Bender - Surly Brewing Company, Brooklyn Center

This can of Surly Brewing Company's Bender found its way to me through a beer trade. Surly doesn't distribute to my neck of the woods but I had heard some good things about their beers. This was the first Surly I'd had so I went into it with an open mind and an eagerness to try something new. The description on the back of the can certainly got my attention by describing this beer as an "oatmeal brown ale" ... sounds promising. Pouring this (very full) pint sized can into my glass was relatively uneventful. The head was predictably fluffly and the body was a dark reddish brown that only got darker the more it settled. Things were promising but I was suddenly a bit more reserved with my optimism.

The persistent head of Surly's Bender was a nice khaki color that left just a little lacing along the side of the glass. The aroma underneath the head really piqued my interest. It was a rich malty oat aroma with a faint bitter chocolate note and some sweet caramel. I continued to enjoy the aroma for a while as I waited for the head to die down a bit.

After taking my first sip from this glass of Bender the first thing that came to mind was "Arrogant Bastard Lite" ... and I mean that in a good way. The first thing I noticed right up front was the big malt flavor and creaminess that was followed immediately by bitter dark chocolate, burnt toffee and finished off with a little more bitterness from the hops. Honestly, I wasn't too crazy about the flavor combination at first, mostly because I focused to much on the bitterness. Knowing there were other flavor beyond the bitterness, I kept going back for more, and that's when this beer started growing on me. The subtler sweet flavors; caramel, toffee and oatmeal really came through as the beer warmed and my palate adjusted to the bitter flavors.

In the end this glass of Surly Bender still reminded me of my first Arrogant Bastard in the way it's flavors hit my tongue. The bitterness and all that malt up front are reminiscent, but much more approachable and well balanced. This beer may not appeal to fans of Arrogant Bastard because it isn't as extreme, and it certainly won't catch on among the lager crowd, but it's definitely got a following. There is a lot to like about this beer but the stronger bitter flavors may be a turn off to those who don't like IPAs or big Stouts like Old Rasputin. I'd still recommend this beer to anyone looking for something with a different combination of flavors but still approachable. If you can get your hands on a can of Surly Bender then you should try it for yourself