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Surly Brewery
Rating Details »
4811 Dusharme Dr
Brooklyn Center, MN 55429
(763) 535-3330
Brooklyn Center, MN 55429
(763) 535-3330
12 reviews for Surly Brewery
After visiting the brewery, I had to come back and update my review. We showed up around 9:00 for Darkness Day, which started at noon, and there was already a huge line. Rough estimate, we were about 400 people back from the front. The first 800 got wristbands to buy up to 6 bottles.
Anyway, it was a nice sunny day and people were friendly. The brewery cracked open two kegs of Coffee Bender to fuel the dedicated crowd and they gave this away for free. Not surprising, these guys are awesome. I've seen Omar a bunch of times at their events around the cities and he's one friendly dude. One time he gave us free cask Furious all night, what a guy.
After sampling some tea-bagged Furious (my favorite) and some of the 09 vintage Darkness, we left satisfied with our 12 bottles. Can't wait 'til next year.
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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2/13/2009
I've never actually been to the brewery but all their beers are great. I've tried the Three, Smoke,… Read more »
This is one of the finest breweries in the entire country. It is up there in my list of peak luminary breweries such as Russian River in Santa Rosa, CA or Three Floyd's in Munster, IN. I've not yet taken the time to tour the brewery itself, but I've enjoyed almost every beer they've ever produced in kegs and pint cans. We are so fortunate to have this superior brewery in this market. Their beers are creative (it's hard to characterized exactly WHAT Bender is, and then the Coffee Bender?, or an "Oktoberfest" with rye?) and I honestly have only had one that I didn't care for (Surly 3) of the scores I've tried.
We are the envy of the craft brewery fan-nation for having this wonderful brewery. Folks on Beer Advocate are pining for the Furious and always trying to trade for it and other Surly beers. I think this brewery has the potential to grow into a national powerhouse, and I hope they can do so without compromising their standards.
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Less of a brewery tour and more of a "stand in a room and drink some beer"....tour. The brewery is pretty small, and most of it consists of the owner giving his background in how he got started brewing. Its lots of fun, and you get free beer. I would estimate the sample cups are approx 8 oz, and you get 5....so you feel pretty good after all is said and done.
I went with a few friends and made the argument that after a few of the beers, people might be buzzed enough to want to buy a shirt. Sure enough, someone in my party began contemplating the notion after sample #4.
This is a good way to start your Friday night.
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I am not a beer drinker, yet I still had a total blast on the brewery tour. I tried the beers, and really liked the dark one, which ever one that was!
The tour was fun, and the owner is a super cool, funny down to earth guy.
Fun and free way to spend a Friday evening.
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I love beer. I love Surly.
Surly Furious is a little too hoppy for me to down several pints, but their Bender and Coffee Bender are delicious. It would be cool to have them sell a variety 4-pack alongside their usual offerings at the liquor store.
The last time I was at the brewery, they were offering Surly Mild, a great session beer. It's very unlike their typical beers and not very hoppy. It's good for drinking over a couple hours, unlike the Furious. I wish it were more available, I see myself drinking it during those long summer evenings.
They also give great tours of the brewery. It's clear that Omar loves what he's doing. Just make sure to reserve a spot ahead of time, tours get filled rather quickly. I've gone twice and the first time, Omar's dad was behind the bar giving out samples. Awww, family!
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One of the great things about microbrews is their owners tend to be very hands on. As an example, Edina Grill had a firkin of Furious last night and who was personally pouring each glass? None other than Omar, the owner of Surly. I was able to talk shop with him and enjoy a cold one.
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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7/28/2009
Surly Furious gets my vote for best IPA in America and unlike others, my palate has been changed by… Read more »
Best. Beer. Ever.
No matter what your taste in beer is, as long as you enjoy good beer, Surly has something for you. Make it out to the brewery for a tour if you get a chance, the people are wonderful and it is the only place you can buy great Surly gear (shirts, hats, etc.). There is a great chance you'll meet the owner or brew master while you're there; they and all of their staff are wonderful individuals who are more than happy to talk about their beer.
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I consider myself a beer aficionado, I make beer, I judge beer, I love good beer and Summit has always been my high bar for the best beer in the Twin Cities. If you like Summit EPA, you will love Surly Furious. It is a hop lovers dream.
