Next up a beer I picked up on my epic voyage to Minnesota for Surly Darkness Day. The brewery was nice enough to throw out a couple of kegs of this eye-opener (HA PUNZ) for those of us waiting in the cold at 5am.

Brewery Home: Brooklyn Center, MN

Serving Style: Pint can into pint glasses

Beer Style: Coffee?

Appearance:Dark brown body that softens to ambers and reds when you hold it up to a light. Thick, creamy head with plenty of staying power.

Aroma: COFFEE! Intense coffee bean aromatics that you really will not find in any other coffee beer. It smells fresh and roasty. From experience, these are all good things in a beer you are having at 5:00am…while waiting for the brewery to open up and sell Darkness!

Taste: Layered in coffee complexities. The ‘fresh bean’ character of the nose fades nicely into beery roasted malts. The bitterness is soft and the end has almost a sour/acidic roll to it. Mouthfeel is light, giving the body an almost foamy/creamy profile. The combination works in tandem very well. Or at least I think so; Jenny thinks it lacks complexity…and gives her heartburn? I think I feel this slightly too, WTF? Maybe it’s that burrito I had…

ABV: 5.1%

Drink one or all?: One. More if you live in MN…you bastards.

Cost: $12/4-pack

Overall: 18/20