Five - Surly Brewing Company

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.9/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Sour aroma, dark bodied with substantial head. Very creamy for the style. very good drinkability for a sour. Brett and the blending are nicely done and result in a balanced creation. Cherry and oak flavours are understated. Thanks Pete for sharing another Surly gem.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2011 03:10:17 | More by northyorksammy

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.35/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Rich dark brown, very hazy and cloudy with a rich tan colored head. Excellent retention left behind thick coating side glass lace.

funky and sour, which were to be expected, however, letting this one warm up brought about all sorts of goodness. This one had to warm though to really let you appreciate all of the subtleties that were going on here. Rich notes of caramel and tart cherries, light notes of oak and woodsy like malts. Extremely complex here. The flavor was much more of the same, just absolutely decadent and delicious. Started out a nice rush of Brett funkiness in all of its glory, rich notes of fruit, cherries layered in on top of that with an almost toffee like flavor as the base

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2011 01:22:20 | More by mikesgroove

womencantsail

California

3.68/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to Greg for this one.

A: The beer pours a dark brown color with minimal off-white head formation.

S: A nice vinous aroma with plenty of dark fruit notes. There is a mild chocolate aroma, strong scent of raisins and perhaps cherries. A touch of vinegar, mostly balsamic, along with some oak.

T: Sort of vinegary, moreso than the aroma, anyway. Quite a bit of chocolate for a sour. Plenty of oak with a sort of prune-like flavor along with raisins and plums. A bit of straw and grass, just a light lemon zest flavor.

M: Medium bodied with medium carbonation.

O: For a brewery that doesn't really do sour beers, this was pretty decent. It was just a bit too...simple.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2011 22:01:22 | More by womencantsail

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -12%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to skinnyguy for sending a bottle of this out my way. Served in a wine glass the other night. Reviewed from notes.

Pours a moderate rusty brown with a decent-sized off-white head and a spattering of lacing on the way down. The nos is really quite mellow with a bit of red wine. Faint Brett presence as well alongside some light earthiness. Slight tannin and acidity come through in the nose. Medium body elevates the flavor and is one of the better aspects of this brew. Overall, I think this could be good, it just needs a little something extra and perhaps a bit more time.

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2011 11:50:49 | More by Thorpe429

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

4.43/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Surly Five. Five points in the pentagram, mystic talisman of satanic ministers, invoking demons and demigods to do evil bidding. I just knew the eventual imagery for this one, celebrating 5 years of Surliness, had to be Baphomet. "It Had to Be Baphomet." Sounds like a sitcom. or a broadway show. I want to see that.

So, this was made exactly like a Flanders Red. Brown ale and brettanomyces, aged in wine barrels, blended. But this comes out much darker than those. Called a "dark ale" on the label, perhaps in an effort to dodge associations with more famous "brown ales"?, …but looking at this final product, it is mighty dark.

Nearly black, this, with a slim head, currently a light, cola-tinted ring.

Aroma: black cherries, sourness, tart, slightly sweet, deep, and inviting. Beautiful. Lovely, lovely, lovely.

Taste: bam, fruit, bam, sour, bam, pucker. Not incredibly intense, not horribly palate-wrecking, just nice and sour, amply backed up by rich malt. Tanin-y, tart, puckering, gritty, earthy, with the feel of grape peels, of getting into the insides of stone fruit, licking the pith, getting rightfully intimate with the danker sides of darker fruits. Berries and cherries, grape and more, a potent sour kick, then smooths, mellows, and winds down delightfully.

once off the palate, it begs back in. Hey, that was good, let's have some more. Mmmm, yeah. Tangy, tasty, never-ending sour kick, starts in the front, moves to the back. Lays long in the palate, fades slowly.

This is a very mellow, approachable version of this style, ridiculously delicious. Sour flavor still kicks in, drops it's bombs on the palate, over and over, with rich malt holding down below. Hints of cocoa, chocolate, some bitter hops and funky acidity. Tangy kick never quits, cherry/currant flavor remains strong, sourness reigns supreme.

Serving type: on-tap

10-11-2011 06:42:56 | More by feloniousmonk

drabmuh

Maryland

4.22/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Sent to me by kbutler, the long awaited Surly Five. Unfortunatley for it, a B+ doesn't get you on the top American Wild Ale list.