Todd Haug is the brew master and was the brew master at the downtown Rock Bottom a few years ago and he and Omar (The owner) started a small new company in the northern suburbs that has proved to be one of the best in the country.
I met Todd a couple of times at Rock Bottom and he was always super cool and I am super happy he has spun off his best creations.
Now, I am about to talk about Darkness....It is a Russian Imperial Stout, not to be messed with. It is 10.3 alcohol and a true sipping winter beer. I introduced it to my co-workers and it is a true chocolate elixir of the gods.
On tap (We got it at the 8th Street Grill) it comes in its own 10oz little brandy sifter with the name emblazoned on the side. The tan head spells chocolate milk and every sip is like heaven. My friends and I anointed it a specialty drink, not just a beer. We went back to 8th Street today and they were already out of it after a week and a half. My worst nightmare came true. One more year until the next batch of "The Darkness" as my friends call it.
A small Minneapolis brewery is making awesome beer....Makes this beer guy very happy.
If "The Darkness" isn't in where you are, "The Furious" will still make you very happy!
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I went here for the 2008 darkness festival. Before this I had some of Surly beers once or twice at different festival. I have never had it out of the can. But don't let the cans fool you. Can beer can be good beer and Surly is a fine example of that. All of their beers are great from the hoppy "Furious" to the coffee porter "Bender."
I really want to try and come back some time for the brewery tour I heard from a lot of people that it is one of the bests. I personaly have never been on a tour and gotten to see how they can the beer which seems like something that would be very interesting.
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Last Friday some friends and I were lucky enough to snag some openings in the Surly Brewery Tour. For those of you who want to go or have tried to go - know that the tours are ALWAYS full weeks in advance. My suggestion to you is if you are really pumped about going - start checking their website every day for any openings in the near future. If you see one, grab it up before anyone else does and look forward to the wonderful beer experience.
It wasn't much of a "tour" considering there is like one big room that you stand in where most of the beer magic happens. lol But one of the coolest parts was that instead of some lame tour guide reciting their script - the actual owner of the brewery is there standing on a milk crate with his mug-o-beer in hand. Dope.
He basically stands there talking about how the brewery came about - his ideas, his struggles and finally how successful Surly has already become. They give you a sheet with stats on it and it is unbelieveable how much it has grown since its inception in 2005. They are up to 15,000 kegs in 2009.
Another bonus about the tour is that during his shpeel (sp?) you are free to come and go into the pub area to grab more beer.
You get a wristband with 5 little noches that come off as your beer tickets. The glasses are a decent size for getting 5 of them.
I definitely enjoy the Furious and Coffee Bender. Such different tastes with rich flavors.
If you have never had Surly and are able to get it - try it - you won't be disappointed.
And if you are a Surly luvr 4 life - get into this tour.
Your Surly cup with runnith over.
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What a festive place! Brewing delicious, intense beer right in our own Brooklyn Center backyard. The beer is worth going on about, but I won't, except to say that you must seek it out and try it if you like beer.
If you like free beer you should read on. The generous Surly folks do tours of their unassuming brewery (if there weren't so many cars around when I went I would've turned right around. The place looks pretty suspicious and inauspicious) on an infrequent basis. You just have to know when (by signing up for their emails or fiendishly checking the website). One clue is that so far, the tours have been on Saturdays. Wherein, you and your buddies show up between the appointed hours, flash your ID if you look like a youngin', and...wait in line. But don't fret, because it's a boisterous line, a beer line, winding through the gaggles up to the counter where you can scoop up your free samples (Officially each person can have five samples, but nobody seemed to be counting). They'd run out of all but their standards, Furious (hoppy) and Bender (porter) when I went since we were on the late side, but I wasn't complaining. And they'd ordered a ton of pizzas for us, which was very thoughtful. The line dwindled towards the end, so I might even suggest going late if you're a line-o-phobe like me.
Plus we got to take our beer on the tour with us (rather than get it afterwards as on other tours). The "tour" was more of a brief lecture about how the beer is made since the brewery is only one room and the crowd was too big for much close inspection.
You can go most every Saturday to buy or fill up a growler of their Furious or Bender (or up to two of each), which seems like a nice way to spend your early afternoon (12-2 is when they're open). It feels like a very small, friendly-family operation and that's because it is. You'll probably run into Omar if you go - he's the owner.
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Amen!
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