Surly Doomtree

This 5.7% ABV beer is from the Surly Brewing Company of Brooklyn Center (and now Minneapolis), Minnesota. It was made in collaboration with the indie hip-hop collective group with the same name as the beer. Internet consensus seems to be that this is a take on the biere de garde style, but it is inimitably Surly as well. I can't tell you how happy I am that Surly is now distributed in Iowa and that I could walk into my local HyVee and have this and six other Surly beers to choose from!

The beer pours a deep amber and copper in color. There is nearly an inch of off-white to light tan foam that settles down fairly quickly. The aroma is an amalgam of Belgian yeast, fruity esters, pine needles, dark caramel, and spices. The taste follows the aromas, it bounces from malty, to roasty, to estery, to fruity, to piney, to spicy, and back and forth again, with a quite bitter and dry finish. It is medium bodied with moderate carbonation.  I had no idea what kind of beer this was, the can doesn't give much of a clue, so I was a bit taken back by the Belgian yeast notes.  I can't wait to try it again and see how it hits when I know what to expect out of it.

Tried it again on March 24, 2015 and it is even better the second time when you start with an idea of what it will taste like.