Well, that's a mouthful.
9 % ABV. Malty/Complex/Electrifying. Brewed and canned by Surly Brewing, Minneapolis & Brooklyn Center, MN. In collaboration with Sun King of Indianapolis, IN.
Dark brown, cocoa-tinged head.
In the nose: This is strange. What should I expect from a double dry-hopped imperial Mexican-style lager in tequila barrels? Lots of tequila? It's there somewhere, but it's slow in showing itself. And what does the double dry-hopping do?
In the mouth: Malty. Strong. Hoppy. Definitely getting some tequila flavor, but not especially distinct. It's kind of messy.
Here's what throws me off. When I hear "Mexican-style lager", I don't think of schwarzbiers. It's true that the German influence on Mexican breweries results in a number of dark lagers being brewed south of the border, but that doesn't mean we call them "Mexican-style lagers." They're still "German-style" beers. When you say, "Mexican-style", people are going to think of Corona, Bohemia, Modelo, etc.
Oh, wait, it's not a Schwarzbier, but a Vienna Lager, another popular German-style brew also made in Mexico? Okay. But, again, you don't just call it "Mexican-style" because it's popular in Mexico.
I don't think this works. It's not particularly tasty. Too many things going on that don't necessarily belong together. It's a whole mess of shit thrown together just to say that they did it. I'm not that crazy about these kinds of beers. But they suckered me in for paying for it, so they've got that going for them. And it's got high ABV, so that's clouding my judgement and turning the tides in their favor.
Although, I've always got bourbon for that.
Brewed in collaboration with our friends from Sun King Brewery in Indianapolis, Electric Sombrero of Death is inspired by the dark, malty lagers brewed south of the border. This version dials up the wattage with an imperial malt backbone, a double dose of dry-hopping, and quality time spent in tequila barrels.
Here's more promotional info: Surly loves a good, dark Mexican-style lager–we’ve even gone so far as to collaborate with our friends at Cerveceria Transpeninsular on one. Sun King Brewing out of Indianapolis shares that affection, along with our interest in what would happen if you tweaked this very traditional beer with a smack of dry-hopping and letting the situation develop in some tequila barrels.
The product of that curiosity goes by the name Electric Sombrero of Death. It’s both our latest collab with a fellow independent craft brewer *and* our newest BC Small Batch beer.
Surly and Sun King brewers raising a toast at the 2019 Firestone Walker Invitational.
Electric Sombrero of Death amps up the already rich character of the style with an imperial malt backbone. To keep the beer from being a full-on tequila bomb, a third of the batch was aged in 5-year tequila barrels and the remainder dry-hopped on Citra, Sabro, and Bravo hops, then blended after the barreling process finished.
The result is a surprisingly subtle and remarkably easy-drinking imperial lager that checks in at 9% ABV with a ruby brown pour. Expect aromatic notes of caramel, brown sugar, chocolate, and (duh) tequila, with the hop bill balancing the inherent sweetness of the style.
Electric Sombrero of Death is available to all U.S. Surly markets. Indiana—Sun King will have some on draft, check with them on dates/times.
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