Beer is darker than expected, quite dark, thin tan head, low retention low lacing.

Oaky, mildly acetic, mildly lactic throughout, interesting.

Beer is good, definitely an above average sour, effervescent on the palate, strong oakiness, nice brightness, creamy lactic, great finish. I really liked it.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2011 03:53:10 | More by drabmuh

Mora2000

Texas

3.8/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to BMan1113VR for sharing this bottle at bu11zeye's 10,000th tasting.

The beer pours a dark brown color with a tan head. The aroma is fairly straightforward. I get some tart cherries and toffee, with not too much else going on. The flavor is basically the same. The toffee and caramel notes stand out, but there are some tart cherries and oak thrown in for good measure. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2012 15:26:24 | More by Mora2000

MasterSki

Illinois

3.43/5  rDev -15.7%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle shared by Chris (spycow). Serve in a Surly Darkness glass.

A - A finger of tan foam settles to a thick collar, some patches of bubbles, and a few spots of lace. Opaque dark brown body.

S - Hmm...the taste has some intense funk to it, but it's unfortunately of the baby diaper, vomit, sweat, and medicinal variety. It mingles with vinous and sour cherry notes and roasted malts, and a mild amount of oak. I could swear there is other souring bacteria in addition to the brett.

T - Taste is more vinous, with tart grapes and other dark fruits, balsamic, and light chocolate. The stomach acid and slightly rancid note in the aroma is thankfully gone, but what's left is a pretty tame funky dark ale.

M - Medium-bodied with plenty of heft to support the listed 8.2% ABV. Lower carbonation, lightly tannic texture, no obvious alcohol, and a slightly dry finish.

D - Other than the puke-evoking aroma, this is a solid dark wild. For a first major attempt it's passable, but Surly has a long way to go to compete with the top tier of American wild ales. I'd try this again in a few months to see how it develops, but I probably wouldn't pay $17 for it again.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2011 00:18:45 | More by MasterSki

emerge077

Illinois

3.93/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Draft served in a small footed goblet.

Second time trying this, first time with a full pour. The color appears black at first, with a brown hint in the lower meniscus of the glass. Towards the last third of the glass, it's a reddish transparent copper color. Thin ring of froth around the edges, it didn't have much head to speak of.

Tart and vinous aroma, wet barrel and cherry skins.

Flavors are similar, black cherry, some tannic cherry skin bitterness, lightly oaky and toasty. Feels a bit thin, though there's an ample level of tartness to it, lending some acidity that carries it through. Finishes somewhat dry and clean. The flavor profile seems Flanders-inspired, which always hits a sweet spot for me. It was good and i'd have one again if the rare opportunity arose.

Serving type: on-tap

06-21-2012 21:33:35 | More by emerge077

mdfb79

New York

4.2/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

From 01/15/12 notes. Big thanks to Thorpe429 for sharing this one, been wanting to try it. Poured into a tulip.

a - Pours a dark brown color with one inch of off white head and moderate carbonation evident.

s - Smells of sour dark fruits, brett, roasted malts, wine, lacto, vinegar, some funk, and fruity malts. A nice mix of sour fruits and roasted notes, very nice nose.

t - Tastes of brett, roasted malts, sour dark fruits, vinegar, earthy notes, fruit malts, toasted malts. Not quite as funky or sour as the nose, but still very nice.

m - Medium body and moderate carbonation. Pretty easy to drink.

o - Overall a nice beer; kind of reminds me of a sour/bretty porter. I liked the nose quite a bit, though the taste wasn't as sour. Definitely worth trying and would like to try it again.

EDIT: Had this on tap at Churchkey on 3/12/12 at their Surly event and liked it even better, so bumped the overall up from a 4 to a 4.5. Was nice and sour and very easy to drink; would love to get a bottle of this.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2012 20:23:02 | More by mdfb79

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

2.43/5  rDev -40.3%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Pours a muddled brownish red burgandy, but a little darker than that description. No head. Aroma was weird. Sulpher and figs.

