So. Much. Hops.
Every beer in here — from the session Citra to the spicy Furious — is aggressively hopped and I love it.
Xtra Citra — 4.5% — APA
“Bursting with Citra hop flavor and tropical, citrusy notes, this sessionable pale ale showcases Surly’s bright side.”
The APA is filled with big, dominant notes of citrus and grapefruit bitterness, with other flavors of lemon, orange rind, and floral hops. The bitterness is kept in check though and it finished pretty smooth thanks to the sweet caramel malt notes that mellow it out.
‘I’m always chasing that feeling but don’t know what it’s called it’s like
a picnic in the park on a sunny Sunday with no Monday
or a cold beer in a tap room on an early Tuesday afternoon with absolutely nothing to do.’
Sleek — 6.5% — IPA
“Purring with aromatics from hefty Simcoe dry-hopping, Sleek’s grapefruit, pine, and melon flavors race across the tongue. Dynamic hop taste. Zero drag. Sleek.”
Whooooo. You definitely get some juicy melon and grapefruit up front. It has a strong bitterness with other notes of strong pine and earthiness. The pale, crackery malts try their best to bring it down, but the hops just overshadow any maltiness here.
‘Chrome cars
chrome beers
chromium plate
the entire place
the whole earth
make it slick,
sleek,
shine
sing .’
Kitsch Hoppy Lager — 6.1% — Lager
“Anything worth doing is worth overdoing. Especially when it comes to hops. A dry-hop bill of Citra, Amarillo, and Centennial turns this otherwise classic lager on its ear.”
A very hoppy what? Where’s the lager part of this beer? It’s filled with resiny, pine hops that leave a long lingering bitterness. The malts are hard to find here.
‘The silvertongue street racer lined up
in a black pontiac
Against the night
Cigarettes flicker
fireflies against black licorice sky
Beer cans in nervous hands
Against the roar of the trans am
against the night
Filled with mad, wild, fun,
Racing toward the chickee run.’
Furious — 6.7% — IPA
“The beer that built surly. Aggressively hopped and citrusy, but with a chewy, caramel backbone.”
Surly’s Furious has some bite to it. They are right to say it’s not like most other IPAs either. It has the traditional piney, floral hop profile. But there are also some strong toasted grains and what feels like a small, little hint of peppery spice.
Fiery rage
beer fueled
hearts
pumping crimson
thoughts of
manic love into
my brainpiece.’