Surly Bitter Brewer Review

Surly Brewing has a regular lineup of seasonals, but in the case of Surly Bitter Brewer it was released in May as opposed to Late March/Early April which is when it is normally released. I guess with all the stuff going on with their new planned destination brewery, that would be good reason to delay it slightly.

Bitter Brewer is an English Bitter which is a lighter style of beer with a lower ABV level, like is the case with Bitter Brewer which is 4.1% ABV. Perhaps the most widely known English Bitter known is Goose Island Honker's Ale, which I believe you can find in all 50 states, or at least in the lower 48 but that's just an educated guess.

Bitter Brewer pours a dark golden color with some mild haze and carbonation. Head is a bit on the soapy side and it finishes clean.

In the nose, I'm getting some light caramel malts, citrus hops, yeasts, and fruity notes. Fairly mild aroma but you can still make out what is in here. Fortunately, the taste is alot better than what you are expecting. You have nice marmalade, malts, yeasts and floral hop notes and they all seem to fall into place at once; With the exception of a slight dry bitter hop finish.

The body is light in weight and has a very low amount of carbonation but it doesn't feel watery; So there aren't any issues with the body here.

While Surly is known for their stronger stuff, their lighter stuff like this and Hell shouldn't be overlooked. It's a great tasting beer whether you factor in the low ABV or not and it has some really good drinkability. Maybe once their new destination brewery is open, this'll go the way of Hell and be available year-round

Surly Bitter Brewer - 8.5/10