Imperial Brown Eye - Surly Brewing Company

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

4.22/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Muddy brown color, ruby tints behind and at sides, slight ring of dirty brown head.

Bourbon hits the nose first, sweet and powerful, lush malt looms beneath.

Taste: Yum, great big mess of richness, in malt and whiskey. There's a brown ale down here, toasted and roasted, then kicked up with a funky beat, twisted around with the barrel-aging.

This is a weird one. Strength really shows in it, big boned, intensely flavored, long, rich finish, great complexity. Very flavors, very deep, vanilla and cocoa coming through...dark rum. Very delicious. If a bit of a complicated muddle. So, it's not clean and smooth, so what, it's got what it takes.

Love to see Surly do things like this more often, on a limited basis. More! Less! More! Less!

Serving type: on-tap

03-10-2011 04:59:42 | More by feloniousmonk

Penguin3200

Minnesota

4.68/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Imperial brown eye was awesome last night. So glad I got to try this gem. Pours a dark brown with a thin head. Bourbon chocolate and coffee come through on the nose. Taste is boozy but balanced by the toasted barrel andalt that come through. Great light mouthfeel that reminded me of black biscuit. Great finish that just went on and on with caramel notes and bourbon. Great brew!

Serving type: on-tap

03-02-2011 02:06:41 | More by Penguin3200

evanlarkin

District of Columbia

3.58/5  rDev -18.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance:
Light brown, you can't see all the way through it but light does get through. Some head that fades quickly.

Aroma:
Sweetness and bourbon. Some vanilla possibly. Malts and more malts.

Taste:
Boozy spiciness and brown sugar flavors. Bourbon for sure.

Mouthfeel:
Sharp like a bourbon, light/medium body. Tingly and a lot of carbonation.

Drinkability:
Decent. It tastes alright, but it does have a whiskey feeling, and at a high ABV, it's somewhat self-limiting.

Serving type: on-tap

02-07-2011 03:56:01 | More by evanlarkin

kbutler1

Minnesota

4.33/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Draft. A very special treat served at the 2010 St. Paul Summer Beer Fest. Pours a dark brown with a nice tan collar around the glass. Very subtle bourbon notes in the nose along with chocolate and vanilla. The first sip is really nice. A mix of light bourbon, brown sugar, dark malts, and slight chocolate. Very smooth. This is by far an excellent brew and standout at the fest.

Serving type: on-tap

08-20-2010 16:29:12 | More by kbutler1

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

4.43/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had this special treat at St. Paul Summer Beer Fest. Went through at least 3 glasses of it.

Pours 1/2 finger of light tan head. Decent retention with light lace left. Color is a murky bark brown.

Aroma: Subtle bourbon notes, not very overpowering. Vanilla flavors. Sweet and rich. Well done.

Taste: Sweet bourbon, oak, vanilla, chocolate, lots of malts, and brown sugar. The bourbon really adds a nice layer to this brown ale as it doesn't completely take over the beer.

Mouthfeel: Smooth and creamy. Medium bodied with a good amount of carbonation. Ends clean and malty with some barrel notes.

Overall, a great brown ale. A good amount of barrel aging shows and doesn't overdo it. It is very drinkable and I wish the keg didn't run out so fast. Glad to have tried this one.

Serving type: on-tap

06-21-2010 18:38:02 | More by mothman