Make It Reign

Craft beer has always been about the hops, and in recent years that emphasis has only heightened: Single hop IPAs, experimental varieties, otherwise normal people with jobs and families who get into heated arguments about the merits of Citra vs. Mosaic on the internet where other people can see it. That’s why we’d like to … Continued

Demand, meet supply. The craft beer world’s bottomless desire for IPAs and hop-forward beers shows no signs of abating. Surly shares that thirst, and our latest variety pack is primed to quench it. Hop-heavy flagships Furious and Xtra-Citra are joined by two new contenders for cooler space this summer. Rocket Surgery A question our brewers … Continued

Judging by the fact that we already had to brew more this week, you’re all familiar with Grapefruit Supreme. And while we absolutely encourage you to continue enjoying our low-ABV tart ale all by its lonesome, Surly’s cocktail enthusiasts have also found it to be the perfect mixer for summer drinks. Try these on for … Continued

With certain beers, you just know. Surly wanted to brew a fruit-forward, lower-ABV beer for its second variety pack of 2019. It would be in market when spring started turning to summer and would be an ideal complement to the warmer weather. Many of our brewers are fans of German radlers, the oldest of old-school, … Continued

Seasonal summer beers, particularly in our part of the world, are often paired with bucolic imagery of lakes and cabins and canoes. We love a good pontoon beer too, but there’s another part of summer up here. The concrete and steel and heat of a city in the summer deserves a beer to call its … Continued

It’s time to make it official: Surly is expanding distribution to St. Louis starting the week of June 10. The initial launch will be draft-only, with bars and restaurants pouring core brands like Furious and Axe Man for Surly Nation’s newest outpost. “I’m not sure there is a market where we get more requests to … Continued

Surly loves a good, dark Mexican-style lager–we’ve even gone so far as to collaborate with our friends at Cerveceria Transpeninsular on one. Sun King Brewing out of Indianapolis shares that affection, along with our interest in what would happen if you tweaked this very traditional beer with a smack of dry-hopping and letting the situation … Continued

The people have spoken, and our May BC Small Batch launch will be (drum roll sound) exactly the same as April’s BC Small Batch launch. Space Race, a double dry-hopped hazy double IPA, rocketed off store shelves this month, moving as fast as any previous BCSB release. We know hazy IPAs are an in-demand style, … Continued

Our April new release lineup is formidable, and rather than make you slog through a long introductory paragraph about hops and barley and the American West and the changing of the seasons, we’re just gonna tell you about ’em. Let’s go. SUMMER VARIETY PACK. We’re absolutely stoked for warm weather, and our Summer Variety Pack … Continued

If you’ve ever put quarters down to reserve a turn on the Donkey Kong machine, made Gretzky bleed in your dorm room, or done the Carlton Dance in Fortnite, you need to cancel whatever plans you’ve made and check out The Science Museum of Minnesota’s Game Changers exhibit. It follows the evolution of gaming from … Continued

Chromesthesia is a sense impression wherein someone hears a sound and sees/feels a color their brain associates with that audio cue. Often associated with genius, it seemed fitting to name our March BC Small Batch release Sound Into Color, as it’s a beautiful, brilliant beer. Complex, sweet-tart, and refreshing, this imperial kettle sour is brewed … Continued

Surly Rosé, our spring/summer smash of 2018, is back for 2019. The brainchild of Surly Head Brewer and unofficial rosé wine ambassador Ben Smith, this fruit-forward lager is unlike just about any other beer of its kind. Put another way, it’s a rosé-influenced beer that everyday beer drinkers like. “Over the last few years, we’ve … Continued

Intelligent Design, if you’re unfamiliar, is a series of beers where one of our brewers gets to play in the sandbox (metaphor, there is no sandbox at Surly Brewing) and make their beer, their way. #6 is from brewer Barry Faust. It’s called Yummi Bear. Who are you and where are you from? Barry Faust. … Continued

We get a lot of questions online. Some are more consistent than others: “What are your hours?” “Where are you located?” “Is Ben going to grow his mustache back?” In the last couple years, though, nothing has been quite as constant as “So, is Surly going to brew a hazy IPA?” The polite answer has … Continued

Intelligent Design, if you’re unfamiliar, is a series of beers where one of our brewers gets to play in the sandbox (metaphor, there is no sandbox at Surly Brewing) and make their beer, their way. #5 is from brewer Brenton Tuominen. It’s called Osmotar’s Forest Mild. Who are you and where are you from? Brenton … Continued

The polar opposite of a hazy IPA, a “brut” IPA is effervescent as hell. They get the bejeezus hopped out of them, with none of the bitterness associated with a West Coast-style hop bomb. The fruit-forward aromatics sparkle and pop. And, they’re dry. Really, really dry. Not in an unpleasant way, and when you do … Continued

