Surly Bender
Get Surly! 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.
3.7
831 reviews
Minneapolis, United States
Community reviews
Danish pint from an actual pint can; courtesy of Rob G. Aroma: Moderate malts that tend toward nuts, chocolate and a little toast; very light citrus hops. Appearance: Translucent chestnut brown beer with a sticky tan head that settles into a thin ring. Flavor: Aforementioned malts and citrus hops at about a 60/40 split; citrus lingers lightly afterwards; the finish is semi-dry and lightly bitter. Palate: Medium body, creamy texture, soft carbonation, abrupt finish. Overall: A pretty nice brown ale that manages to exceed most of it’s peers.
Pours a light brown color with a foamy off white head. Notes of roasted nuts, milk chocolate, and vanilla. Nice but feels a bit thin.
A perfect brown. The only thing stopping a perfect score is aroma and palate complexity but in some ways the straightforward palate is in itself part of what makes this a straight fastball brown. Very impressive!
On tap at Village Green.
From the tap, at Zelo, Minneapolis. Pours dark brown with beautiful ruby reflections and fine brownish foam. Aroma is not intense, with just some maltiness and terrain. Body is medium with some level of carbonation. Taste is moderate sweetness and bitterness, with oatmeal emerging in the finish.
-- rated with beerbasher/winphone
Pint can. Caramel malt aroma with notes of cocoa, coffee, vanilla and a hint of hops. Pours dark brown colored with one finger of light brown head that has excellent retention but no lacing. Starts with rich cocoa and caramel malt flavors to go along with the rich, full body. Finishes lightly dry but smooth with vanilla, light hops and, most notably, coffee that lingers on the palate. Very good brown ale.
Can, the pour is dark auburn with strong red heels, and the head is thick and tan and color. The aroma has hops some sort of spiced notes to it. The taste is crisp, slight coffee, and solid roasted flavors buy a clean crisp finish.
Can.
A- Oak, subtle booze, fruit esters, chocolate.
A- Brown mahogany color, clear liquid, tan head.
T- Caramel, malty, subtle fruits.
P- Medium body, slightly thin texture, average carbonation, complex finish
O- Easily one of the best brown ales I’ve had. Didn’t get any coffee, vanilla, or anything really that I expected. Instead it smelled and tasted like a lighter bodied scotch ale. Quite frankly, I don’t care as it was tasty.
Can thanks to trade with HuskerTan! Pours a slightly hazy deep brown with thin wispy tan head. Aroma of dark roast coffee and a hint of clean fruity esters. Taste follows, mild and clean. Decent brown ale, but not sure the hype is there.
Dark, toasted malts, light chocolate, some coffee. Hazy, dark brown, medium, creamy, beige head. Light bitter. Bitterness intensifies, more dark, toasted malts, cereals, coffee, light cacao, medium carbonation, medium bodied. Nice Brown Ale, well-balanced. Keg at the brewery, Minneapolis.
On tap at the brewery. Brown pour with a kaki head. Malty aromas. Caramel malts, toffee, and hints of orange peel. Good body and mouthfeel. Smooth.
Not a whole lot too this. Light roast and lots of mash malt. Might be better fresh, but not a top brown ale for me. Dark mahogany pour. Tangy mash finish. Tap at Churchkey.
Merci à Stéphane pour cette canette pour le moins... étonnante. Liquide brun foncé et translucide. Des arômes de sucre d’orge, de cerises au marasquin, de malts sucrés et sans subtilité. Peu ou pas de goût. Un peu de café peut-être et d’amertume qui provient d’on ne sait où. Pas de houblons, ni de torréfaction. Une amertume cheap. Finale mince de vieilles chaussettes. Moche moche moche.
Wow. This is much better for mine than the coffee version. Big, tawny body, lots of caramel and dark mats, almost stout like.Drinks much bigger than 5 %. World class.
Sample from can. Pours dark brown, tan head. Aroma was malty, hazelnuts and vanilla. Taste was sweet and malty.