Taste was mildly sour and associated with vinegar, raisins, currants, figs, wood, but still muddled and less than impressive. Tartness is just muddled with all the other stuff. Gritty at times. Rarely has something I've had contained so much of a vinegary presence. This was like that recent bad Veritas but with carbonation (although still not as good as even Veritas 09).

More like an unintentional mild sour stout or something else, some roastiness and chocolate (very little) came through in the mouthfeel. What a conundrum this beer is. And don't forget, it also has a taste of Fonzie's jacket.

Cool bottle design. Other than that, don't believe the hype. I loves me some Surly and MPLS Town Hall, but come on homers, not everything is great from them, and this one is far from it.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2011 18:21:53 | More by Beerandraiderfan

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

3.88/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Cafe 28 today.

The beer pours a pretty dark brown color with good head retention and lacing. The nose is very impressive in this beer, showcasing considerable sour, chocolate, wine, vanilla and dark fruits. Frankly, in many ways the nose on this beer reminds me very much of the Cascade bourbonic plague. Unfortunately, this beer did not taste nearly as good as it smelled. There is considerable sour in the flavor profile, along with some underlying chocolate, brown sugar and wine. However, the flavors seemed muddled in this beer, with the sour clearly dominating the chocolate and wine I picked up on the nose. It's not bad, but it's not the sort beer I'll be unhappy to learn is gone. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, with a fairly long, mostly sour and wine finish. The alcohol is pretty well disguised, and is well integrated into the flavor profile

This is a very nice beer, but I can't say it's anything to get unduly excited about either. I have a bottle, so I'll hold onto it and see if things come together a bit a few years down the road.

Serving type: on-tap

09-17-2011 03:50:10 | More by johnmichaelsen

HopHead84

California

3.68/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

9/17/2011

Shared by Andrew, thanks!

A: Dark brown with a small beige head.

S: Pronounced currant with grape and a dash of chocolate. Lots of vinegar. Moderate lactic profile. Smells nice.

T: Oak and currant with a moderate lactic sourness and a light tartness. Malt is bready. There's a light acetic acidity with a good amount of vinegar in the flavor. Falls off in the finish.

M: Medium body with a creamy moderate carbonation.

Overall: A solid beer, but it falls into the immense sea of pretty good American Wild Ales that I have no desire to revisit.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2011 04:23:42 | More by HopHead84

kojevergas

California

4.22/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served on-draught at Cafe 23 in Minnesota. Reviewed from notes. Expectations were high.

A: Pours a one finger head of great cream, good thickness, and pretty good retention. Colour is a solid black.

Sm: Red wine, bacteria, yeast, and pleasant souring hops and funkiness. A moderate strength aroma, but very pleasant.

T: Wonderful sourness, funkiness, and yeast alongside red wine notes. Very complex and subtle. Extremely well balanced and quite nicely built.

Mf: Smooth and wet. Very complementary of the flavours and style. Not too thick or too thin. Just right.

Dr: Very drinkable for a sour beer. I'd definitely love to have it again. A bit pricey, but excellent. The red wine and sourness coalesce beautifully. A real gem of a beer that would be wonderful with age. It might be disrespectful to pair it with food.

I was sad to hear that Cafe 23 will be closing soon.

Serving type: on-tap

12-24-2011 20:42:52 | More by kojevergas

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -14%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a beige head. Leaves a little bit of lace. Color is a dark caramel bronw.

Aroma: Brett funk and a little sourness. Not too sour. Cherries and oak. Medicinal. Malts and spices.

Tastes: Caramel and bready malts. Medicinal bretty funk. Oaky. Cherries and vanilla.

Mouthfeel: Kind of tart, kind of funky. Lighter bodied with a lower amount of carbonation. Ends clean.

