Brewery Feature: Surly

First post of the new year, thought I'd make it count and feature a brewery that I've recently been incredibly impressed with. Having had a fair amount of their offerings, I thought it was about time to feature them as they certainly conjure up some tasty brews.

The Brewery

As many craft breweries do, Surly has grown from very humble homebrewing roots to one of the most talked about American craft breweries in just eight years. Founded in 04', Surly has certainly come a long way but kept things simple by dialing back distribution and deciding to keep the beer in it's home state of Minnesota. While most of us "beer geeks" wish that all of our favorite breweries would expand their distribution, there are numerous reasons to keep them close to home. One that I find particularly interesting and unique is that Surly is highly active in their community with various programs they created within Surly Gives A Damn. Aside from their community projects, Surly is also one of the original craft canning breweries. Can's really are better for the beer and the environment and I am an active craft can supporter. Additionally, Surly was the first craft brewery to use the "Tallboy" 16oz. canned four pack. More beer and less waste; awesome! Not to mention, their cans have killer artwork. Between the aggressive color schemes, quirky caricature logo, and the precise layout, they're certainly some of my favorites.

The Beer

Having had numerous Surly offerings, ranging from their flagship IPA to their annual imperial stout and the only (as far as I know) canned Saison, I was glad to finally obtain their hoppy claim to fame; Abrasive. This double ipa (apparently the first in Minnesota) brewed with oats certainly lives up to it's name. This thing is abrasive and loaded with wonderful hop notes despite only being brewed with two hop varieties; Citra and Warrior. The Citra hops were apparent from the second I cracked the can. Tons of tropical fruits, floral notes, and citrus. To my surprise, there is a solid caramel malt back but without the rich sweetness that can potentially overpower the delicious hop flavors. The mouthfeel was a nice surprise as it had a very fluffy carbonation and nice oily feel. The finish was clean and crisp with a solid grassy bitterness.  Overall; Abrasive certainly lived up to it's BA hype and has been my favorite offering from Surly, thus far.

Surly's Abrasive Ale: 8.8% abv, "120ish" IBU's

All in all, I must say, my only disappointment is that Surly beer is not easily obtainable as I rarely make it to the mid-west, let alone Minnesota. However, I can understand and appreciate their business model and if you're interested in trying some Surly beers, I would highly recommend setting up a trade as they do produce some great offerings. Additionally, there are a few online retailers that do ship beers to certain states, so that is another option. Feel free to contact me if interested in learning how to obtain some Surly beers as I am always happy to help people try the beer they are after. Cheers!