Lervig / Surly 1349 Black Ale
The 1349 Ales are the results of a collaboration between three highly potent forces - Norwegian metal masters 1349, American feinschmecker brewery Surly, and Norwegian rising brewery star Lervig. With these ales we wanted to explore the powers of combined forces from different worlds of craftmanship and to manifest what our ideas of proper beers are. We have all brought our minds, heart and soul to this project. Revel in the Dionysian pleasures!
As the bubonic plague silenced 2/3rds of Norway’s population back in the day, this dark beverage will scatter ashes along its way - leaving you breathless, but wanting for more. The 1349 Black Ale is our Strange Old Brew; an absolutely massive beer loaded with all the power malts, hops and freshly ground Ethiopian Yirgacheffe coffee, and rounded off with a distinguishable note of apocalyptic delicacy. This calls for a toast; now have a sip from our massive cauldron of chaos.
As the bubonic plague silenced 2/3rds of Norway’s population back in the day, this dark beverage will scatter ashes along its way - leaving you breathless, but wanting for more. The 1349 Black Ale is our Strange Old Brew; an absolutely massive beer loaded with all the power malts, hops and freshly ground Ethiopian Yirgacheffe coffee, and rounded off with a distinguishable note of apocalyptic delicacy. This calls for a toast; now have a sip from our massive cauldron of chaos.
3.7
173 reviews
Stavanger, Norway
Community reviews
My Bottom Line:
Heavy coffee and roast envelop this behemoth, soon making room for grassy hops and their salient bitterness.
Further Personal Perceptions:
-A sheet of foam sits atop the brown-edged black.
-The body is viscous and feels a bit rough.
-Some warming is present, obviously, but not nearly as much as expected.
-The flavor profile is impressively balanced despite all that’s going on.
-Earthy accents are also tasted, probably given by the chosen coffee.
Bottle.
Aroma is espresso, taste is very strong espresso, lots of coffee, taste is similar to an imperial stout.
Dark brown/black color; Medium slightly creamy body; Aroma of toasted malt, caramel, dark fruit, & some coffee; Flavor of roasted sweet malt, caramel, molasses, hops, dark fruit (notably plums & figs), some dark chocolate, and licorice; Warm finish; Interesting & pretty good.
Pours black, tan head. Aroma is complex, toffee, chocolate, milk. Taste is complex as well, milky smooth, some coffee, toffee.
330 ml bottle from The Party Source. Pours a basically opaque near black color with a small khaki head that settles into a ring, a bit of film and plenty of lace. Aroma of baker’s chocolate, grass, pine, orange peel, coffee, toasted sugar, chocolate powder, and tobacco. Flavor follows the same lines, really. Full-bodied, with modest carbonation and a rich, bitter, sweet, smooth motuhfeel. Drinks like a huge, but balanced Black IPA. 13.49 < 13.99.
Pours a two finger khaki head that fades to a thin layer leaving traces of lace. Black color, no highlights. Good carbonation and medium bodied. Zesty citrus and coffee nose and flavor is sweet malt, citrusy and coffee. High ABV is mostly hidden. Burnt coffee finish. Decent black ale. Expensive at $10.40 for a 330ml bottle from Tully’s Beer & Wine Wells, Me.
At Beodo Craftbeer, in Sevilla. Lunch with Pedro. In Hornbeer cup. With rissoto and, after that, yakisoba with iberic secret. Superb in all aspects. Amazing aroma, incredible taste and no trace of the alcohol. To drink with care.
On tap at Jopen Proeflokaal Waarderpolder. Black colour, thin beige head. Aroma is very sweet, rye, pumpernickel, alcohol, roasted malts, lots of liquorice, pine. Flavour is very sweet, some dark fruits, roasted malts, pine, pumpernickel, alcohol, liquorice, hint of leather, bittersweet finish, some chocolate. Medium to full bodied. Too sweet for me, but still quite tasty. I see now that this beer has coffee in it, it was undetectable.
On tap at Jopen Proeflokaal, Haarlem. Body is nearly black, head is small, beige, creamy, mostly lasting, good lacing. Nose sweetish dried fruits, flavor is candy sweets, milk chocolate, raisin, honey, herbs, light roasted peanuts. Heavy sweet, medium bitter, light fruity sour. Finish is long lasting fruity heavy sweet, medium alcohol warmth. Full body, oily sticky texture, soft carbonation. Heavy dessert beer, quite sweet.
Received in a snifter from tap.
3.5 A: Black color. Came without a head.
4.5 S: Plum and prune gone wild. Lots of sugary sweetness. Grassy, herbal, and light citrusy hops with pineapple. Roasty with super dense molasses and caramel.
