Surly Brewing Company Darkness (365 Day 363)

By scot in 365 Days of American Craft Beer, Beer on Wednesday, November 30th, 2011

Surly Darkness

Tuesday Night Beer Club (TNBC) was held this month at Rich’s house with a theme of dark beers. The night started off slowly with a couple of American craft beers that were fizzles. As the evening went on the beers started to improve with most of the offers turned into some sort of Imperial Stout. Or course each stout seemed to be bigger than the last until you get to the point that a big stout doesn’t even feel big.

Time for the big guns. Rich rushed in with a bottle of 2010 Darkness by Surly Brewing Company and, before that was gone, broke open a bottle of 2010 Dark Lord by Three Floyds Brewing Company so that we do a taste comparison. Both damn tasty beers but American craft beer 363 is focused on Darkness.

2010 Darkness, in most of our opinions, is currently at its peak. It seems to be a smooth drinker with a nice balance between a sweet and dry finish, neither of which your mouth succumbs. I think you could maybe go another year at most on the 2010 batch before it would be past its prime.

I do have to say that I preferred the Dark Lord over Darkness but by the slimmest of margins. They are both solid beers. I will continue to find my way to the release parties each year. Enjoy!

Aroma: 10 (25%), Taste: 10 (25%), Look: 10 (15%), Drinkability: 9 (35%), Overall: 9.7

Useless Fact: The Venetian painter Tintoretto (1518-1594) once painted a picture of Paradise that was 72 feet long. It was made for the Doge’s palace in Venice.