Surly Darkness 2013

Brewed By: Surly Brewing in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota

Purchased: 1 Pint 9.4oz (25.4oz) RED WAXED bottle bought at Binny's in IL; 2014 (2013 Vintage)

Style/ABV: Russian Imperial Stout, 9.8%

Reported IBUs: 85

The drunks are out today...nothing says St. Paddy's day like dressing in green and bar hopping. I'm just happy I was able to secure a parking spot. About Surly Brewing: 

The Surly Brewing company is a brewery based out of Brooklyn Center, Minnesota. The brewery was founded in 2005 by long time homebrewer Omar Ansari with the help of Todd Haug (Minneapolis's Rock Bottom Brewery). For more info, check out the brewery's about page.

Rather than busting out a Guinness or whatever, I thought I would crack open something special. The Darkness hardly needs an introduction. This massive Imperial Stout is a cherished annual release, and has a Midwest cult following that rivals Dark Lord. The back of the bottle reads: 

"From the depths of the Brewhouse he arises! Enveloped in raging flames, his shadowy visage commands submission to the dark nectar in his goblet. Brewcifer holds before you a massively opaque black brew with notes of chocolate, coffee, dried tart cherries and raisins. The thick body of this Russian Imperial Stout finishes sweet, with a piney resinous hop character.

Brewcifer commands that you enjoy this creation in a tulip glass, to capture the complex aromas and flavors. Brewcifer would suggest that you share with a friend. Brewcifer doesn't want you to be a jerk.

Each year, we select a different artist to create a Darkness-inspired monstrosity. This year's fiery creature is from the dark imagination of locl artist Josh "Jawsh" Lemke." 

The Darkness is brewed with Pale Ale, Golden Promise, Crystal, Dark Crystal, Oats, Black, Chocolate, and Roast malts; the beer uses Columbus, Amarillo, and Simcoe hops; this one is finished with English Ale yeast, and uses Belgian Dark Candi Sugar. At 9.8% and 85 IBUs, this is a formidable beer in many ways.

Surly Darkness 2013

Darkness is thankfully apt in this beer's pour...it's very typical of a big Imperial Stout, with a black, opaque body, and two to three fingers of dark, bready, head. The head is somewhere between tan and mocha. There is nice lacing as the head drops off, and some alcohol legs can be seen when you swirl the beer.

The aroma here is a mix of sticky hops, alcohol, dark roasted malts, cherries, and chocolate. I'm getting cherries, raisins, pine, resinous hops, chocolate, roast, and coffee. It's a surprisingly sweet and hoppy aroma...with some rum and Quad-like dark fruits. Maybe that is coming from the Belgian Candi Sugars and the hops.

And the taste...is blissful. Even at the slightly cooler temps I'm drinking this at, just wow. Straight up are big cherries, hops, raisins, Quad-like dark fruits, and resinous piney hops. The whole front-end is wrapped in big roast, chocolate, toffee, and thick slickness. There's big cherry/hop/dark sugar-fueled malts in the middle, with big coffee, chocolate, and roast. The back end features trailing roast, coffee, and warming alcohol. This plays the Russian Imperial Stout style very straight, and wow. There' some hints of woody notes in here, along with some cognac and rum.

For a straight up Russian Imperial Stout...I'm talking about something not aged in a bourbon barrel, or brewed with adjuncts....this is fantastic. I guess you could argue the Belgian Candi Sugar is an adjunct, but whatever. This is full-bodied but smooth. There's good carbonation, and the mouthfeel is slick. The 85 IBUs provide balance to the roast and sugars. This is way too drinkable for 9.8%. I think this will age nicely, but you can drink the 2013 vintage right now. Palate depth is outstanding, and complexity isn't far behind for a straight up RIS. Up front: cherries, hops, raisins, Quad-like dark fruits, rum, deep roast, chocolate, toffee; the middle has lingering dark fruits, lingering cherries, rum, coffee, chocolate, espresso, pine, resin; the back dials up roast, chocolate, lingering booze, sugar. The finish is dry and sticky.

Rating: Divine Brew (5.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Decent Divine Brew on this. This is fantastic, with huge hop character and Belgian Candy Sugar character injecting the roasty and chocolaty Stout base with notes of cherries, raisins, dark fruits, and rum. The beer is complex and layered. It's just a really good Russian Imperial Stout. This, ladies and gentleman, is the essence of an RIS. You want to pair something like this with vanilla ice cream, chocolate cake, a medium-rare piece of steak with butter on top, a raunchy burger with aggressive cheeses, grilled meats, or a big cigar. Honestly, I think this one will age well, but this 2013 Vintage is drinking just fine right now. 

Random Thought: And really, if you only have one bottle of this stuff, drink it fresh.