I'm not a huge fan of mail oriented beer trades, and it has nothing to do with being against it, but as I've mentioned a billion times, give or take, I love making the journey. But then again, sometimes my excess of one thing leads to me obtaining another. In this case a fine user from Beer Advocate offered me some excellent hoppy beers in exchange for some Goose Island Bourbon County Barleywine. Then, Bam! Surly Brewing Company's Abrasive Ale is on my table and I'm drinking it. Abrasive Ale has an impressive perfect score with over 2,000 reviews, so it's no joke of a beer. Canned on 1/7/14 it was also nice and fresh.
Surly pours a nice dark amber, with a head that fills up the nose with citrusy hops jumping out of the glass. And it looks immensely sticky on the sides of the glass. Definitely a blast of Citra hops in this guy, not to mention some piney resiny hops to balance out a good fresh floral nose with a good bitter finish. The malty sweetness is pretty big as well, with nice caramel and a warm and toasty alcohol burn. It's an amazingly balanced beer despite being so massive, and it's hype is certainly warranted. Hopefully it ends up in Massachusetts sometimes, because I have no idea if I'll be in Minnesota anytime soon.
I've tasted this beer.It is really great beer. Liked every drop.
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