Surly & Friends

November 5, 2015 @ 5:00 pm - 11:00 pm

Gird your freakin’ loins, Madison.

You know Surly. We know Surly. EVERYONE KNOWS SURLY. By and large, their beers are aggressive (Hell notwithstanding) yet true to style (Surly Fest really notwithstanding), and have been a ubiquitous presence in the Madison market since they entered it earlier this year. If you haven’t by now, get your mouth around some Furious, Overrated IPA, and Coffee Bender. We’ll wait.

All done? Good, because we’re not tapping any of that stuff. We’re highlighting what happens when Surly journeys to the far reaches of the Earth, puts on some High on Fire, and GOES FOR IT. Specifically, we’ll be tapping four beers total: two versions each of two collaboration beers Surly brewed with Amager and Lervig, each one a metal-as-you-know-what brewery that isn’t really known for their restraint. Each beer will be offered as a standalone pour, but our flight paddles hold four beers, so what’s your problem? Surly reps will also be on hand to discuss the beers, brewing process, differences between the versions, and maybe to beard-shame you. Anyway, see the tap list below:

Todd the Axe Man (Surly) – Some IPAs throw down the gauntlet. This one throws it down, douses it in gasoline, drops a flaming mic, then walks away from the explosion like John McClane, James Bond, and Wolverine all Voltron’d together. The stripped-down recipe (Golden Promise malt, Citra and Mosaic hops) lets the ingredients shine in a big way; Todd the Axe Man features explosive tropical fruit, pine, a slight cattiness, and a solid yet non-intrusive malt backing.   7.2% ABV

Todd the Axe Man (Amager) – Same basic recipe, same basic ingredients, but brewed at Amager’s facility in Denmark. A dash of German Herkules hops imparts a slight pepperiness to this version, but it remains, as its brother above, a resinous, ridiculous beast.   7.2% ABV

1349 Black Ale (Surly) – When you brew a beer with renowned black metal band 1349, it’s bound to look and taste evil, and this bad boy doesn’t disappoint. Brewed with an insane amount of dark malt, blackstrap molasses, a boatload of piney hops, and Ethiopian coffee, it takes a scorched-earth policy to your palate. Remarkably, it remains balanced for such a big beer, with the copious amounts of ingredients all operating in perfect harmony. They saved the discord for the album.   13% ABV

1349 Black Ale (Lervig) – This only makes sense, since Lervig and 1349 both hail from Norway. Lacking some of the aggressive hopping exhibited by Surly’s version, this beer comes across as even more decadent, with heaps and heaps of coffee, dark chocolate, burnt toffee, and residual dark fruit notes.   13.49% ABV

All tappings at 5pm. Beer will flow until the kegs are empty, or until we all become one with the night.

The first 24 customers to order a flight of these 4 beers will receive a free Surly pint glass!