Coffee Bender (Surly Brewing Co)

On a trip up to the Minneapolis area, I stocked up on Surly goodness. I had a couple at the Ball Park Cafe at the state fair, and hit an awesome shop (Hum's) and got a little stock.

I cracked open a can of this oatmeal brown ale to enjoy with my triple chocolate cupcake. It paired almost as well as a good espresso or Turkish coffee.

General Thoughts
Look and Smell: This ale was black with a frothy tan head. It smelled...of coffee of course!

Taste: It was like a light coffee. I like my coffee strong, though. Like a medium roast. I got the chocolaty flavors too, even before I gobbled up my cupcake. That really made it a perfect match. It had a light bitterness to it.

From the Surly site:
Coffee Bender refreshes like an iced-coffee, is aromatic as a bag of whole beans as satisfies like your favorite beer. The Surly brew team has developed a cold extraction process that results in intense coffee aromatics and flavor bringing together two of our favorite beverages. Your only dilemma will be whether to finish your day or start it with a Coffee Bender.
STYLE: Coffee flavored American Brown Ale
MALT: Pale Ale, Aromatic, Medium Crystal, Dark Crystal, Oats and Chocolate
HOPS: Columbus,Willamette
COFFEE: Gautemalan Finca Vista Hermosa Full City Roast by Coffee and Tea Ltd.
YEAST: English Ale


OG: 14º Plato
ABV: 5.5% v/v
COLOR: 45 ºSRM
IBU: 45