Beer of the Weekend #389: Bender
Tonight is going to be another busy Friday night and tomorrow the Hawks have an eleven o’clock kickoff (finally!) so I am once again posting the proper BotW early.
The beer of the weekend represents the last of my Minnesota haul from last month: Bender, brewed by the Surly Brewing Company of Brooklyn Center, Minnesota.
Admittedly, this is not the first time I have had Bender. I drank it in January at Psycho Suzi’s Motor Lounge in Minneapolis. When I asked our waitress about it, she knew exactly what style it was and how it tasted — a rarity for wait staff at restaurants.
Serving type: 16-ounce can. The “CANNED ON” date is “08/02/12.”
Appearance: Poured into a nonick pint glass. The color is medium (though leaning dark) brown with copper and ruby tones. Two fingers of thick tanned head dissipated fairly slowly to leave a rocky lacing and ring of foam around the edge.
Smell: A blend of toasted and pale malts. Caramel, toffee, vanilla, dark cherries, brown sugar, and black and raspberry licorice. There is a little bit of chocolate, too, which makes it smell like chocolate-covered cherries. The oatmeal comes out as well, providing a smooth, richness to the aroma.
Taste: Surprisingly, the first sip offers roasted bitterness. On subsequent sips it fades into the background but is still present, tingling the cheeks. It has a nice, smooth body, but it is not exactly “velvety” (as the description on the can suggests). Toasted malts, caramel, toffee, vanilla, a hint of coffee (which offers the roasted bitterness), and brown sugar. As it warms it beings to exhibit a light, floral hoppiness. No dark fruits, though.
Drinkability: Solid. This is an excellent brew.
Fun facts about Bender:
-Style: American Brown Ale.
-Price: $9.49/four-pack at Richfield Municipal Liquors in Richfield, Minnesota. Bobblehead told me that he stopped at good ol’ RML on another recent trip to the Twin Cities.
-Serving temperature: 45-50ºF. I may be able to drink it on my porch tonight at that temperature.
-Alcohol content: 5.5 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: BA recommends barbecue, earthy and nutty cheeses, chocolate, and beef.
-IBU: 45.
-Color: 45 SRM
-Nerdiness from the can and website:
-While drinking Bender, it is hard for me not to think of Bender, the (according to Wikipedia) “foul-mouthed, heavy-drinking, cigar-smoking, kleptomaniacal, misanthropic, egocentric, ill-tempered robot” on Futurama.
-The Quiet Man’s grade: B+/A-.
The beer of the weekend represents the last of my Minnesota haul from last month: Bender, brewed by the Surly Brewing Company of Brooklyn Center, Minnesota.
Admittedly, this is not the first time I have had Bender. I drank it in January at Psycho Suzi’s Motor Lounge in Minneapolis. When I asked our waitress about it, she knew exactly what style it was and how it tasted — a rarity for wait staff at restaurants.
Serving type: 16-ounce can. The “CANNED ON” date is “08/02/12.”
Appearance: Poured into a nonick pint glass. The color is medium (though leaning dark) brown with copper and ruby tones. Two fingers of thick tanned head dissipated fairly slowly to leave a rocky lacing and ring of foam around the edge.
Smell: A blend of toasted and pale malts. Caramel, toffee, vanilla, dark cherries, brown sugar, and black and raspberry licorice. There is a little bit of chocolate, too, which makes it smell like chocolate-covered cherries. The oatmeal comes out as well, providing a smooth, richness to the aroma.
Taste: Surprisingly, the first sip offers roasted bitterness. On subsequent sips it fades into the background but is still present, tingling the cheeks. It has a nice, smooth body, but it is not exactly “velvety” (as the description on the can suggests). Toasted malts, caramel, toffee, vanilla, a hint of coffee (which offers the roasted bitterness), and brown sugar. As it warms it beings to exhibit a light, floral hoppiness. No dark fruits, though.
Drinkability: Solid. This is an excellent brew.
Fun facts about Bender:
-Style: American Brown Ale.
-Price: $9.49/four-pack at Richfield Municipal Liquors in Richfield, Minnesota. Bobblehead told me that he stopped at good ol’ RML on another recent trip to the Twin Cities.
-Serving temperature: 45-50ºF. I may be able to drink it on my porch tonight at that temperature.
-Alcohol content: 5.5 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: BA recommends barbecue, earthy and nutty cheeses, chocolate, and beef.
-IBU: 45.
-Color: 45 SRM
-Nerdiness from the can and website:
Here's what happens when substance meets smooth. This oatmeal brown ale defies traditional categories. Bender begins crisp and lightly hoppy, complemented by the velvety sleekness oats deliver. Belgian and British malts usher in cascades of cocoa, coffee, caramel and hints of vanilla and cream. An easy-drinking ale with many layers of satisfaction.
-While drinking Bender, it is hard for me not to think of Bender, the (according to Wikipedia) “foul-mouthed, heavy-drinking, cigar-smoking, kleptomaniacal, misanthropic, egocentric, ill-tempered robot” on Futurama.
-The Quiet Man’s grade: B+/A-.
