Surly SurlyFest

A traditional Oktoberfest bier from Surly? Nein! If you want one of those, grab your passport and head over to Munchen (bring us back some pretzels.) SurlyFest is brewed with three different types of Rye and a single variety of American Hops. Malted Rye, Flaked Rye, and Crystal Rye impart a distinctive biscuit flavor to the lush Vienna Malt body, and dry-hopping with Sterling Hops adds bright, floral hop aromas. A single hop, dry-hopped, rye lager bier? Ja!

Note: 2006 version brewed with Summit hops.

3.6

371 reviews

Minneapolis, United States

Community reviews

3.3 Taste: crisp, rye grain, fresh hop bite. Malt and rye bread with an herbal nose. Dark copper, mostly clear, with a cream colored head, some lace. Medium body. Different than an Oktoberfest.

3.9 Pint can. malty aroma, with a slight hoppy scent. Copper, orange-ish colored with a white head that fades quickly. I really like the flavor! Good malt, spicy rye is evident, and bitterness is balanced well. Med to full bodied. Overall, while not a traditional Oktoberfest beer, a very delicious version of it!

3.5 Draft. Pours copper with orange hue; light tan head. Rye spiciness on the nose with earth hops. Biscuity malt with earthy spiciness.

3.5 Can. Aroma is sweet and hoppy. Taste is sweet malty with a hoppy sweet malt finish. Pretty good and not one of my personal favorite styles.

3.9 It’s good, though I prefer a more traditional style. Some toastiness does come through but is dominated by the hops.

4.5 Surly makes it quite clear that this Oktoberfest is their own interpretation of the style instead of a classic fest bier, and that’s a beautiful thing. The dark orange color is a bit lighter than the copper shade of most fest lagers. Aroma is perfect; maybe not strictly for an Oktoberfest, but for me. Spicy rye, floral and piney hops. Interestingly, flavor does seem more traditional. Grassy rye, biscuit malt, and mildly herbaceous, tea-like hops. Medium-bodied and crisp. Delicious.

3.4 Hazy, copper pour with a white head. The aroma has caramel and bread along with a big dose of floral hops. It has a medium body with soft texture and carbonation. The taste is bittersweet with a quick finish.

3.6 Soft golden orange pour with a slight copper hue and two fingers of sustained sandy white head. Nose shows floral hops out of the gate with some woody notes and toasted/biscuity grain. Hints of sweetness and earthy/rustic malt. A mild citrusy bitterness shows at the front of the mouth with a grainy quality following. Earthy and bready on the back of the mouth with an uncharacteristically bright hop character. Medium light bodied with a moderate bitterness and grainy bite. Nice.

3.6 Can at amazing tasting 30th birthday of Alexander. Many thanks again! APPEARANCE: dark blond beer, nice stable white head. NOSE: fruity, bit hoppy, pleasant. TASTE: bit hoppy, fruity, balanced, nothing special.

3.8 Pint can courtesy of Todd. Pours a deep cloudy dark rusty orange with a medium sized cream colored head. Aroma of malted rye, tea leaves, hops and floral notes. Taste of rye malt, hops and tea leaves.

3.5 Can at the Lincoln Wine Bar. I like this more than most american fest beers. It’s a bit more hoppy than a traditional one, but it’s nicely balanced and has the traditional character without the annoying character of american fest.

4.0 16 ounce can but I have had it on tap on the brewery as well. Pours a tan orange in color. Small white head and not a lot of carbonation. Strong aroma of fresh hops. Great mix of hops and malt. It is neither sweet, nor bitter. There is a slight bitter finish that comes on late and does not linger.

4.3 Clear brilliant burnt orange with a thin white ring of foam. Lovely aroma with stern floral hoppy tones, sticky caramel and toffee, and a light touch of sweet pine. Unlike any marzen I’ve ever tried. Amazing flavor with some biscuity toast and sweet caratoffee body with a lovely German hop and American floral hop flavor that’s really hard to describe. Very flavorful and unique, almost like a marzen-pale ale hybrid. Lots of caramel and floral hop tones.

3.8 Nearly clear dark orange pour with a three finger, fluffy beige head that as great retention. Aroma Is caramel, toast, cereal, spicy grain, spicy hops and floral hops. Flavor is caramel, spicy and toasted rye, light toffee, herbal, spicy and sort of tangy floral hops. Medium body, creamy to chewy feel, medium carbonation and off dry, still slightly creamy finish. Really solid Oktoberfest, the rye certainly makes an appearance and works well with the style, though I think this is a bi of a stretch on the style. .

3.4 On tap at Black Bottle Brewery. Dark orange appearance with an off-white head. A little fruity, clean and malty with light toffee, rye, biscuit, floral notes, a hint of caramel malt and mild noble hop spiciness. Festival!

