Surly Heathen Temple Blackened Hefe Weizen

Back in June, way back when, I did another special event at Acadia involving Surly. There were two special beers involved. Yes, the other beers in the six for the showcase (don't call it a tap takeover!) weren't all that "special", in fact, we would have had them on tap anyway. Perhaps that's why it wasn't as well attended as we wished. The event just wasn't special enough. You've got to be legit, man.

So, one of those was this, called Heathen Temple after the song of the same name by that popular grindcore combo, Pig Destroyer. We got one small 5 gallon keg that was gone with a quickness. Before the emptying of the keg transpired, I did some jottings. Here they are:

3.9% ABV. 25 IBU.

Solid blackness, creamy, soft tannish brown head on top.

Smooth, sweet nose, light & lovely.

In the mouth: sweet 'n' fruity at first, lightly bitter, little taste of juniper & blackberry pops up. Smooth & creamy, medium bodied. Bitterness rises just a tad. Long, bittersweet finish, ending on the smooth side.

Damned interesting beer. And I can dig it.

Here's what the website says:

BLACKENED HEFE-WEIZEN
Inspired by Pig Destroyer, an American grindcore band whose music can often be heard blasting out of our breweries on brew days, this isn’t your ordinary Hefe-Weizen. Brewed with Midnight Wheat Malt from Briess Malting, tart blackberries, and dry-hopped with Chinook, Aurora and El Dorado hops, this hazy black beer is dry and roasty, yet offers aromatic fruity notes.

We brewed this beer to celebrate the first ever Minnesota performance by Pig Destroyer in April 2016. The name, Heathen Temple, is the title of a song from the band’s 2007 album, Phantom Limb. Scott Hull, one of Pig Destroyer’s founding members, is a craft beer fan and lists Surly’s beers as some of his favorite brews.