SŸX by Surly

Rating: 3.6/5

SŸX by Surly is their 6th anniversary ale. It is a 15% ABV American Strong Ale. Aged in barrels made with 6 different species of wood. The design was of the label was made by artist Michael Berlund which was inspired by a sculpture made by his friend Brad Krisko.

Label Description:.

“Woah. Who would have thought? Another great year flew by. bringing us to the big SIX. What better way to celebrate than to challenge ourselves with unfamiliar brewing techniques and materials? Utilizing six wood species in a “Honey Comb*” shape for aging this year’s anniversary beer. SYX comes in at Alc. 15% by Vol. and is one to be savored with its pale gold color, dry toffee and fruit character and warming afterglow finish.

This beer is more like a bitter mixed drink. While flavorful and nice, it is pretty strong and the alcohol can be detected. It also has some woodsy fragrance. The flavors are of toffee, caramel, orange peels and orange juice, lemon, honey and pineapple. While the flavors are good, the alcohol does dominate here which is decent at best. It is almost like this beer is trying to go in the direction of a barley wine and an IPA at the same time but ends up somewhere in the middle. I would only recommend this if you like strong alcoholic beers.