Lata de 480 ml conseguida en Ultramarinos Franco, Ciudad de México. Aroma a nueces, vainilla, ciruelas, caramelo. Notas a caramelo, cacao, vainilla, tal vez un poco de canela. Perfectamente balanceada y facil de beber en cualquier ocasión. Mis respetos para Surly Brewing Co!
pour red brown with a light tan head. cocoa, and light caramel aroma, Taste light sweet with bitter notes. medium bodied, average carbonation.
Tap @ Mikkeller Bar Aarhus. Pours reddish brown with a medium offwhite head.
Aromas of malt, chocolate, light hoppiness, orange sweetness.
Taste is malty, chocolate, bitter, toasty, sweet.
Tap @ Mikkeller bar, Aarhus. Clear brownish pour with a a fluffy head. Notes of caramel, malty sweet, light hops, syrup, grains and a light bitter finish.
From tap at Mikkeller & Friends. Fark brown colour with an off-white head. Aroma and flavour of malt, caramel, roasted, nuts, hops and bitterness.
Tap@Mikkeller & Friends, Copenhagen - dark brown to black with a beige head. Toasty and roasty aroma and taste, treacle, caramel and toffeish sweetness, some nutty notes, brown sugar, sweet malty finish.
Can. Clear deep brown pour with a beige head. Aroma is sweet malty caramel, hint of nuts. Taste is a little sweet and lightly roasty, some caramel and nutty notes, a touch of dark fruits. Simple but quite nice.
Clear dark brown pour with a medium sized beige head. Nutty caramel aroma. Taste follows but is a little thin. Light body.
Pours lightly hazy to a deep reddish brown hue. dark beige head with lots of lacing. caramel, brown sugar, nuts, chocolate, vanilla, ready aroma. super smooth. loved it.
Nice solid brown. Big vanilla and cocoa taste. Full malty taste. Perfect balanced medium body.
16 ounce can into pint glass, canned on 7/24/2015. Pours lightly hazy/cloudy deep reddish brown color with a 2 finger fairly dense and fluffy khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass. Aromas of caramel, brown sugar, brown bread, toasted oats, nuttiness, chocolate, cocoa, light coffee/vanilla, herbal, floral, and roast/toasted earthiness. Very nice aromas with good balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malt and light-moderate earthy hop notes; with good strength. Taste of caramel, brown sugar, brown bread, toasted oats, nuttiness, chocolate, cocoa, light coffee/vanilla, herbal, floral, and roast/toasted earthiness. Light herbal/spicy hop and roasted bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of caramel, brown sugar, brown bread, toasted oats, nuttiness, herbal, floral, and roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Damn nice complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; with a great bitterness/sweetness balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Light-medium carbonation and medium bodied; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/silky, and slightly sticky/chalky mouthfeel that is great. Alcohol is very well hidden with minimal warming present after the finish as expected of 5.1%. Overall this is an excellent American brown ale. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; and very smooth and easy to drink. A very enjoyable offering.
Can. Pours dark red-brown with thick tan head and substantial lacing. Subtle chocolate aroma with coffee, vanilla, and cream notes. Bitterness upfront followed by roasted malt, slight chocolate and coffee. Vanilla and roasted malt with a touch of smoke in the long finish. Silky mouthfeel.
16 oz can. Canned on 07/24/15. Thanks a lot Timo A!
Clear dark red color with a tiny light tan head.
The aroma is dry hops, mild bitterness, dryness, berries and malt.
The flavor is dry hops, berry hops, some sweetness and dry maltiness. More Red Ale than Brown Ale to me.
Wasn't sure what to expect but pleasantly surprised. Not much aroma but it might have been that I didn't let it warm up. Mouthfeel good. Taste yum.
nice super hoppy brown ale. has a nice nutty hoppy finish with some roasted malt notes. smells nutty and hoppy. pours almost black with a really thick lacey brown head. had out of a can at home.
Pours dark brown with a huge tan head. Aroma is thick with dark roasty bread and toddy notes. Body is medium to heavy. Flavour is malty and rich. Finish is thick as well and only slightly sweet, with a drying feeling.