Surly Brewing Company Darkness

Darkness

 

Surly Brewing Company in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States 🇺🇸

  Stout - Imperial Rotating
Score
8.28
ABV: 12.0% IBU: - Ticks: 230
Our legendary imperial stout, released every October. Darkness contains monstrous notes of chocolate, coffee, cherry, and toffee, plus a non-traditional dose of aromatic hops.

Bottle, can, and box art courtesy of 2024 Darkness Artist Susan Evans.

Bottles available exclusively at Darkness Day, Saturday, October 5. Boxed 16 oz. cans go to retail around Halloween.
 

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9

Keg at centennial. Pours black, nose is chocolate, meaty, liquorice, soy sauce, taste is similar, rich, chewy, meaty. A classic. 9

Tried on 06 Aug 2025 at 19:05


8
Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 8

s: licorice | oatmeal | bourbon
a: dark oily black body | very thin, fast-dying brown head
t: caramelised sugars | rustic nuts | brewed coffee
p: dark chocolate | warming alcohol | anise throughout
o: complex | deep sugars everywhere | smooth vanilla & rounded edges

75 cL wax-sealed capped bottle | Smith's Liqour Gallery: Rapid City, South Dakota | 25-June-2020 | US$18,99 | bottled: 28-September-2016 | sampled: 04 & 05 July 2025, a bit less than nine years after bottling

Tried from Bottle from Smith's Liquor Gallery on 04 Jul 2025 at 23:08


7.8
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7

Bottled, I think it was a 2014. Dark pour, little head, the cherry comes through quite a bit.

Tried from Bottle on 20 May 2025 at 01:37


8.1
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5

10/05/2025 Sample at Palace Hall, Malmö May tasting - dark sweet and roasted malty with layers of sweet chocolate and caramel, fudge and toffee, coffee roast, ashy dark malts, dark cherry undertone, full bodied, dark roasted malty lingering finish.

Tried on 09 May 2025 at 22:00


7

Ystad Tasting (25/11/2023) - dark roasted and sweet malty, layers of coffee roast, light cherry, chocolate, toffee sweetness, full bodied, dark malty finish. Nice.

Tried from Can on 27 Mar 2025 at 06:08


8.4
Appearance - 9 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 9 | Overall - 8.5

Can Ölstudion 2025-03-08 Gråbo
AR: dark roasted rye, chocolate, dry,
AP: dark brown, wee cream beige lid
F: dark roasted rye, chocolate, dry,

Tried from Bottle on 10 Mar 2025 at 00:23


8

Tried from Can on 08 Mar 2025 at 16:51


8

Oops almost made it to 10 years, oh well, the cellar must get cleaned out! Hints of chocolate and coffee but notes of cherries and raisins dominate now. Nose of licorice and chicory. Pretty nice still!

Tried from Bottle on 01 Mar 2025 at 18:33


9
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 9

2015 vintage. Jet black, dark mocha head. Rich, Internet roasty Aroma. Burnt, charred malts. Some solid hops, loads of cocoa, and some soy with subtle dark fruit. Some alcohol comes through and warms in the mouth feel. The body is thick and viscous, with a soft carb. The finish is incredibly roasty, with a subtle sweetness and a a medium bitterness. Burnt espresso and cocoa power dominate the finish with a dry roasty edge. Nice stuff.

Tried on 28 Feb 2025 at 05:41


7.4
Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 7.5 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 7.5

Taster showing dark brown with no head.

The nose shows moderately intense notes of adzuki and light soy sauce.

The palate is well carbonated and light bodied but oily. Toasted maltiness and light adzuki with a very mild hoppy bitterness.

Tried from Bottle on 22 Feb 2025 at 03:15