Hopheads are some of our favorite people. They’re like this obsessed (in a good way) network of beer-loving thrill-chasers who always alert each other when the next object of their affection hits shelves or goes on draft nearby.
It is our pleasure, then, to contribute to their next text chain/Facebook group chat, as they can start hunting down Surly Abrasive this week.
Minnesota’s first double IPA, Abrasive started life as 16 Grit, so named because that was one of the abrasives manufactured at the Sparky Abrasives factory, ancestral Brooklyn Center home of Surly Brewing. We renamed it when we started canning it in 2010, and its status as a “must-have” for hop lovers has only grown over the years. Once again, we brewed the entire 2019 batch in Brooklyn Center. It seemed fitting.
An unreasonable amount of Citra hops, and their attendant citrus-y, tropical notes (grapefruit, melon, lime, pineapple, and passion fruit), provide this double IPA’s foundation. Surly’s “we don’t brew to style” ethos shines through with the unconventional addition of malted oats, balancing the bitterness and lifting Abrasive to critically-acclaimed heights.
The particulars:
- ABV: 9.2%
- Bitterness: High.
- Color: Hazy gold.
- Hops: Citra. So much Citra.
It’s making its annual return to stores and draft lines this week. Get it now, get it fresh, and enjoy one of the best double IPAs in America.