Overall, it's an okay wild. Nothing to amazing. Somewhat drinkable, but nothing to go crazy over. Above average.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2011 02:20:45 | More by mothman

thagr81us

South Carolina

4.33/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Big thanks goes out to MBrausen for helping me out to get a few of these bottles! And also thanks to caSSino for picking them up and bringing them to me. Thanks guys! Served from bottle into a Mikkeller taster flute. Poured a massively dark reddish brown with a half finger light tan head that subsided to a minimal amount slowly. Maintained decent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, tart, sour, fruit, sour cherry, and wood. The flavor was of sweet malt, sour, tart, sour cherry, wood, funk, and very subtle tobacco. It had a medium feel on the palate with high carbonation. Overall this was a pretty good brew. I was expecting quite a bit going into this one, and this one brought the goods. It was quite complex in both the aroma and flavor. Some of the flavors like the tobacco definitely threw me off quite a bit, but it worked quite well with everything that was going on here. A really well put together brew by Surly that everyone must try. Nice job Surly!

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2011 01:26:26 | More by thagr81us

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

4.47/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Splitting this bottle with my buddy Dave. Very excited to try a wild ale from Surly, a brewery of which I am very fond.

The beer appears brown with subtle ruby highlights. A finger of tan head slowly recedes to a thin cap.

The aroma brings brettanomyces funk, oak, cherries, red wine. Very appealing.

Really digging the flavor. So smooth. Complex and wonderful. No alcohol presence. Red wine, brett, cherries, oak. Extremely drinkable. Well balanced. A wonderful showing from Surly with this premier wild ale.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2011 23:03:10 | More by Huhzubendah

largadeer

California

3.1/5  rDev -23.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Thanks, Cam.

Appearance: Opaque black with faintly translucent brown edges, very stout-like in appearance. The head recedes quickly.

Smell: Very vinous and barrel forward. Currants, raisins, balsamic vinegar, a little dark malt. Soft leathery notes from the brett, though the funk is fairly reserved with this bottle. Previous bottles I tried seemed a bit more acetic and bretty; not the case with this one.

Palate: Tart and extremely vinous, with lighter notes of roasted malt and sweet balsamic vinegar. Sourness is moderate - I'd be very surprised if this is in fact 100% brett fermentation. The acidity implies that there was some bacteria at work. Currants and raisins come to mind again. It's a rather dry beer, but the body has a decent amount of heft; about appropriate for the ABV. The finish leaves some leathery, almost tobacco-like flavors along with a touch of oak.

Overall: Very middle of the road. Nothing particularly bad about it. Sort of tastes like a mediocre version of Consecration.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2012 01:05:31 | More by largadeer

gford217

Georgia

4.38/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750ml bottle.

Pours an extremely dark mahogany, maybe not quite black, with a very small creamy head that recedes to a thick collar quickly.

The aroma is sugar-coated tart cherries and a very prominent red wine character with oaky tannins featuring. The brett is noticeable but not as dominant as the wine and cherries.

The taste is even better than the aroma for me with the red wine barrels bringing a dry oaky taste balanced by the sweetness of the cherries, brown sugar and malt backbone. Finish is dry and vinous with only a light bretty character.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied with soft carbonation and, as mentioned earlier, dry and oaky in the finish.

I'm a big, big fan of this beer which is already very complex with lots of wine character and sweetness. It will be very interesting to see what the brett does to this over time. Might even make it better which is exciting.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2011 03:09:39 | More by gford217

Bitterbill

Wyoming

3.15/5  rDev -22.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

The wax was pretty tough but I was tougher...

It looks to be a pitch black, the pour gave me about an inch of off white foam, with plenty of lacing. After a few minutes, the foam and lacing are gone.

The smell is of vinegar and sour cherries and reminds me of what a NB La Folie smells like. A little bit of the Brett also peeks through after a lot of sniffing.

When I take my first sip, I kind of expect an explosion of flavour on my palate but that's not what I get. I get sour cherries and vinegar, a hint of what Brett brings to the taste buds, but the overall flavours, imho, taste like, well, an American Wild Ale that's been held on too long and is past its prime. Very dull and uninspiring. Dang it.

Light bodied with a minimal level of carbonation, the mouthfeel isn't very good at all and though it is easy to drink, I have no desire to seek another bottle out. This is just plain disappointing; an unusual statement from me regarding Surly Brewing beers...

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2011 19:56:45 | More by Bitterbill

smakawhat

Maryland

3.95/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from the bottle into a tulip glass. Thanks goes out to translucent.

