What it is: Minneapolis-based Surly Brewing is relatively small for its glowing national reputation (users of the Beer Advocate website rate it a “world class” brewery). Unfortunately, its tiny stature made it difficult for Surly to meet demand back home, and that led the brewery to pull out of the Chicago market in 2010. But Surly is in the midst of an expansion that means more beer, and that means a return to Chicago. My thoughts at this news went immediately to Coffee Bender — a version of Surly’s Bender brown ale that is cold-steeped in Guatemalan coffee beans.
In the can: No surprise, the first thing to leap out after a hard pour of Coffee Bender (do not drink it from the can!) is an intensely coffee-forward nose. What makes the beer interesting is that it is not a porter or stout — the most common vehicle for coffee beer. This is brown ale, which means Coffee Bender has a relatively light body. But where brown ales often veer sweet, Coffee Bender heads into that roasted coffee sensation before arriving at a curveball: hops. Coffee Bender claims a healthy 45 on the scale of International Bitterness Units, which adds a second, hoppy snap to the equation. It all adds up to a one-of-a-kind, multilayered hybrid beer. The coffee and hops flavors in this beer degrade severely over time, so do not cellar this beer. Drink it fresh, and keep it cold.
Pair it with: Hops, coffee and a hamburger sound mighty tasty right about now.
Find it: Available in four packs of 16-ounce cans at better beer stores. I found it in the cooler — not on shelves — as directed by the brewery and distributor.
More information: surlybrewing.com