Surly Darkness

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 10 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 9

Pours coffee brown with a nice tan head. Aroma presents roast malt, coffee, molasses and licorice tones. Bold flavor delivers rich molasses, roast malt, coffee, semi-sweet and licorice notes; it is rather sweet but not cloying. Viscous body delivers a strong and persistent fizz. Enjoy the darkness! Another one off me beer bucket list.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

Finally had a chance to try this today at Tribes Alehouse. Black pour (looks like used motor oil) with a small dark tan head. Aromas of chocolate, coffee, dark fruit and roasted malt. Tastes as it smells, with the chocolate coming more to front as it warms and a bit of an ashy taste as well. Thick and coating mouthfeel. An outstanding Imperial Stout. Would like to try other versions of the great beer (barrel aged, etc.). A must try for Imperial Stout fans.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Sampled from bottle thanks to Andy. Pours opaque black-brown with a tan head. Dark dried fruit aroma. Flavor is sweet with rich bready, chocolate malts and dark dried fruits. Good final gravity to make it drinkable but it's sweetness and lower carbonation makes it a sipper.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 8

Lucky to have had a couple of pints on tap so far this year (at a price that is cheaper per ounce than the bottled version). Pitch black pour with thick mocha head. This is a huge beer with so much going on. I get plums, cherries, raisins, fig, chocolate, coffee, roasted malts and hop bitterness. Every sip brings something new, especially as the beer warms. Excellent!

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 8

Big thanks to Andy for hooking me up with the 2011 edition. Pours a opaque, sludgy black. Texture of motor oil. Head is massive. Light brown, Aroma is huge.Roasted with coffee beans. smoke. Black licorice, woody incredible balance with bittersweet chocolate. Earthy and fig notes.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

RBAG 2012. First off got to say I love the bottle….zombies get bonce marks………wax is cool to. Light smoke, some pipe tabaco, mild soap, blue berry……Aromas are all starting to fade together today good thing this my last beer of the night. Taste high quality, roasted malts, smoke, wood, prunes, other stuff. Getting the odd with whiff of sweaty feet but its limited. Bitter coffee lingers in after taste…Daaaaa beer is kind of underwhelming after the awesome that was drank tonight but you can still tell this is a wicked brew! Thanks Savey

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

October 2011 version. Poured like flat coke, but the head did finally build up, very black in the glass with dark dark tan head. Aroma is fairly mild, some hops are deffinitely present along with a syrupy malt character. Then the flavor, wow, absolutely worth the wait and the 6 hour drive to duluth! robust mouth full of dark fruits, rich malt and noticeable hops to keep it balanced. Almost a milky smoothness and a biting aftertaste that makes you want another mouthful. Picking up some coffee, burnt malts and resin in the aftertaste. From start to finish this is extemely well done. As it warms you pick up a lot more thick caramel, toffee and booze. A great brew to head into winter.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

Charlie Murphy!......2008 Darkness shared at a recent tasting. I heard this can be a hoppy impy when fresh, but this was all sweet chocolate and dark berries mixed with a dash of port wine and coffee. Really nice treat to sip on for a while. /////////////// Sampled a fresh bottle from the 2012 batch on November 4 amongst some friends, and was much more impressed with this than the aged sample originally reviewed. Aroma & Flavor scores bumped up accorgingly. Overall an exceptionaly stout.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Aug. 2010 - Thanks to eaglefan538 for hanging on to his bottle until I was available to trery. Dark as night pour, nice reddish brown head. Huge aroma of dark chocolate and huge fruitiness. This one is not your typical huge coffee/roasty stout. Huge vinous flavors, plums. These aren’t flavors I typically gravitate to, but for what it is, it was well made. Lots of bitterness in the finish, but no typical citrus or pine ir resinous hop flavors.

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 10 | Flavor: 10 | Overall: 10

My First Surly Beer ever.. Thank you Dansting for trading me this beer!

Nothing exciting about the nose. I smell a lot of alcohol some carmel, molasses and chocolate. Pours a thick black that has a massive dark tan head that last for days. This might be the best mouthfeel on an Impy Stout I can remember. Thick and rich full body goodness with extreme balanced carbonation and a silky smooth finish. Flavor is roasted malt that is not!!! over done. many beers in this style are burnt in flavor this one is not. Chocolate, molasses, vanilla some plum and a slightly fruity finish. This is extremely well done and a true treat.