It’s hard not to compare Surly Darkness—the rare and much-loved Russian imperial stout released once a year by Minnesota’s Surly Brewing—to Dark Lord, the rare and much-loved Russian imperial stout released once a year by Three Floyds Brewing. Each has an annual festival to celebrate its release, and both festivals consistently draw thousands of craft beer geeks from around the country. One major difference—aside from the taste, which I’ll get to later—is that while Dark Lord Day is your only chance to buy that beer, Darkness is also available after Darkness Day.
It’s an incredibly complex beer, made for sipping slowly; I was blown away by how long the flavors kept developing after I’d taken a sip. The texture is silky smooth, and in some ways the beer reminded me of good chocolate: creamy, not too sweet, with a distinct fruitiness—and, of course, plenty of rich chocolate flavor. There’s a certain nuttiness too, along with some toffee and vanilla, but very little bitterness.