4.1 Can. Pours clear copper with off white head. I was pleasantly surprised by this beer. Tastes like a sweet, malty pale ale. I am going to get more. Good.

3.9 16oz can shared that poured a medium orange with eggshell head. The aroma is awesome very nice biscuit and rye spice with medium body. The flavor is a medium body of rye malts, biscuit and subtle rye spice. On the end there is a mild floralness from the hops. Evenly balanced start to finish. Overall excellent drinking and flavor.

3.7 Can at home. Pours a dark copper color with fast dissipating white head. Leaves a thin bubbly film. Aroma is light citrus, caramel, honey, biscuit, toast. Great aroma, a bit more hop presence than others I have tried in this style. Taste is citrus, faint pine, caramel, toast, light honey. Mild bitterness, moderately sweet. Nice and balanced. Medium body, medium carbonation. Probably the best I have had in this style.

3.4 Clear copper pour with an off white head. Great lacing. Aroma is rye, caramel, nuts and a little earthy. Taste is toffee, rye, toast, and herbal. Medium body.

3.7 Balanced, creamy body of sweet caramel and toffee, with dark rye notes above the spice. Moderate pine hops linger long. A cut above for the style.

3.6 Clear orange, thick smooth off-white lasting lacing foam. Hoppy aroma with strong floral, grass notes. Quite nice taste too. Perfect. (Chicago 201510)

3.4 It’s pretty silly for this website to label Surly Fest as an Oktoberfest style when the label clearly denies any relationship to that style -- and one sip will confirm the company’s perspective. Classify Surly Fest a specialty grain beer and you’ll have a much better deScription of this hop heavy, rye spicy ale. Poured from a can.

4.0 Pours a clear coppery color with off-white head. Caramel malt, pine, and some biscuit on the nose; follows onto the palate. Medium bodied. Finishes with malt and pine.

3.8 Aroma is citrus/fruit, very light pine and malts. The flavor is citrus/fruit, mild hops/hop resin, malts, a hint of grapefruit and a slightly odd mix of bitter and smooth in the finish.

3.7 Pours a slightly hazy amber-orange-stained wood color with a fair khaki head that quickly settles to a ring and leaves some stringy, soapy lace. Nose involves herbal leafy hops (quite English), some spice, some honey, a light caramel note. Pretty sweet, fairly bitter. Medium to light bodied, crisp, somewhat oily, pretty active, with a long herbal honey tea finish. A nice brew, definite interesting twist on an Oktoberfest. A little more of the rye spice would punch it up for me and balance out the sweetness.

3.7 Can-pours dark orange verging on amber hue with a small soapy eggshell head with sparse lacing. Nose is sort of not to the style-big dry hop note, rye malt is big here, dry, slightly woody. Flavors of big sterling hops, mostly grassy yet punchy bitterness, lots of rye malt sweetness. body is lush slick and very nice! My only gripe with this beer is that it is not really a true marzen. I love dry hopped beers but it doesnt work here. The hops cover up the nice malt that im sure this beer really has. I like the hop bitterness however, the Sierra Nevada from this year is considerably better!

3.7 16oz can. Pours a clear, deep Amber color with a thin white head and a little lacing. Aroma is malty, bread, cereal, nutty. Medium on the palate with creamy carbonation. Flavor is sweet, malty, bread, nutty, some pine hop bitterness, with a light bitter finish. Not your typical Marzen beer, but very drinkable.

3.6 16oz can provided by BitterBeerGuy.. Thanks George!! Poured into my trusty slim tulip so I get a 2nd pour... foamy white head.. the brew is clear light amber. Big toasty maltiness with some slight cocoa notes in the nose.. hops are light and floral. Flavor mirrors the nose with a sorta dry maltiness... rye malt is there (I guess) but I would not pick it out in the crowd.. again a little toasty on the finish.. Body is light/medium... carbonation seems light... small bubble... Interesting... Not exactly right, but down the right street..

3.9 Purchased at Bottles and Cans in Chicago, IL; enjoyed at home after working out on a gorgeous evening. Appearance is an amber/copper with a thin white head. Aroma is a great mixture of caramel malt and lager yeast, nicely done. Taste is extremely good for the style, very well done, great caramel profile, nice bitterness.

3.0 Mostly clear bright copper with two fingers of off white head with good retention and lacing. Aroma is floral, somewhat grassy and smells like bread crust. Taste has a clean spicy note along with herbal character. Strong bread crust and grain husk in the aftertaste with mild lingering spiciness from the rye and hops. Light/medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Not my idea of a marzen or fest beer. More like a semi hoppy rye beer.