I have never had air conditioning since I moved out of my parents place. It never really bothered me because I always worked in someone else’s air-conditioned building for most of the day. Now, as I sit in between my first and second years of grad school, I find myself home employed and not as enamored with the idea as I thought. I spend day and night sweating and drinking Gatorade after my early morning runs. I sweat through multiple shirts and then put them on my roof to dry. Gross? Yes. Necessary? Yes. Honestly, though, this heat makes the right beer even better. Enter Surly Hell.
Traditionally canned and packaged, Hell is fermented with strong German lager yeasts that provide just enough alcoholic bite for one of those egg-fries-on-the-blacktop sort of days. Hell takes advantage of the sterling hop—an American substitute for the distinctly Czech saas hop—to float the Old World undertones that imply boot rather than pint glass.
Surly continues to make a name for itself through the bold flavors of Darkness, Furious and Coffee Bender. Each one reminds you of how cold Minnesota gets in the winter. Hell beckons the other side of Minnesota, complete with (almost) 10,000 lakes, plenty of boats and land to sit and admire the stars. Hell fits perfectly in the short Minnesota summers.
Best Enjoyed: Cold as hell
Best Paired With: A bathing suit
Find it: Minnesota in the summertime
Have a beer you want to praise? Facebook, tweet (@midwestbeer) or email us at mwbeercollective@gmail.com.
