Beer 206/365 – Surly Abrasive

Style: Imperial IPA

ABV: 9.0%

Purchased at: An extra in a trade.

What makes this beer different: Very crisp for an Imperial IPA

Will I be drinking this again: I have two more cans so yes.

Grade: A

6/2/2010: Anyone who has been reading this site for awhile knows I love canned beer, and many people think that Surly makes the best canned beer around. I actually ended up getting a ton of Surly in a few different trades, Cynic Ale, Furious, Bender, and Coffee Bender. No Darkness just yet! Would love to get my hands on some though. I actually had plans on drinking all 5 all in a row, but this was the only beer I had cold in the cooler when I arrived in Ocean City for vacation, so for times sake I just cracked this open at 1am.

Abrasive Ale smells very very “tropical” for an IPA, almost sweet. The flavor is just like I like an Imperial IPA to be, almost a perfect split between hops and malt. The hops are very very tropical tasting, citrus and pineapple. This beer is very drinkable, the mouthfeel is a bit heavy/sticky but helps support all the flavor going on here. The fruity flavor becomes more prominent towards the last 1/3 of the beer. Very impressed with my first beer from the state of 10,000 lakes. I hope the rest are just as good.

Picture of the day: Oh the difference a pair of glasses can make.