One would think Surly was offering a free bottle of Darkness with each purchase of their new Hell as fast as this stuff was flying off the shelves today.
Within 30 minutes of receiving their shipment this morning, The Four Firkins was cleaned out of their 10 case allotment. Thankfully, I was able to run over to Zipps over lunch and grab some, but it was nearing depletion there too. The rabid Surly Nation strikes again!
I always love a new Surly offering…it’s like a whole new adventure, a new beer to love and appreciate. Hell is a kellerbier (aka zwickel bier), an unfiltered lager that has its origins in the Middle Ages. The beer was traditionally fermented in open troughs in dark, cool caves, and is usually marked by a pronounced cloudiness from the yeast.
Someone correct me if I’m wrong, but word is this is a one-time distribution of Hell in cans through retail outlets. So when it’s gone , it’s gone (and based on what I personally saw today running around town trying to find it, sounds like it may already be). You can still likely catch it on draught at a handful of select area bars, I’m assuming.
Hell (German for light) poured with a bright, orange hue and perfect clarity, especially interesting considering this is unfiltered. Right up front lots of breadiness and grain. Pure malt all the way, immediately reminiscent of several pilsners that I’ve enjoyed recently. None of the American hops noted on the side of the can in the aroma. Taste is relatively sweet, prickly mouthfeel with good carbonation and a perceptible bite in the finish. Not bad.
I’ll eat my words from the comments section in my recent Summit Kolsch review, as Surly has clearly shown with Hell they can brew a beer “to style” (if you look beyond the use of American hops in this one, which aren’t even a remote factor).
But I’m frankly a little surprised by Hell. The problem I have with this one is not about execution…it’s about expectation.
A consistent story is key to the relationship people have with an organization, often a deeply personal and emotional thing. And altering that consistent and accurate perception in some way can have implications for an organization’s constituents. I’m talking brand management…New Coke…Ford Edsel…or even more recently Whole Foods’ CEO railing against the federal healthcare proposal.
I’m not at all saying Hell is Surly’s undoing here. That would clearly be absurd. But with Hell, I think Surly has shifted their storyline a bit, and I don’t think it’s working for them. While a solid beer, Hell is a pretty wide departure from the rest of the Surly portfolio, the most “un-Surly” Surly beer I’ve had to date. And I’d expect those used to aggressive, hoppy and infinitely complex offerings that extend a middle finger to the dispassionate beer establishment may be caught a little off guard pouring what is arguably (here’s where the irony comes in) one of the best examples of the style…probably the only real example of the style many of us will be fortunate to drink.
So has Surly painted themselves into a corner, never given the flexibility to brew well-done, more traditional beers? I don’t know the answer to that, only the market knows. But what I do know is that enjoyment of a beer often extends beyond the taste buds, and Surly Hell is a very simple, German light lager. What you see is what you get.
What I got, however, wasn’t exactly what I was hoping for.
Rating: B-
August 24, 2009 at 9:05 pm
I admit that I had Surly Hell in mind when I asked you on the Summit Kölsch — I had just tried my first one at Common Roots. But the question wasn’t posed in bad faith: I don’t know enough about beer or Surly to say whether Hell was an exception to either the style or the brewer. I think you raised good points in your response on the other post and in this post. I may have been helped by my naivete: I really didn’t have any expectations about the beer, other than faith that Surly makes beer I like.
August 24, 2009 at 9:27 pm
You sound like you had about the same reaction as I had. I expected something that would give Furious a run for it’s money due to it’s name. Instead I got a really good representation of a style I found I wasn’t that fond of.
August 25, 2009 at 3:20 am
interesting ideas, but do you think it’s better that Surly stays in a tight, confining box of non-conformity, and refuses to give itself the chance to brew good, satisfying to-style brews?
When Mild came out, it was a response to people who thought they were only capable of producing “over-hopped, over-hyped” ales, etc, yadda, yadda, …sometimes, you need a good, ol’ drinking beer.
If Surly Hell were made year-round, and found more fans from those who can’t drink bitter or dark, all the better!
August 25, 2009 at 4:34 am
[...] ratatouille, bit too much cream cheese on the menu at Wakame for Iggers’s taste, Surly Hell is brewed to style, writes The Captain’s Chair (noting that this is completely out of style for the brewery [...]
August 25, 2009 at 7:30 am
Al, I’m not sure which is better. Since Hell came out in a very limited release (at least in cans) and isn’t made year-round, I think the chances of a wider group of people being introduced to Surly through this offering is relatively low.
That said, how will Hell sit with those that DO know Surly and seek them out? For me, it doesn’t work. Fantastic job on the beer itself, but if I set it next to other local offerings, like a certain kolsch that was recently released, I might have a tough time telling the difference. And that isn’t Surly to me.
August 25, 2009 at 8:13 am
If Surly wants to grow then they will need to produce beers that are not as potent as Furious. But I think they need to do a better job with their marketing to let those of us that do seek out the 16 Grit and Furious that beers like Hell are going to be a bit light for us.
