MINNEAPOLIS — Hopheads are some of our favorite people. They’re like this obsessed (in a good way) network of beer-loving thrill-chasers who always alert each other when the next object of their affection hits shelves or goes on draft nearby.
It is our pleasure, then, to contribute to their next text chain/Facebook group chat, as they can start hunting down Surly Abrasive the week of Oct. 30.
Minnesota’s first double IPA, it started life as 16 Grit, which is a size of abrasive grit once manufactured at the Sparky Abrasive factory, ancestral Brooklyn Center home of Surly Brewing Co. We renamed it when we started canning it in 2010, and its release date is now a red-letter day on Surly Nation’s calendar.
If you’re familiar with Xtra-Citra, our delicious session pale ale, think of Abrasive as Xtra, Xtra, Xtra, Xtra-Citra. An unreasonable amount of Citra hops, and their attendant citrus, tropical notes (grapefruit, melon, lime, pineapple, and passion fruit), provide this imperial IPA’s foundation. Surly’s “we don’t brew to style” ethos shines through with the unconventional addition of malted oats, balancing the bitterness and lifting Abrasive to critically-acclaimed heights.
We’re known, not incorrectly, as a hop-forward brewery. This is the most hop-forward beer we make. If you want a “hop bomb” from us, this is it.
The particulars:
ABV: 9.2%
Bitterness: High.
Color: Hazy gold.
Hops: Citra. So much Citra.
Our advice: Get it now, get it fresh, and enjoy one of the best double IPAs in America.