By DCBeer contributor Josh "JP" Perry

Name: Surly Brewing

Location: Brooklyn Center, MN

Website: http://www.surlybrewing.com/

Type: Production brewery 

Sponsorship

Available in DC Market: No

Brief History: In 2005 founder Omar Ansari and head brewer Todd Haug launched Surly Brewing, Minnesota's first new brewery west of the Mississippi since 1987. Surly specializes in big, bold, aggressive
beers. Their Furious IPA, Abrasive DIPA, and Bender Brown Ale are all industry standards.

Beer 1: Coffee Bender (American oatmeal brown ale with coffee / 5.1%)

In Their Words: 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.

Food Pairing: Espresso-Crusted Bison on Black Bread (Bison loin crusted in espresso and seared. Served on a very thin black bread crisp with plum chutney.)

Our Thoughts: If you like coffee, this is your beer. Certain coffee chains that don't know what language they should use could take notes on how to do cold pressed extraction. I want this for breakfast, ASAP!
With the bison and chutney I feel that the depth of this beer will be brought out, but I am hesitant about the espresso crusting, due to the lavish amount of coffee already in the beer.

Beer 2: Pentagram (Dark ale with Brettanomyces / 6.66%)

In Their Words: Brettanomyces Dark beer fermented in stainless and aged in used red wine barrels. Flavors of sour cherry, tobacco, oak and classic "Brett" barnyard funk.

Food Pairing: Foie Gras with Lingonberry. Fresh duck foie gras quickly sauteed and served on brioche with lingonberry jam.

Our Thoughts: I am a self professed connoisseur of the funky barrel-aged goodness, and if you need to find me throughout the evening, look no further than here. I have yet to try this beer and have always been on the lookout for it. I hope my high aspirations and Surly's technical capacity meet in a glorious melding that make me long for it weeks later.  The richness of the foie gras and the funk from the Brett should be a match made in gluttonous heaven.

This profile is a part of the DCBeer.com SAVOR Brewery Profile series. For more information, follow the link to see profiles of all 2014 SAVOR participants.