Our first variety pack of 2019 welcomes the new year with a couple flagships, a favorite from 2018, and a new beer that embraces our Minnesota roots. The Thaw Pack is designed for these post-holiday months, as we trudge our way out of winter’s grip. There will be days where the temperature sneaks above freezing … Continued

The 2019 Surly Brand Calendar is early this year (for us, anyway). The reason? We didn’t want to wait and tell you about all the good shit.  Here’s what’s what: WE’RE CANNING A HAZY IPA Don’t bury the lede, as they say. It’s called One-Man Mosh Pit, and it joins our year-round roster of beers … Continued

Grindcore is a ferocious blend of heavy metal and hardcore punk. It’s also the ideal name for our final BC Small Batch release of the year, a ferocious blend of in-your-face coffee flavor and subtle stout sweetness. If you’ve been to the Destination Brewery lately, you’ve noticed that we have a hell-ton of beers tapped … Continued

The haunting images and rising death toll from California’s Camp Fire are almost too much for anyone to process. The scale of the damage defies comprehension, and the need to assist survivors is immediate and ongoing. No one understands this more than our friends at Sierra Nevada Brewing, as the Camp Fire happened in their … Continued

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 … Continued

The final Surly variety pack of 2018 lands this week, and it’s ideally suited to the coming months. We call it the Frost Pack, and it’s crafted to pair with the features of the season. As with previous variety packs, beers-for-all-seasons Furious and Xtra-Citra are included, along with two new ones exclusive to the 12-pack. … Continued

Key words and phrases you need to know about the 2018 version of WET. 6000 POUNDS: The amount of Citra hops that were harvested at Gasseling Ranches south of Yakima, Washington. A GIANT DAMN TRUCK: Where the fresh hops were placed after harvest. DWIGHT*: The truck driver who drove these hops from Yakima to our Brooklyn … Continued

“The trouble with a lot of triple IPAs is that I’ve never really had one I liked.” This, from Surly Head Brewer Ben Smith, was the hurdle to clear for making 3DH, the triple IPA that’s our latest BC Small Batch offering. “Finding one I truly liked was difficult,” said Smith. “They’re under-attenuated, too boozy, and … Continued

Surly built its reputation on hops, even when that wasn’t the cool thing to do. (The Minneapolis bar owner who spit Furious out in front of Omar is foundational brewery lore.)  Still, we hopped and dry-hopped and double dry-hopped the hell out of our beers, despite living among a radical sect of Scandinavians who think … Continued

Our new BC Small Batch beer started as an attempt to solve a Beer Hall problem. The quandary: How to accommodate celebrants hoping to raise champagne toasts at our Destination Brewery for various weddings, birthdays, and graduations. This is extraordinarily difficult when you’re a Beer Hall, not a Champagne Hall. Our brewers got to work. … Continued

Barrel-Aged Oat Wine, or BAOW, is an updated take on an old favorite. Roughly based on the recipe for Surly Eight, BAOW adds some tweaks and a hell of a lot of oats for a highly drinkable beer that still packs a punch. We turn the floor over to Surly Head Brewer Ben Smith for … Continued

What is the next hazy IPA? While that style shows no signs of slowing down (this is where we point out that we have a rotating series of them on tap in our Beer Hall), the beer nerd in your life can be found arguing in Beer Advocate comment threads about craft beer’s newest “it” … Continued

We have not one but two BC Small Batch Beers hitting the market this week. In addition to Rosé, we’re canning another Beer Hall favorite, Mosaic Kettle Sour. Summer is ideal for a fruit-forward beer. Mosaic Kettle Sour fits the profile perfectly. Only there’s no fruit. Our brewers have been trialing kettle sours for a … Continued

Ben Smith is the Head Brewer at Surly’s Minneapolis facility. Ben Smith looks like someone with that title: black t-shirt, black jeans, black boots. (Granted, he was wearing a Western-style plaid shirt during this interview, but go with it.) Ben Smith also loves rosé. “I’ve been a wine drinker my entire adult life, and really … Continued

#MERICA, Surly’s pre-Prohibition American lager, is back. Defined by flaked corn and soft hop aromatics, it’s an easy-drinking summer beer ideal for lawn mowing, hot dog preparation, and observing sunsets in the backyards, patios, and front stoops of the greater Upper Midwest. We first brewed it in 2015 for the annual D4th of July Party … Continued

Here we go. The first two tiers of Darkness Day ticket packages are now available. A third, Darkness-less, general admission tier will be released closer to the party (which, as noted many times now, is Saturday, September 29 at Somerset Amphitheater in Somerset, Wisconsin). All tickets include a camping spot for you to use or … Continued

We hope you enjoyed the 17 hours of spring we got this year in the Upper Midwest. It was a wild ride and will be fondly remembered by us all. We’ve heard some places get a few months of mild weather between howling blizzards and stifling humidity, but that sounds real unlikely. With summer apparently … Continued