August 25, 2009 at 8:37 am
I think the perception of surly as a brewer of only super-hopped beers is the problem, not the beers that surly brews. They released Hell last year. It’s a great example of a Munich Helles. Nothing over the top. They also brew Mild, another great example of a low alcohol, low hop english mild brown ale. Nothing over the top. Bitter Brewer is nothing more than a decent example of a premium bitter. Nothing over the top, and there are plenty of better examples from England (like Bluebird Bitter). Cynic is a middle of the road example of a Saison. Not over the top. Even Bender is nothing really crazy.
Surly brews a wide range of beers and beer styles. Problem is, beer geeks only salivate over their beers like Furious and 16-Grit rather than viewing the whole spectrum. Thus, it is beer geek perception, not brewery production that is the problem.
When will beer geeks learn to appreciate the subtle beauty of beers that don’t smack you over the head several times with excessive hops or bourbon barrels?
August 25, 2009 at 8:49 am
“subtle beauty” or not, if I wanted a light lager, I’d pick up Grain Belt. I don’t buy Furious because it’s subtle. Their marketing and swagger screams aggressive, so I don’t get why this is a beer geek problem.
August 25, 2009 at 8:56 am
thank you to “a perfect pint” for actually getting what Omar and I set out to do,making the best BEER we can.We have been shoved into this extreme beer box that we don’t truly fit in IMO.The driving inspiration for new beers……are they beers we want to drink and is that “flavor profile” represented in this market.
Cheers!
Todd
Surly Brew Head
August 25, 2009 at 9:10 am
Joseph. I think your response is a perfect example of what I’m talking about. You seem upset at Surly for not only brewing the beer that you WANT them to brew. You are not paying attention to or appreciating the full range of what they are actually brewing. You are the one putting them in the “extreme beer” box. I guess you should just stick to drinking Furious and Darkness, then. That leaves more of the other stuff for the rest of us.
I am on the road and didn’t manage to get any Hell before it sold out. However, I remember it from last year and if you pay attention when drinking it, you will find far more complexity there than in a bottle of Primo. Not that I have anything against Grain Belt…
August 25, 2009 at 9:20 am
@surlybrewer
You guys did a good job with Hell as a beer. When I wrote about it my complaint wasn’t the beer itself but the name that went with it. When the more popular beers you have introduced are very intense, most people are going to take the name Hell as something intense.
Does this mean the beer is bad? Not at all, but when your marketing sets expectation (purposely or not) and you don’t fulfill them, it’s going to turn people off.
A beer like Bitter or Mild I had no problem with because my expectations were set by the name. It may not be fair but it’s the truth.
August 25, 2009 at 9:59 am
Conner – I think you put a finer point on it than I did up front. I get the pun, but the name of the beer presents somewhat of a marketing disconnect for me.
Michael (perfect pint) – good points you bring up on the holistic view of Surly’s beers. I’ve talked a fair amount recently on this blog about appreciating subtlety in beers vs. fawning over bourbon-barrel madness (my Summit Kolsch or Schells Firebrick reviews, for example), so I’m with you. The extreme beer box Surly may find themselves in, rightly or wrongly, seems to have been a pretty key driver to their initial success, in my opinion (beer geek early adopters). Furious is arguably their most visible offering in the market, which doesn’t lend itself to subtlety. As they bring more flavorful, traditional beers into the market, it’ll be interesting to see how perception and brand considerations play themselves out.
And Todd, thanks for contributing to the conversation, great to hear your vision/criteria. Despite my marketing soapbox, like I said, I think you’ve made a nice beer in Hell.
August 25, 2009 at 10:49 am
FWIW
Hell(the name) has long standing roots in Germany as a common name for a brewerys Helles Lager-
kinda like Light and Dark beers in the US,so quite literally Surly Hell means Surly Light.By no means a Lite beer,it is a all malt lager, 5.1%abv 16IBU and 3/4# BBL finishing hop.
The can verbage also describes whats in the can so I assume no responsibility for peoples inability to read,it starts out with “Finally a Surly beer my German mother will drink”.We are marketing to our mothers!Which reminds me,I gotta bring some to mine.
Cheers!
Todd
August 25, 2009 at 10:56 am
Again, after drinking the beer (which I tried on tap so no verbiage) I understand. I want you guys to succeed, and just want you to know that almost everyone I know was expecting something totally different. Most of your fans aren’t beer geeks but beer lovers and have never heard of the Helles Lager until you released your beer. Just don’t want you to make the same mistakes.
August 25, 2009 at 11:32 am
“If Surly wants to grow then they will need to produce beers that are not as potent as Furious. ” — Really??? Is that why they have a 2-year distribution waiting list? Two of my friends and I tried Hell last night and Grumpys NE; the comments ranged from “it’s not my favorite” to “it’s the most un-Surly Surly beer I’ve tried”. It was exciting to try something different from Surly but our preference was to return return to drinking a Furious or Cynic.
August 25, 2009 at 12:24 pm
Hey Conner-
I wasn’t pickin on you!
