I have been a huge fan of the Surly Brewing Company's Furious for almost two years now. When I venture out to my favorite neighborhood bar/eatery, I almost always have a Furious. In fact, the bartenders and waitresses are caught off guard when I order anything but a Surly Furious. (The fact that bartenders and waitresses know me by name and sight can be discussed at another time.) But when your ex-wife asks if you would like free beer that was left in her fridge and it has an ironically perfect name, well you just shake hands with fate and take a sip. This is how I came to try Surly Hell for the first time. A unique introduction to a unique lager.
Surly Hell comes in a can, like all Surly varieties do when not purchased by the keg. One of the things I love about Surly Furious is the fact that it cannot be "chugged" or in the very least isn't easily "chugged". I've past the "chugging" phase of my life, and prefer to enjoy my beer a bit longer than I used to. (Clearly, I am still in the overuse of quotation marks phase however), (ditto parentheses). Hell on the other hand, can clearly be "chugged". As a member of the Surly family is it a much lighter and lesser flavorsome cousin to the Furious. As a lager it is vastly superior to the most of it's mass produced competitors.
While Furious is high on hops flavor, Hell sends the hops to the side and allows the sweetness of the malt to control the pallet. The color is traditional for a lager, a more conventional "beer" color. The can itself calls Surly Hell - "fiendishly drinkable" - while I am not a fan of lagers as a whole, if I choose to drink one, there's better than a snowballs chance it will be Surly Hell.
No comments:
Post a Comment