Surly Furious

Surly Brewing is a big deal these days. This is a quality Minnesota brewery, and there is a lot of demand for their beer. So much demand, in fact, that I've heard there is a 2-year waiting list for any liquor stores that would like to carry their products! Not a bad problem for a brewery to have...

For those of you who are not familiar with Surly, their beers are sold in cans. 4-packs of pint cans, to be specific. That would be equivalent to a 5 & 1/3 pack of your usual 12 ounce containers. Don't be afraid of the cans. Trust me, the beer will be good. As I mentioned earlier, there is a waiting list for liquor stores. That means you may have to search around a bit if you want some of their beer.

I chose to go with Surly Furious for this beer session. I remember the first time I tasted Furious. I wasn't yet at the stage where I enjoyed IPAs and, because I wasn't ready for it, I had a hard time drinking it. Not so anymore! In the time since that first sip of Furious, I have become a huge fan of the IPA style. The hop aromas and flavors are something I look forward to. This particular IPA is a big one. Not necessarily big in alcohol, but definitely big in flavor.

I pour my pint can of Furious into an imperial pint glass. I'm glad I have this glass, because it lets me fit all 16 ounces of beer with extra room left over to let the head build. It doesn't take too much work to generate a 3-finger fine off-white cap. The head retention is good, as it takes a little while for it to fall into a thin layer. The body is a nice dark amber-red color with a small amount of particulate hovering in the liquid.

Wow. I love that smell! I'm getting a wonderfully big, juicy, citrus grapefruit, hop aroma. I hope I didn't use too many adjectives just now, but this smell deserves it. I think there is a hint of sweet caramel malt in there, but the hops definitely want you to know that they're in charge.

My mouth is watering as I bring the glass up to my lips. I taste some sweet caramel, but that is only fleeting. The hops come on strong with that same grapefruit, only in flavor form. That transitions nicely into a massive bitter bite that more than compensates for any sweetness you thought you tasted. The bitterness lingers in a good way. The way that makes your mouth anticipate the next sip.

There is a medium-light creamy mouthfeel to this brew. It goes down nicely and has a moderate level of carbonation. With each taste, this beer leaves some nice lacing on my glass.

As I said earlier, this is a big IPA. It has the hop aroma, flavor, and bitterness of a double IPA, but with the alcohol level of a traditional IPA. For those of you that like stats: 6.2% ABV and 99 IBUs. It has a brief moment of sweet malt that is dominated by massive hop power. Depending upon your hop preference, there may be some limited drinkability to this beer due to the bitterness. If you're a hophead, you'll love this beer. If you are just starting to like IPAs, give it a try, but be prepared for some bite. If the thought of tasting any IPA makes you shiver and quiver with fear, you should probably stay away from this beer! As for me, I really enjoy it and I will keep enjoying it in the future.