4.5 T: Orange and plum banging each other. Bittersweet orange and prune run deep. Big caramel and molasses. Pineapple upsidedown cake.
4.75 M: Heavy, viscous. Somewhat velvety with good moderate carbonation.
4.75 D: Really good. Review from notes.
★ 499 characters
DavoleBomb, May 05, 2015
Sampled from a bottle, a present from Holmen1 (thanks, Jan!). Near black with a beige head. Rich and complex taste of dried vine fruits, molasses, chocolate, coffee and spices. There is a generally rather sweet taste, but, slightly weirdly, there is also a rather sour element. A very full feel in the mouth. A huge amount of bitterness gives a very dry finish in contrast to the very sweet start. A complex and enjoyable strong ale, but just a little strange.
Pours very dark with big, lasting, pillowy tan head with great lacing. Aroma is very sweet with raisins, licorice, dark fruit, burnt wood, some coffee and chocolate. Very fragrant. Taste is also sweet, with chocolate and molasses up front, then some smoked peat, cut nicely by a noticeable alcohol warmth in the middle and coffee bitterness lingering in the finish. Not much alcohol for the ABV. A rich, creamy sipper with some hops and coffee to dry out the immense sweetness. Not a bad choice to share with friends.
Black as the night. Thick texture. Sweat intro. Blue cheese middle and bitter ending
Back color with an off-white head with medoum duration and nice lacework. Aroma has notes of toasted malts, strong coffee, light licorice and ripe fruits. Flavor is mild sweet, not cloying, black ripe fruit, molasses and toasted malts and with a high presence of black coffee. Slightly sweet in the final with good presence of toasted malts.
Nicely done. Pours black with a fluffy tan head. Aroma is hops, coffee, and booze. Silky smooth, boozy biting finish.
Black with a nice beige head. Aroma is chocolate, caramel, dates, bourbon, honey. Full bodied, creamy mouthfeel, sweet on the palate with a touch of bitterness on the finish. Taste is molasses, chocolate, raisins, bourbon, sherry, liquorice, burnt wood.
Bottle. Pours black with tan head. Nose and taste is roast, bitter, dark fruit. Good.
12 oz bottle. Big coffee aroma, roast malt, espresso. Flavour is uhh very bitter coffee and dark fruits, sweet caramel, none of this sounds bad but it is ridiculously sweet and bitter and very hard to drink. Not really feeling it.
On tap at Crowbar, november 15th 2014. Black body with a small dark brown head. Aroma of raisin, roasted coffee, chocolate and hints of black metal. Roasty thick taste, sweetened by caramel, port wine sting, good bitter finish with a crisp fresh coffee touch.
Bottle (33cl) from Vinmonopolet, Oslo. Black colour. Small head that leaves a thin ring, no lacing. Intensely sweet aroma with roasted malt, licorice, coffee, dark chocolate, vanilla, caramel, booze. Full body, oily mouthfeel, soft/flat carbonation. Very sweet taste initially, then gradually more woody and well-balanced, and the finish is actually rather dry. Some alcohol burn, but tastewise the alcochol is well integrated. Massive indeed, but dangerously enjoyable stuff.
Draught. Opaque black liquid with small light tan head. Aroma of coffee, licorice, citrus, light pine and raw sugar. Taste is medium sweet and light bitter with notes of chocolate, coffee, licorice, booze and citrus. Full bodied with medium carbonation. Nice. Hellfire Hellfire!
Bottle. A dark brown to black color with a robust aroma of sweet malts, raisins, molasses, and chocolate. The coffee is understated. It is sweet and smooth on the palate.
From tap at CC 2015. Black with a beige head. Aroma and flavour of caramel, hops, coffee, alcohol, spice, chocolate and bitterness.
11.2 ounce bottle, no date on it that I can find. Served in a snifter, the beer pours dark brown/black with about an inch tan head. Head retention and lacing are both good. Aroma is nice, the brew smells like dark fruit, roasted/charred malt, coffee, and some light pine/citrusy hops. I like the flavor even more, it tastes like dark fruit, molasses, licorice, dark fruit, bittersweet chocolate, coffee, woody earthiness and some pine/citrusy hops. Mouthfeel/body is full, it’s syrupy and slick with moderate carbonation. I thought this was good, I certainly wouldn’t mind trying this again in the future! $8.75 a bottle.
