Surly Fifteen Blended Barrel-aged Grand Cru.
10.3 % ABV, Surly Brewing, Minneapolis/Brooklyn Center, MN.
I'm not sure what the face on the label represents, or if there's any story behind the illustration, but it's an impressive visage. Is it a god, or a wizard, some elemental force who holds sway over nature, maybe? Someone powerful to signify fifteen years of beer, it seems.
As the illustrator of the first label for a Surly anniversary beer, I can say that my choice of a punk rock chick with a cranberry on her tongue was indeed intended to send a strong message about the beer and the brewery. How far we've come in fifteen years.
Dark burgundy hue, near transparency, slim whitish head.
In the nose: Vanilla, caramel, and bourbon notes come popping out. There's a twist of tart in here, too. Big malt notes, as well, giving off the husky tone of a Belgian quadrupel. A lot going on here.
In the mouth: Intense from the start. Rich and malt-forward, wrapped up in bourbon. Caramel and toffee are chiefly in charge. Dark fruits start charging in, raisins and dates, a fig or two. A bit brandy-ish. Sweetness takes command, and the strength roars up. It's a sipper, for sure. And I'm enjoying it.
There's a hint of a Flanders Red in this, coupled with a mix between a quad and a dubbel, covered in whiskey barrels. I can't help but wonder how this would taste after a few years. Guess I'll have to pick up a few more ...cans...still getting used to that....
Surly built its reputation on not necessarily brewing to style. Our 15th anniversary beer embraces that ethos. Fifteen is a Belgian strong ale aged for eight months in Parker’s Heritage Heavy Char Bourbon Barrels, then back-blended with a touch of High West Rye barrel-aged wild ale. Expect cocoa, milk chocolate, and dark fruit notes with a hint of tartness beneath, plus honey and vanilla from the barrel, and a little spice from the Belgian yeast for good measure. Unclassifiable and wholly unique, Fifteen is a true celebration.
I'm feeling nostalgic for in-person celebrations. Let's saunter down Memory Lane...
Surly One did not have an official release event, but I did pour it at the Blue Nile back in February of 2007. Surly Two, Three, and Four all had their release parties at the Nile, where I was master of ceremonies, and each event got bigger and busier. So many memories. With Five, a barrel-aged sour that became Pentagram, the honors went to Republic bar in the Seven Corners district. Six. I mean Syx, got it's debut at Aster Cafe along the Mississippi River. Seven's, I'm sorry, SeVIIn's debut was held at the Varsity Theater, where plans for the upcoming destination brewery were discussed. Eight was the one anniversary ale release party I missed after all those years. It was on a Sunday night at the Dakota Jazz Club, for some reason, and I was working at the Harriet Brewing taproom that night. I really missed not seeing the brewery crew and my friends. Nein got it's release at the Black Forest Inn, which I thought was odd in that they'd never sold Surly before, but Omar was determined to get in there, and thought that a German restaurant was the best place to debut an imperial smoked wheat ale, whether they'd supported the business before or not. And Ten or Eleven, did they get a release at a bar? (Looking on Untappd, I am seeing a check-in to Nein in an Eleven glass at McKenzie's in 2017. Was that a release party? Probably. Also checked into Ten that day. And a couple of Elevens.)(by the way, Eleven was also the one for which I participated in the wax-dipping. Reminding me of how the original bottling of Two had no wax and my disappointment caused Omar to go back and get them all dipped.)Was that the end of the bar release events? In the days of brewery taprooms, was everything getting their debut in-house? Had they gotten too big? Surly Twelve never saw the light of day, and was the last time the anniversary beers were bottled. Now, we get cans in boxes. And Surly Pizza Upstairs.
No comments:
Post a Comment