and strength. Amazing clarity for how huge of a beer it is. This beer has the flavor and body of a Dreadnaught or Arctic Panzer Wolf without the ABV (or price). I could drink one of these and be happy (thankfully I have 8 of them).

I'd say this is up there with any DIPA I've had. If you're in Minnesota and this is available fresh, grab it whatever the price.

Serving type: can

03-28-2013 06:57:56 | More by aefbjo