Surly Darkness 2011, Six Years On

Three weeks ago, I cracked open a 5-year old bottle of Surly Darkness Russian Imperial Stout to very happy results. I've said it before that these bottles shouldn't be saved forever, and definitely shouldn't be aged for too long beyond 5 or 6 years. And so I'm staggering these tastings just a bit, and will conclude in another 3 weeks with my oldest "vintage", being 2010. After this, I'll know that my next vertical tasting will be safe, so to speak.

So, off comes the wax, cracking the crown, and the liquid goes in the glass.

To the eye: solid black, impenetrable, richly roasted slim tan head. Looking great.

In the nose: Richness, toasty, roasty, sending off fumes of molasses, anise, ash, smoke, deep, dark chocolate, intense. Incredible.

In the mouth: Ah! Yes. So rich, thick, delicious, viscous, powerful and luxurious. Yes, sir, just about, mmmm, alright, and uh, huh. Not to mention, oh, yeah. Some amount of hop bitterness, but mostly malty, and very smooth. Almost too smooth, It seems as if something is lacking, if just a little, that something opened up and left. yeah, it's not perfect. Six years on, is that still a good thing? Sometimes, yeah, sometimes, no.

In 2011, The Walking Dead was in
it's second season and zombies
were all the rage. When you went to
Darkness Day that year, there were
make-ups artists on hand to
zombie-fy you, if you wished.

My first Darkness vertical was six years ago. I waited until I had 2007, 08, 09, 10 and 11 bottles in possession, and although that 2007 bottle was only 4 years old, it didn't taste remarkably better. The others, did, though. A year later, I did 2007-'12 and it wasn't as much as a disappointment, but neither did tragedy strike. One to 5 years is good, with the expectation that your lives may not exactly be transformed by the experience. This isn't where I warn you against doing what I love to do, but you should also know that these experiences won't be changing your world. It's just for fun, that's all it is.

This bottle I opened tonight gives all the delights of an Imperial Stout. It doesn't expand on them, but doesn't lessen, either. This beer is big when it's young. If that's what you wish, by all means drink them up fresh. If you don't mind something just slightly cooler and not so burly, then take it with some years on it. As it is, it's still plenty powerful six years later. I'm still drinking, and the flavors keep coming, the waves on waves, the richness and the maltiness, and the pow-pow-powerfulness. So good. So nice. I've got plenty left in my glass and more in the bottle and mmmm, I'm feeling fine.