Surly Brewing Company Five

The Surly Brewing Company is in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota and currently only distributes itself in the greater Twin Cities area. It is fair to say that Surly is one of the most talked about and coveted brewers at the current time. Their beers are consistently delicious and flavorful.


www.surlybrewing.com
 
Five is their fifth anniversary special release brew.  It is a dark sour ale aged in wine barrels.  The beer pours black in appearance, very dark brown with ruby tints on the edges when held to a light.  There is a short and thin head of medium brown foam.  The aroma is tart, sour cherries with a background of dark roasted malt.  The taste is a deep and tart cherry, earthy richness, oaky woodiness.  The finish is dry with a light bitterness at the end of the cherry tartness.  This is like a delicious Belgian kriek.  This is a great beer, too many over-do the sour in a beer like this, but the tartness here is well-balanced on a richness of other flavors.  Another win by Surly.
 
From the website and bottle:
In the Surly brewhouse, brewing our Anniversary beers means one thing: forget what ya know and try something different. In honor of FIVE glorious years, we bring you a 100% Brettanomyces-fermented Dark Ale, aged in red wine barrels. Flavors of sour cherry, tobacco, oak and classic “Brett” barnyard funk, balanced by Dark Munich malt chewiness. Enjoy immediately or age at cellar temperature for a couple years. 100% Brettanomyces-fermented Dark Ale aged in red wine barrels.
Five has strong flavors of earthy black cherry and raisins with a sour finish.
STYLE: Brett Dark Ale

MALT: German Dark Munich and Carafa III

HOPS: Willamette

YEAST: Brettanomyces anomalus and Clausenii

ABV: 7.5% v/v

IBU: 14