The big pile of snow/crud in the Sears parking lot is gone. Road construction makes your phone’s traffic app more important than significant family members. The shovels and winter coats are put away WITH AN ABUNDANCE OF CAUTION. Welcome to summer, Minnesota. Surly is celebrating the three months where we can safely go outside with … Continued

We love our Brooklyn Center brewery. This is not to say we don’t love our big, shiny Prospect Park brewery. It’s what brings the world Furious and Xtra-Citra and hog frites and pizza, it’s where people bring their excellent dogs to the beer garden in the summer, and it was a primary reason for changing … Continued

Intelligent Design, if you’re unfamiliar, is a series of beers where one of our brewers gets to play in the sandbox (metaphor, there is no sandbox at Surly Brewing) and make their beer, their way. #3 is from brewer Robbie Denaway. It’s called Galactic Descent. It’s *shuffles papers, looks closely, looks again* …a hazy IPA. … Continued

Minnesota United second season of professional soccer is underway.  It’s only right that Rising North Pale Ale, the official beer of Minnesota United, returns for its sophomore campaign as well. “Being able to partner with the team and MLS on this is fantastic,” says Surly Brewing owner Omar Ansari. “The fact that casual fans and the … Continued

Surly’s QC Boss Riley Seitz writes about the creation of The Familiar.  “Proud” is the first word that comes to mind when I taste The Familiar, along with tart, juicy, fresh, crisp, citrusy, and bright. The Familiar is the product of learning, teaching, sharing, and curiosity. In collaboration with the Witch Hunt, we at Surly … Continued

We have a new year-round, draft-only beer. It’s called Grindcore. Here’s what you need to know. It’s a nitro espresso milk stout. The nitro aspect provides a creamy, velvety mouthfeel that sets it apart from a CO2 beer. Expect full coffee flavor with the rich, slightly sweet body of a stout. “We’ve brewed several coffee … Continued

We knew Glen Perkins was retired. We knew he liked to brew beer. And we knew we wanted to brew a beer that we could pour at Target Field (where Glen used to work) and the bars and restaurants in the area for Opening Day and beyond. We asked him if he wanted to a … Continued

An old Minneapolis bus station. An abrasives factory in the ‘burbs. From these humble beginnings sprang the last great rock club in the country and one of America’s leading craft breweries. A collaboration just makes sense. First Avenue and Surly Brewing are proud to present +1, an easy-drinking, classic-style golden ale ideal for the Mainroom, … Continued

When we started canning and distributing 12 oz. 12-packs in 2017, the response was twofold: Alright, 12-packs! Surly rules! Where’s the variety pack? The first response was heartening. We like compliments. Thank you. The second response was understandable, because why choose between Furious and Xtra-Citra when you can have both? That’s why we’re pleased to … Continued

We just celebrated our 11th anniversary. We’re gearing up for our 12th. But before we get to that, we’d like you to revisit an old friend. As you may recall, Surly TEN was an old ale aged on sassafras wood, with toffee, sherry, and caramel malt flavors. The wood-aging imparted a boatload (non-brewing term) of … Continued

The 2018 Surly Brand Calendar is brimming with surprises, new beers, and what we in the brewing industry call “cool shit”. We can’t wait to share it with you. Here’s what’s what: VARIETY PACKS When we started canning and distributing 12 oz. 12-packs, the response was twofold: Alright, 12-packs! Surly rules! Where’s the variety pack? … Continued

There are three things you need to know about Hopshifter, Surly’s newest year-round beer: It’s a new IPA. From Surly. That should be enough, but we committed to three things in the first sentence. It’s crafted to reduce gluten. The next one you have may very well be different from this one. Let’s address the … Continued

It’s nice to be able to answer the questions you get on social media in a positive, affirmative manner. Sometimes you simply can’t: To the person on Instagram who asked us to distribute Furious to all 50 states and sell it out of pop machines, the former will take some time, and the latter is … Continued

Pentagram is our dark sour ale, fermented on Brett and aged in red wine barrels for 18 months. What Barrel-Aged Pentagram does is take it one step beyond. After its 18 months are up, this Pentagram is moved from the wine barrel to the rye whiskey barrel, where it sits and thinks about what it’s … Continued

UK-based Simpson’s Malt was founded in 1862, and over five generations, the Simpson family has provided their malting expertise to breweries and distilleries the world over. Their base of operations, Berwick-upon-Tweed, is a city on the England/Scotland border, and its name could not be more appropriate. “Ber” is Old English for barley, while “wick” is … Continued

Wet hop beers are worth the trouble. You have an incredibly limited window in which to brew them. The farther away you are from the hop fields, the more hoops you jump through to make it happen. Your brew team and equipment get pushed to their limits. The result, through planning, skill, and a big … Continued