Brew52 » Surly

Bender is like your best friend

Rett — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 15:16:01 +0000

For me, the bottom line is that I will always choose a Furious over a Bender. Not that the two are really even in direct competition, they’re different styles of beer. It’s just that I love the extreme bite of a Furious so much. So it’s hard to pass that by and opt for a Bender. Of course if I were going to be drinking one after the other, Bender would be a much better companion. But typically when I have Surly it’s that I’m splurging on a 4 pack, and I want to savor them, so I’m only gonna drink one at a time anyway.

Here’s a good analogy I just thought of (mornings happen to be my most creative time): Bender is like your best friend. You can go over to his house and play war, video games, go skateboarding, etc, all day long. He’s awesome. But he’s got an even awesome-er older brother. When the older brother is around he’s kind of a dick to your best friend, but he’s just so damn cool, that you’ll join in and be a dick to your best friend, just so that Furious, I mean the older brother, thinks you’re cool.

Bender, but don’t break ‘er

Joe Lunchpail — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 14:22:53 +0000

I absolutely love everything about Bender. The look, flavor, aroma-all of it. Deceptively smooth and expectedly delicious. It is a bastard child of a brown ale and a porter, with a little more hops than either bring to the table alone. I’d constantly keep this in the fridge if the price was a little bit easier on the pocket. Go on a bender with Bender and your wallet will certainly feel it too. But as the old adage goes, you get what you pay for. A premium price for a premium beer. Don’t let imminent economic meltdown make you drink crap beer, though. I think it was the Bible that stated, “Man cannot live on crappy beer alone.” Preach.

Bender Rodriguez

flashmcduff — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 20:08:51 +0000

Synopsis: brown ale with a bite.

I’ll second the claim that it follows the Surly formula of taking a good beer and kicking in a few more hops just because. It has a complex flavor but is easy to drink and finishes smooth. I had it on tap with pizza…what could have gone wrong?

bigness

flashmcduff — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 05:17:49 +0000

Had it at the Muddy Pig – where the glassware always smells a little like their detergent. Hey at least it’s clean!

Everything seems to be in balance with this one. It’s easy to drink and packs a punch; a huge beer in palatable form. I can’t think of anything bad about my Darkness experience. I may have expected a more extreme beer from Surly, but was even more pleased to get a great beer that was good all-around.

My Perfect Beer

Erica — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 01:59:57 +0000

Sweet, dark, a little creamy, smooth finish, strong as hell. “Intensely flavored” is damn right. PERFECT.

There’s still some left!

Rett — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 01:21:51 +0000

If you haven’t had a chance to try Surly Darkness, it’s still on tap at a few bars. 8th Street Grill downtown Minneapolis and Blue Nile on Franklin to name a couple. Check the list on Surly’s site for more, but be sure to call ahead as many have run out.

best of the fest

flashmcduff — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 18:53:09 +0000

I could Google it, but that just kills a conversation. What’s the significance of the blue and white checkered pattern with Oktoberfest? The Surly can just looks like a picnic tablecloth, but I became interested when I saw the pattern on a Schell’s Oktoberfest label. Anybody?

And for the record, this one is great. Having this beer at this time of year makes me proud to be fractionally German.

The hops define this beer

Joe Lunchpail — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 14:42:37 +0000

The extra hoppiness contributes wonderfully to the overall flavor character of this beer. It has the look and initial similarities to the other Oktoberfest beers, but the extra hop kick puts Surlyfest miles ahead of the competition, at least in my book. I felt like the aroma was a little like an old dishrag, leaving me thinking that I might not have washed my beer glasses properly, but, no, it was the beer. That would be my only dislike about this beer. Otherwise, the Surly boys have brewed up another winner. The can design is a beautiful touch as well.

Oktoberfest + Hops = Surlyfest

Josh — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 01:17:12 +0000

Surlyfest is a great tasting Oktoberfest style beer with a healthy dose of hops. I like many oktoberfest beers but this one is a little bit better because of the extra hops. Funny how that works, seems like you could add a little more hops to just about any beer and it would be better. Good job Surly!

Bier for a stein!

Rett — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 03:16:54 +0000

I was a little worried I wouldn’t find any Surlyfest left on the shelf, but fortunately I was able to snag a four pack from the last case at Surdyks earlier this week. I’ve commented before on beer packaging and specifically how much I like Surly’s can designs. Surlyfest does not dissapoint, with it’s checkered blue background and character with a German hat. Probably my favorite detail is that the typical “Beer for a glass, from a can.” statement has changed to “Bier for a stein, from a can.”

Reading the description I was prepared for a hoppy beer, but wow is this hoppy. Nothing compared to Furious, but compared to a traditional Octoberfest it’s insane. In a good way, or at least in an interesting way. I’ll be curious to hear what other Octoberfestlovers say about this one.