The ale today is a kit from Northern Brewer, the Surly Cynic Pro Series Partial Mash Kit. Surly Brewing Company is a microbrewery in Minnesota. And OF COURSE, it was the name of the beer that got us to try the kit.
As you can see, the ale is a nice orange color, and though it looks really hazy in the photo, it cleared up nicely. The head was quite small, but since I’m not into wading through bubbles, that’s fine by me. The flavor is a cross between a hefeweisen and a belgian saison, and I find this to be a great ale for the summer with the bitterness/pepperiness of the hops and citrusy notes to be a good play against the often sweet seeming phenols. We used the Wyeast 3522 as suggested though the brewery uses the White WLP550. For a blend of old world ingredients and uppity new world attitude, this is a keeper.
Club Schadenfreude 