A couple of weeks ago when I visited Half Pints, Dave gave me a can of a beer that he said I simply must try. I had vaguely heard of the brewery and knew nothing of the beer, but since he had just opened multiple samples of killer beer I trusted the man to lead me down a good path.

When the woman working the brewery retail store griped that Dave was giving away their last can of the beer, I REALLY knew he had given me something worth trying. I brought it home with me and finally cracked it open a couple of days ago.

The beer, for those of you paying enough attention to note that I haven’t told you yet, is Surly Brewing’s Furious. It is a Minnesota craft brewery with regional distribution and a bit of a reputation. Furious is an American IPA, sold in an American pint can (473 ml).

I poured the beer with admittedly some anticipation, given its strong recommendation. It is a bright orange copper beer providing a wispy white head that drops fairly quickly to a thin film. The aroma offers sharp, pine-dominated hops and a touch of crystal malt to offer back up.

The first sip explodes with big hop aroma and bitterness with a pine and citrus fruit angle (a classic display of American hops). The malt is a subdued caramel and crystal sweetness that reminds me of Golden Promise malt. The malt is understated but present enough to create balance with the unabashed bitterness in this beer. The linger is intensely hoppy with grass, grapefruit and peach dominating.

I’ll be honest, this is one of the best American IPAs I have ever tasted. It is unreservedly hoppy but with enough malt backbone to keep it from being puckering and off-putting. Some Canadian examples, such as Red Racer IPA, are in the same ballpark, but this beer has a legitimate claim to defining the style.

The beer solidifies my beer respect for Dave Rudge’s beer taste AND leaves me horribly frustrated with him for only providing a single can to me. Immediately upon finishing the first glass I found myself pining for a second. Plus I have no way of procuring this beer in the near future. Arrgghh!