Surly Wet

October 21st, 2010 beckel

So we have the infamous Wet from my local Surly Brewing. Though only the 2nd year they have brewed this Fresh Hopped IPA and the first year they have canned it the hype surrounding it is as intense as everything else Surly and limited. Surly Brewing is unquestionably one of my favorite breweries though I rarely get around to writing about their beers. Coming in at close to $17 a 4-pack this is no cheap brew but you get what you pay for with craft beer and a brew like this is not cheap to produce. Brewed with hops that were harvested 3 days prior to boiling this is one brew that any fan of serious hops can appreciate. I have had this brew a number of times since its release, even being lucky enough to sample Wet – All The Way, their very limited unblended version of the brew that was available at the Autumn Brew Review. While I find the distributed version of Wet fantastically more balanced and much more palatable it was fun to try the insanely hoppy unblended brew that contained an intense 20 lbs of hops per barrel. Canned 10/11/10.

Pours an attractive completely translucent copper hue. Producing about two fingers of bright white head that lingers for a few minutes leaving a nice amount of lacing and a few millimeters of residual head. Smells of massive tangerine, Mandarin orange, grapefruit, passion fruit, lemon, intense bitterness and a myriad of other citrus and fruit esters. Flavor starts with rich caramel malt, solid bitterness, vibrant and diverse fruit esters obviously from the serious amount of Citra Hops used in this brew. Mild herbal hop esters compliment the fruit notes and an oat like grain character adds to the relatively full but clean mouthfeel. Body is meduim and at 7.5% you better be careful because your mind will tell you to drink this brew all night long. After taste is a bit grassy as you will often see from the use of fresh hops but the lingering flavors are still quite nice encouraging you to take sip after sip. If only harvest time could be more than once a year I would be a happy man. Any fan of IPAs will be all over this one but unfortunately your time is running out to get some. If you are luck enough to already have some in your possession drink it quick as this is not a beer to be aged. If not I’m sure there are still a few places to grab some. If this beer could be produced year round and at a slightly more economical price I would drink it on a regular basis. Though last years was only available on draft I’m pretty sure I like this balance of this years better. If you enjoy fruity hops and aren’t afraid of a nice dose of bitterness you will be in heaven. Give it a shot and ride your bike.

Sury Wet