Abrasive Ale: F#%k Yea!

Yes, I have been slacking on my posts. I never thought working 50 hrs a week plus going to school could keep a guy so busy. Plus I need time in there to drink beer. Anyways, DLD is this weekend, so I will def be posting on that. I will have lots of fun stuff to read about.

For today, however, I have a review of Abrasive Ale from Surly. This beer was originally DVDA, then it was 16 Grit (which I had last year on tap at Stubs), and now is being canned for the first time with the name Abrasive Ale. It is Surly's version of a DIPA!

Poured into Surly Darkness snifter.

Pours almost a finger of beige khaki head. Fades down to a thin layer leaving some light lacing. Color is a glowing golden orange.

Aroma: I am smelling PtY here or what? The aroma reminds me so much of younger, but more floral notes. Huge floral hop profile. I can detect (yes this word is lame in a review) a fairly large biscuity malt profile (maybe some caramel malt as well which adds some sweetness to the beer). The citrus blend is also well represented in the nose. A big flavor. I dig it straight up.
Taste: Huge beer. Massive amount of floral hops, but the level of malts is high to keep it slightly balanced. Caramel and biscuit flavored malts keep things going here. The citrus notes are hard to separate, but there seems to be a lot going on. I would have to go with mango and grapefruit.There is a level of sweetness in there that reminds me a bit of the sweetness in hopslam as well (very little, but a bit). Big hop resin going on here.

Mouthfeel: It starts out relatively creamy, not the level of bitterness that I was expecting. It is bitter, but not too bitter. As it warms, however, the bitterness comes out more. Very big body for the style with a medium amount of carbonation. Ends very clean with some hop flavor sticking around. Nothing sticky or dry which is incredible for the style.

Overall, Surly has done it again. I had 16 grit last year on tap and this seems to top it. It reminds me a lot of PtY, which I thought was amazing. This beer packs more floral notes however, which is fine by me. It is extremely drinkable and my can is going fast. My wallet is going to be hurting for the next couple of weeks as long as this is on the shelves.

Do yourself and get some of this while you can!

Thanks for reading!
-Ben