Cafe Twenty Eight and Surly Four

Last week while in the Twin Cities I decided to roll by Cafe Twenty Eight for some Surly Four. Linda Haug happened to be around and I was able to chat with her a bit. Linda is Todd Haug's wife and Todd happens to be the brewmaster at Surly.

Cafe Twenty Eight has been open for almost 8 years. When they opened they had 5 of the 8 trappist ales available and focused on serving quality beers. Once Surly opened they were the first account to have Surly on tap. Linda told Todd that if it didn't sell well, she would have to take it off the tap line. Not once did she have to take Surly off (big surprise).

Linda says that Surly is aggressive and not everyone will like it. She will bring samples to the customers so they can try something new and some really enjoy the beer.

A random question came about while I was talking with her. Feel free to comment if you can answer this question. What will future generation beer drinkers be drinking as their 'standard' beer? For her it was Summit's EPA and now for me it is Surly Furious. The beers keep developing and getting better, so it really makes me wonder what will bring about for the next generation.

Now, onto Surly Four. This was poured in a Darkness snifter and enjoyed on the patio at Cafe Twenty Eight on a gorgeous spring day (sounds amazing, right?).

Served with 1 finger of thick, creamy mocha tan colored head. Decent retention with some very nice lace walls. Color is a dark black.

Aroma: Tons of coffee flavors, with a large amount of hops. Big roasted malt profile with some rich chocolate. Vanilla notes in the background.

Taste: Tons of espresso and coffee flavors with roasted malts up front again. Huge earthy hop profile really balances this beer out, but still it is big. Very typical of Surly to hop the hell out of their beer. I like it. Big chocolate flavors with a light amount of vanilla. Well done.

Mouthfeel: Roasted, creamy, smooth, and bitter Medium (very nice amount) of carbonation with a medium to full body. Ends roasted and very clean.

Overall, extremely drinkable. It was hard to set my glass down. I really enjoyed this beer and I think it was well done for the style. I am glad I got to drink it. I hope I can find more of it around. This one is a must have!

Thanks for reading!

Cheers,
Ben