As a lover of craft beer, I have been waiting for weeks to get my hands on one recent release in particular. I’m talking about Surly’s Barrel Aged Darkness Imperial Russian Stout. There are a variety of different beverages that Surly offer, from light and crisp brews to the thick and dark.

Every beverage they concoct is nothing short of delicious. As a fan of darker brews, I was all too excited to get to try the Barrel Aged Darkness. Of course  - Darkness is their legendary Russian imperial stout (my all time favorite beer) So, how does the Barrel Aged compare to the original Darkness?

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Clocking in at 12% ABV, this particular concoction is not for the faint of heart. It’s definitely a beer snob’s beer. I’ve tried most of Surly’s brews at this point, and this is their most bold, rich, and potent recipe to date. If you're a fan of the Darkness, then you'll love this even more.

It maintains all of the classic qualities of the Darkness, but also sports notes of Belgian dark candy sugar. It's also effortless to pick up on aroma that it radiates from being aged in rye whiskey barrels. The oak and spice of the barrel help to complement the hints of chocolate, vanilla, and cherry. Give it a shot. You won’t be disappointed.

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