Furious - Surly Brewing Company, Brooklyn Center

Everyone seems to speak so highly of Surly Brewing Company that I started to feel left out because I haven't been able to get my hands on any of their beers. Recently three cans of Surly found their way to me and I couldn't wait to see what all the fuss was about. The first can I opened was Surly's Bender. It was an interesting Oatmeal Brown Ale that I enjoyed but felt was ultimately a little too hoppy for my liking. Today I opened up the second can of Surly in my fridge, it's their Furious IPA. I'm expecting this one to be hoppy but I'm hoping it has more to offer than just bitterness.

This can of Surly Furious pours a clear medium brown color. As the glass settles, you're left with a little lacing and a thin white layer of foam on top of the beer. The aroma coming from the glass is definitely hoppy, it smells bitter but not terribly floral. There seems to be a nice balance of hops and malt on the nose, I'm hoping this carries through to the flavor.

Taking my first sip of this beer I'm greeted with more than a fair amount of hop bitterness, less malt than expected and just a faint citrus sweetness. The beer finishes mildly bitter but definitely hoppy and rather dry. As the beer warms up to room temperature I'm getting a lot more sweet malt and caramel, which helps distract from the bitter hops.

I finished this beer with a sense of, "that's it?" I don't see what all the hype is about. This is a decent IPA, darker and maltier than most. Sure, it's a little more balanced and has some good malt flavor but It's still a dry, hoppy IPA. This isn't the kind of beer I find myself reaching for after a day at work. If you're in to IPAs you'll probably enjoy it tremendously.