Surly Misanthrope

Surly Misanthrope.
Barrel-aged Saison.
6.8 % ABV.
Surly Brewing Company,
Brooklyn Center, MN.


Hazy, pale golden hued, slimmest white head.

In the nose: big-time funkification. Wild and sour, barnyard, citrus notes, sauvignon blanc. Very nice.

In the mouth: Bright and fruity, with a heavy dose of oak climbing on the palate. Sweet, then sour, then dry. Cleans the mouth, scrubs it out, gets it nice and dry for the next sip and swallow. Flavor is nice and juicy, a little bubble-gummy...what have we got here? Stone fruits, apricots, peach, wrapped up in brett and oak.

So, what's the story of this? Cynic gets soured, then barrel-aged? I'm going to go check the website. "Misanthrope is a Belgian-style Saison, aged with Brett in used white wine barrels.
MALT
Pilsner, Aromatic, Oats
HOPS
Columbus, Slovenian Styrian Goldings
YEAST
Belgian Ale finished on Brettanomyces Claussenii
OG
14º Plato
COLOR
9.6 ºSRM"

Okay, guess I had that right. I first had this over three years ago at the original brewery taproom. So glad the bottles have finally come out, but I'm not sure if I need to get more too many more. At $24 apiece, it's just a little outside my budget. The only problem with that plan, is that it's too, too delicious.

Is there more gobbledygook, maybe from the back of the bottle? Why, yes, a quote from Moliere's The Misanthrope: "Betrayed and wronged in everything, I'll flee this bitter world where vice is king, and seek some spot unpeopled and apart, where I'll be free to have an honest heart."

Three cheers for Surly, for giving us poetry with our beer!

And more, of course. I feel obligated to repeat the rest of the label: "This Belgian-style Saison ale is aged in oak barrels with Brettanomyces. Golden in color, it has notes of tropical fruit wrapped in an oaky horse blanket, and you know, other stuff that continue to produce a blah, blah, blah to create blah, and etc. It is best served cool and enjoyed alone or with a tolerated companion."

Okay, that's maybe a little bit clever, but I hope no one got paid to write that. Come on!

Here's how it currently appears on the website (in 2020): A Belgian-style saison, fermented on Brett, then aged in white wine barrels for 6-36 months. Really. The complexity pays off with a torrent of sour/oak character and funky, tropical aromatics.