Style: Saison

ABV: 6.5 IBU: 30.0

92/100
Aroma: 11
Appearance: 3
Flavor: 18
Mouthfeel: 4

Surly Brewing Cynic

What the brewers say

“A pale gold–hued ale fermented with a Belgian yeast strain, resulting in a beer that has notes of lemon from the hops and black-pepper spice from the yeast, with a dry ‘tingly’ finish.”

What our panel thought

Aroma: “Delicate aroma. Balanced malt and esters with a hint of floral hops. Light bready and toasty malt with a touch of honey. Citrus and fruit esters with orange, raspberry, peach, and pear. Some herbal pepper notes sit behind.”

Flavor: “Sweet with fruit notes of orange, white grape, and pear. Then some pepper herbal notes behind that. Some toasty biscuit notes come through. Finishes slightly sweet but still a bit dry. Medium carbonation at the end gives it a vibrant finish.”

Overall: “Nice balance between fruit and malt. Very drinkable.”

What our editors thought

Review printed in: Tradition & Today (October-November 2018) (View All Issues)


REVIEWS FOR YOU >

Surly Furious IPA

Aroma: Bright caramel malts up front with a significant focus on the malt. Medium herbal hop character that reminds us of tea. Malt all day. Flavor: Huge herbal hop character up front very similar to unsweetened black tea. Crystal malts really balance the hop bitterness but is an interesting competition it seems between the sweetness and the hop bitterness. Finishes extremely dry with a really resin and herbal hop character. Overall: Overly dry with a really herbal character that is somewhat off putting. The malt sweetness does provide a slight refuge but it is very short lived. The black herbal/burnt herbal character dominates.

Brasserie du Bocq Saison 1858

**Aroma:** “Big aroma! A bit of bready malt sweetness, strong lemongrass esters and a hint of peach. White grape, orange, and perfume like coriander. High lemon notes like a lemon-drop candy and light white pepper spice.” **Flavor:** “Low malt presence and a slight Thai basil earthy/herbal flavor in the middle. A bit of tartness and pepper that lingers to balance the lemon and lemongrass. Dry finish with a medium body. Grape and citrus come through strong. Light astringency before the end that transitions back to a moderate lemon flavor.” **Overall:** “Very earthy and fruity beer, balanced well between the herbal and fruit notes. Although tasty, the spices were somewhat overpowering for the saison style—it’s more akin to a strong wit fermented with saison yeast. The finish is dry and slightly peppery but the taste itself has a nice lemon sweetness.”

SweetWater Brewing Company IPA

__Aroma:__ “Big orange with a touch of pine and mint in the background. Some grapefruit and lemon on the second whiff. Some sweetness hits in the back. Big complex hops aroma: white grape, melon, a bit of lemon, a bit of iris, white pepper, and thyme. A bit of bready malt in the background.” __Flavor:__ “Great hops presentation without being heavy handed. Malt supports without being sweet. Hops profile is a tasty blend of orange and pine with a simple malt backbone beneath. The orange has some sweetness with orange peel bitterness. Light hops flavor reprises the floral aroma and adds some citrus. Well balanced for the style.” __Overall:__ “The orange flavor is nice, and the bitterness works well with the hops complexity. Refreshing. Right down the pipe for West Coast. This one has the pint-after-pint bonus for me.”

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