Surly Darkness 2018

The Surly Brewing Company originated in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, and now also has a destination brewery in Minneapolis. Darkness is their annual special Russian Imperial Stout release.

The beer pours the blackest black. There is a short head of brown foam. The aroma is anise, dark fruits, with some char. There is also some mocha and dark cocoa powder. The taste is sweet, creamy, dark roasted, dark fruits, dark cocoa, dark chocolate. The finish is semi-sweet, with a moderate bitterness. The beer drinks very smooth and silky. This seems to have less depth of flavor than other years, but I'll be the barrel-aged version of this one is great.