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 been R&D-ing projects around the brewery that utilize enzymes and champagne yeast in a fashion similar to today’s brut IPAs, which create this dry, crisp profile that appeals to both beer and wine drinkers,” says Smith. “Rosé is by far my favorite wine style, especially during warm-weather months. My goal with Rosé lager was to deconstruct the flavor profile of a rosé, then rebuild it using beer ingredients and some of our brewing processes to create something to match.”
That research and development resulted in a beer that outsold almost everything else in our Beer Hall from Easter Sunday through Labor Day last year, and it upended any preconceived notions about the audience for this kind of beer.
Simply put: It was popular with everybody. The guys who throw around “chick beer” as an insult would be stunned at the diversity of the Rosé drinker. Lots of knuckle tats, beards, and Samhain t-shirts could be seen with Rosé in hand, side-by-side with moms from Anoka. Traditional lagers tend to have more broad-based appeal than a kettle sour, and this one has an approachable ABV, a ton of flavor, and it really stands out in the glass. It’s an across-the-board crowd-pleaser.
Rosé will be available on draft and in 16 oz. 4-packs to all Surly markets from March through the local demarcation of summer’s end, the Minnesota State Fair. (It’s just around the corner, folks.)
PARTICULARS:
- Hops: Warrior
- Malt: Pilsner, Acidulated
- Guest stars: Black currant and strawberry puree
- Very light body with notes of strawberry and concord grape.
- ABV: 5.2%
- Pour: Not gonna BS you guys, it’s pretty damn rose-colored.
- 127 calories and 2.25 grams carbs per 12 oz. serving if you care about that kind of thing, a kick-ass beer if you don’t.