My 2000th rating (!!!) so I wanted something unusual, and this one fits the bill! Draft at Khyber Pass. Black pour with some lasting tan foam. Dark malts, spices and hops. Sweet dark red fruit: Blackberries. Plums and prunes. Dates. Purple passionfruit. Rotted vegetation: Peat. Celery hearts. Liquorice root. Burnt flavors: Charcoal infused with lighter fluid. Flaming Bourbon. Coffee grounds. Semi-sweet cocoa. Black leather jacket. Cigarettes. Shoe polish. Huge hops: Citrus pith. Pinecones. Strong florals: Lavender. Thyme. Dandelion. Watercress. Earthy truffles. Lots of wood tannins. Spices: Cinnamon. Coriander seed. Black pepper. Lots going on here. Medium creamy body. Feels like a complex mix of a Scotch Ale, Black IPA and Imperial Stout. A wonderful deep earthy coffee brew with a potent spicy bite.
Bottled. Pours deep brown nearly black with a small lacing, beige head. Aroma of slightly roasted malts, coffee, chocolate, brown sugar and dark fruit. Sweet flavor that ends up slightly more dry with some alcohol. Medium to full bodied, oily to syrupy texture and soft to flat carbonation. An excellent brew. 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Rated on 7-12-2015 (Bottle purchased at West Lakeview Liquors-Chicago) The appearance is a smooth tan head that mostly diminished, opaque dark brown body, fast rising carbonation on the sides of my glass, and spotty amounts of lacing. The aroma is roasted, coffee, malt, light chocolate, sweet, fruity, light pine hops, and spice. The flavor is lightly bitter, moderately sweet, roasted, coffee, malt, light chocolate, sugar, light vanilla, and licorice. The mouthfeel is moderate carbonation and this beer is light-medium bodied. Overall, this is a complex beer with a lot going on in the aroma and flavor. It has a nice warming effect as it warms up and is a sipping beer. It is well worth trying.
This bottled brew from a bottle shop poured a head of foamy light brown colored bubbles that were and left behind a no visible carbonation opaque dark black colored body and an excellent lacing. The mild aroma was black malt brown malt and dark malt. The vinous mouth feel was tingly at the start and at the finish with a strong roasted malt aftertaste. The strong flavor contained notes of semi-sweet black malt roasted malt vinous toasted malt brown malt and dark malt. A wonderful best in class brew.
Bottle purchased at 7-11 Kittery, ME. Pitch black color with thin lasting tan head. Spiderweb lacing across the snifter. Aroma show me thick cocoa, mild pine and light traces of coffee grinds.
.
The flavor is just like the aroma with a very nice full mouthfeel that really is stout like. Creamy / velvet texture over the palate. The rich chocolately malts are cut through by a decent pine bitterness that lingers slightly after the sip, reminding me of a black IPA. Also coffee bitterness from the beans. Very mild licorice traces. The ABV is barely noticeable and the brewer gets it at 13.49%, very clever!
Overall this is like a stout / black IPA hybrid with a very rich, silky mouthfeel. I really enjoyed sipping this and very nicely crafted.
Rating #1349!
From the Deeps (*DING!* 1349 track reference alarm! I wonder how many 1349 track titles I can manage to sneak into this rating?) of my beer cellar comes this bottle. It’s a liberation to finally open it, it was almost buried by time and dust, but I had to save it for my 1349th rating, right? Anyway, to my surprise it doesn’t pour a pitch black body, instead it’s very deep brown, but pretty close to black. The small head is long-lived and ends up as a fully covering film and some lacing on my glass. The aroma is very malty and sugary sweet, with notes of dark roasted malt (these grains have obviously been through a furious hellfire), dark chocolate, coffee, sweet fruits and lots and lots of brown sugar. The flavour is pretty intense, with complex notes of dark roasted malt, coffee, alcohol, white sugar, brown sugar, lactic sugar and in the back there is a fun herbal touch. The taste is incredibly sweet, this might be the sweetest beer I’ve ever had. However, the beer doesn’t feel totally out of balance, due to the long-lasting, quite heavy bitter finish and the quite obvious (but still smooth and clean) alcohol. It’s too sweet though, It actually feels a bit under-attenuated. It’s syrupy and sticky on the palate, with a body that’s fuller than full. The carbonation is very soft. You probably shouldn’t drink too much of this beer: with all this sugar and alcohol it must be an efficient sculptor of flesh. Also, the sugar overdose combined with truckloads of dark roasted malt makes me feel like I breathe spears, I need to brush my teeth, now! All this negativity aside, this isn’t at all a beer that screams "I Am Abomination!", it actually is a good one that will warm you up if you suffer from internal winter (although I won’t be chasing dragons beyond the apocalypse to get another bottle).
Did you find all 11 track titles, by the way?
[33 cl bottle, enjoyed 5 months after bottling, from Vinmonopolet Online]