Beer of the Weekend #850: SurlyFest
This weekend is the weekend for Oktoberfest around Eastern Iowa. The Amana’s Oktoberfest is happening this weekend, and the Northside Oktoberfest took place today. I am not attending either, though. (I’m not a festival person. They’re just not worth it. Plus, I would rather stay home and gorge on college football—and drink beer.)
The beer of the weekend is, however, SurlyFest, brewed by the Surly Brewing Company of Brooklyn Center, Minnesota.
The color is bronze, medium amber. The head is dense, buttery, and tan colored. It sticks around for a while, too. The rye is prominent in the aroma, as are caramel, light chocolate, and a lot of earthy hop spice. All the scents tie together nicely to create a lovely, enticing blend. The first sip is very earthy. It is not overwhelmingly spicy, but the rye and earth are prominent. It plays a leading role in a pleasing and robust mélange. It has that Oktoberfest base with toast, caramel, and light chocolate, but rye and hops add an earthy spice that makes it unique. The bitterness lingers on the taste buds after each sip. This could be called an American märzen since it is so hoppy and spicy.
Fun facts about SurlyFest:
• Style: Märzen.
• Price: $9.99 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans at the New Pioneer Food Co-op in Iowa City. I read that Hy-Vee supports an effort to repeal Iowa’s bottle bill, so I won’t be shopping there for a while.
• Alcohol content: 6 percent ABV.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B+.
The beer of the weekend is, however, SurlyFest, brewed by the Surly Brewing Company of Brooklyn Center, Minnesota.
The color is bronze, medium amber. The head is dense, buttery, and tan colored. It sticks around for a while, too. The rye is prominent in the aroma, as are caramel, light chocolate, and a lot of earthy hop spice. All the scents tie together nicely to create a lovely, enticing blend. The first sip is very earthy. It is not overwhelmingly spicy, but the rye and earth are prominent. It plays a leading role in a pleasing and robust mélange. It has that Oktoberfest base with toast, caramel, and light chocolate, but rye and hops add an earthy spice that makes it unique. The bitterness lingers on the taste buds after each sip. This could be called an American märzen since it is so hoppy and spicy.
Fun facts about SurlyFest:
• Style: Märzen.
• Price: $9.99 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans at the New Pioneer Food Co-op in Iowa City. I read that Hy-Vee supports an effort to repeal Iowa’s bottle bill, so I won’t be shopping there for a while.
• Alcohol content: 6 percent ABV.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B+.
