Imperial Brown Eye
Surly Brewing Company

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From:
Surly Brewing Company
 
Minnesota, United States
Style:
American Brown Ale
ABV:
8.5%
Score:
92
Avg:
4.36 | pDev: 9.17%
Reviews:
5
Ratings:
11
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jun 07, 2013
Added:
Jun 21, 2010
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
Huge brown ale fermented with Belgian yeast and aged in second use Bourbon Barrels.
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Ratings by motorhed:
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Rated by motorhed from Minnesota

4/5  rDev -8.3%

Apr 15, 2012
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.25 by MNPikey from Minnesota

Jun 07, 2013
 
Rated: 4.5 by millelacsmark from Minnesota

Apr 10, 2013
 
Rated: 5 by hoeg0015 from Minnesota

Nov 14, 2011
 
Rated: 5 by Yulles from Minnesota

Nov 14, 2011
 
Rated: 4 by SourNotes from Minnesota

Nov 14, 2011
Photo of feloniousmonk
Reviewed by feloniousmonk from Minnesota

4.2/5  rDev -3.7%
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!
Mar 10, 2011
Photo of Penguin3200
Reviewed by Penguin3200 from Minnesota

4.65/5  rDev +6.7%
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!
Mar 02, 2011
Photo of evanlarkin
Reviewed by evanlarkin from District of Columbia

3.62/5  rDev -17%
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.
Feb 07, 2011
Photo of kbutler1
Reviewed by kbutler1 from Minnesota

4.3/5  rDev -1.4%
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.
Aug 20, 2010
Photo of mothman
Reviewed by mothman from Minnesota

4.42/5  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.
Jun 21, 2010
Imperial Brown Eye from Surly Brewing Company
Beer rating: 92 out of 100 with 11 ratings