Surly Review- Abrassive Ale

The following statement would be blashphemous to some, but it took awhile for me to really get into to Surly beers. Now, before you start questioning my beer geek credentials...just know that my reasons were solid. Much of my early craft beer drinking/blogging/brewing was centered around non hoppy beers. Hoppy beers have been an acquired taste for me, and so while I enjoyed the Bender, I didn't love it at first, and really didn't like Furious. But as my taste buds changed, I grew to love hoppy beers and was finally ready for Furious again, and it blew me away. Floral, citrusy, malty, complex. Really lived up to the hype. Abbrasive ale is no different. This is a beer that quite frankly I wouldn't have appreciated two years ago. I would have cursed myself for dropping $16 on a 4 pack of cans. Times have changed and I've grown into a fan of IPAs, especially big ones, and Abrassive Ale might be the best DIPA I've ever had. I try to avoid using too much hyperbole, but in this case, it applies. I'm not saying it's the best DIPA ever made, I'm saying that for my tastes, its the best I've had. I know some people who feel that Furious is better, or that this beer isn't chewy-hoppy-malty enough. I however, think it's really, really damn good.

Abrasive Ale pours honey gold with a finger of white head. Heavy citrus aromas, lemon, and grapefruit along with some nice hints of malt and even biscuit. Sweet and citrusy right away, with some maltiness and even some floral notes as well. This is similar to the Furious, a unique hop complexity that Surly does so well, a balance of floral and citrusy hops. There is plenty of bitterness throughout, especially in the finish. The body is lighter than some DIPAs, not chewy hoppy, bright but still with plenty of body. Finishes sweet and citrusy with plenty of lingering bitterness popping throughout your mouth. One more thing that I liked about Abrassive ale, was despite the abv, it's not boozy. The effect is there when you finish it off, but there isn't a boozy aroma in the nose. Overall, outstanding.
A+

More to come.
Salud!
Bearded Brewer