I actually think Surly Hell is very surly ,it’s the beer you drink at noon after Coffee Bender but before Furious-
Todd
August 25, 2009 at 12:29 pm
I didn’t think you were picking on me, just felt like you didn’t understand my point. I think the perception of Surly is going to become that of a brewer that not only can brew some really unique and intense beer but also a brewer that can hit about any style of beer on the head. Keep that up but just make sure you don’t confuse your customers.
And I agree, Hell is the perfect noon beer, especially with some good food to compliment it.
And thank for responding, has been fun to discuss with you, now if I can just find a can of Hell somewhere for my Fantasy Draft tonight.
August 25, 2009 at 12:32 pm
Hmmm…wonder if a Bender/Hell kind of black & tan concoction would work…
August 25, 2009 at 1:07 pm
Very interesting post. I tried Hell at moto-i the other night and enjoyed it. But I also thought it was very different than most other SUrly beers I’d had. Which makes me wonder what their goal is for this beer given it’s a lighter lager, they brewed such a small batch, and its extremely limited availability. Because they clearly aren’t trying to appeal to the masses here, since inherently beer geeks are the ones who snapped up the cans as soon as they came out. Are they just experimenting? Shaking off the boredom from kicking out Furious every day? Do they plan to offer it year-round? Because that seems more like a strategy if you’re interested in broadening your appeal.
August 25, 2009 at 1:11 pm
Todd, aren’t you supposed to be like brewing or something?
Aaron, thanks for the post and posing the question that seems to have brought up some great conversation. A lot of great perspectives out there.
One thing I noticed is that it feels like this is the first time Hell has been released. While it is the first time for cans it was out last year on draft. Any lack of description this year was possibly due to the fact that this isn’t a new beer. At any rate, whenever trying a beer for the first time most bars will let you sample a little before ordering a full pint.
As for the cans I love them… so pretty. Helles lagers aren’t my favorite style but even if you put a Surly Hell next to another great example of the style you’ll notice that Surly is indeed a little more surly than the rest.
Just my two pennies. Cheers all!
August 25, 2009 at 1:38 pm
Derek, it’s turned into an interesting conversation, seems to be a worthwhile one.
And I agree on the packaging, a very cool looking can.
August 25, 2009 at 2:30 pm
I’d say give the Bender/Hell combo a try. I’ve done a near complete Surly “suicide” before – Furious, Bender, Coffee Bender, Cynic & Bitter Brewer – and it was actually pretty darn good. Surprising in that none were overpowering but each stood their own ground pretty well.
August 25, 2009 at 4:02 pm
Interesting Todd says they don’t consider themselves “extreme brewers”, when their biggest beer is Furious and most visible event is Darkness Day. Sounds like their internal vision of themselves isn’t in line with how many beer lovers out there view them.
August 25, 2009 at 4:19 pm
[...] Surly Hell « The Captain's Chair captainsbeerblog.com/2009/08/24/surly-hell – view page – cached #RSS 2.0 The Captain's Chair » Surly Hell Comments Feed The Captain's Chair 10:34 p.m. and buzzing… Dunkelweizen and Double IPA Home Brew Day — From the page [...]
August 25, 2009 at 7:33 pm
Interesting discussion going on. I’m a bit surprised by those who went out to try a “Surly Hell”, not knowing the style, and disappointed it isn’t mind-blowing, just really good and tasty. I tend not to go for light lagers, but an unfiltered one will always work on my tongue.
To Darren, if you just see what Todd wrote, it’s pretty consistent with what he and Omar have said all along. “Under-represented” and “the best they can brew”…some of these beers don’t exist anywhere else. (Bender is a beer you can’t fit in any category, and doesn’t have a parallel anywhere else.) They never said they would only produce “big” or “extreme” beers.
Unfiltered helles lager is still a beer not produced by anyone else, locally.
August 27, 2009 at 5:07 pm
Sometimes when we ask our customers “Have you tried Surly?” they reply “I don’t like hoppy beers”. Like many other breweries with one very well known beer, some people are judging Surly’s entire line of beers (without ever trying them or sometimes not even knowing they exist) on the flagship beer.
And it works both ways. Hell shouldn’t be judged against Surly’s more aggressive offerings, as most of you have already stated.
August 27, 2009 at 10:40 pm
By expecting Surly to brew something consistent with their “style” which is non-conformist, they achieve that goal by brewing a beer that is a good representation of the style, thereby not conforming to what you expect from Surly.
This whole conversation feels like one of those time travel conversations…
October 28, 2009 at 2:43 pm
[...] disappointing in Hell. I wrote about it on my blog, and the commented on a post written over at The Captain’s Chair. I stated that though I liked Hell, I was disappointed because I had expected something crazy and [...]
December 20, 2009 at 2:13 pm
Where can I buy Hell beer????
December 20, 2009 at 3:00 pm
It’s no longer available in cans through retail. Haven’t seen it on tap anywhere in a while, either. Best bet is to try and trade for it on Beer Advocate.