A very small tan and foamy head that disappears fairly quickly. giving off lots of snapping carbonation. Not a collar left. Body however is incredibly dark with a classic dark walnut brown/black body. Impressive to see that color on such a wild like beer.

Nose is an interesting sweet green apple, and hint of tartness. Great balance and a sense of almost baked apple pie. Very nice nose on this. Mild brett sense, but a nice apple angle on this.

Very fleeting taste. A sense of oud bruin malt and sour, but falls quickly. Apple sour comes through and vanishes after a swallow but there are other flavors that seem to follow. Mild cherry, definitely sour fruit, but a very fast finishing beer. Mouthfeel goes toward extremely light bodied without much viscosity. Some nice noticeable tight carbonation which is enjoyable and not distracting.

Overall nice tasting but also very fleeting. Enjoyable to drink no major complaints.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2011 21:13:49 | More by smakawhat

FosterJM

California

4.28/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

998th Review on BA
Bottle to Snifter
22 oz

2011
Thanks to Poonamibaxter for this bottle. Appreciate it mucho buddy!!

*Shared by those at MrHirschybars*

App- A red color I was/wasn't expecting. A bit darker and cloudier than what I envisioned pouring out of the bottle. More in tune with really just a red wine with more carbonation. I always think wild ales to be a bit more pink/purple. This was a great color with a lot of frothy bubbles on top. A decent amount of cling and lace.

Smell- As soon as you cut the wax and pop this one open, you are greeted with some wonderful funk from the Brett, you get a lot of deep ripe acidic fruits including some cherries and some strawberries. You get some some bitter notes and a deep layering of them all.

Taste- The wild ale here is a very new departure for Surly and I think they personally nailed it. It was funky, fresh, vibrant and flavorful. The Brett hasn't evolved as much as I know it's going to and right now as a young ale it's doing a good job with what it is. Aged in wine barrels to give a depth of flavor, some tannins and some tarty-puckering flavors.

Mouth- Light light-medium bodied and medium carbonation. Residual dark fruits and a lightness behind it.. The bretty flavors linger only for a short time. I like the feel of this one quite a bit. Not too prickly. Not too dry. I like it just like this. I wonder how long it will stay if you lay this one down.

Drink- I was very curious as to what the 1st sour from Surly would be like. This was a complete surprise to get this bottle from my buddy when he moved. I was very happy with what we got to try at this party. This bottle was a good departure from what I have come to love from Surly. It was new, exciting and although the style had been done before, this was still very flavorful.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2011 17:22:20 | More by FosterJM

AgentZero

Illinois

3.6/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Looks black in the lower light, with a bit of red on the edges. Bit of an off-white head.

S - A bit vinous, with some oak and cherries. There's a bit of tartness in there as well. There is a bit of an unpleasant sweat odor in there. Kind of smelled a little like bile after a bit, but you could get around it if you didn't pay attention.

T - A bit of a dry oaky taste in there, nice vinous influence with some tart cherries. It's a pretty nice beer, fairly heavy for a sour, slightly tart.

M - Medium bodied, but for a sour it's pretty big. Moderate carbonation with a dry finish.

O - Very solid sour. Aroma was a little bit off, but this is a pretty good beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2011 19:33:11 | More by AgentZero

Jwale73

Rhode Island

3.6/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

750ml wax-finished bottle. Pours a cabernet color with a loose head that dissipates into a froth. Nose expresses tart, dark fruits, malt and vinous notes. Taste is somewhat dull - some vinous notes are present; however, there are also some herbal and leathery qualities. Mouthfeel is medium-light in body with a lively carbonation. Overall, a decent dark sour, albeit very mild considering the description on the bottle.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2012 21:08:07 | More by Jwale73

ngeunit1

California

4.28/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Reddish-brown with a finger of frothy tan-khaki head. Fades normal.

S - Sour cherries, oak, vanilla, red wine, other dark fruits, some dark malts, funky Brett, and some tart green fruits.

T - Sour cherries, funky Brett, oak, vanilla, red wine, dark fruits, dark malts, tart green apple and other green fruits.

M - Medium bodied with moderate-light carbonation. Smooth with a tart and sour finish.

D - Nice wild ale. Good overall balance and complexity.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2013 04:45:43 | More by ngeunit1