Surly Brewing Company - Darkness

Darkness is Surly Brewing’s legendary imperial stout, released annually in the fall and closely tied to the brewery’s long-running Darkness Day celebration. Surly’s official description calls it an imperial stout with “monstrous notes of chocolate, coffee, cherry, and toffee,” plus a non-traditional dose of aromatic hops, which immediately sets it apart from many other examples of the style. Official listings for recent releases show hops including Warrior, Amarillo, and Simcoe, and BeerAdvocate describes the beer as a massive Russian imperial stout with waves of chocolate, cherries, raisins, coffee, and toffee.

In the glass, Darkness pours black and full-bodied, with a dense, rich profile built for slow sipping rather than easy refreshment. The flavor picture that emerges across Surly’s official materials and major beer databases is one of layered sweetness and roast: dark chocolate, coffee, toffee, dried fruit, and cherry sit at the center, while the hop bill adds a subtle aromatic lift rather than aggressive bitterness. That combination gives Darkness a personality that feels both decadent and surprisingly structured. It is intensely malty and dessert-like, yet not one-dimensional, with enough roast, fruit, and hop complexity to keep the palate engaged throughout.

What makes Darkness especially notable is its cult status. Surly has built an entire annual festival around its release, and the beer’s recurring artwork, variants, and vintage culture have helped make it one of the best-known imperial stouts in American craft beer. At its core, though, the appeal is simple: Darkness is a huge, luxurious stout that delivers the classic pleasures of roast, rich malt, dark fruit, and chocolate in a bold, memorable package.

Darkness is the kind of imperial stout that should age well over the short to medium term, since Surly emphasizes its massive malt structure and rich layers of chocolate, toffee, coffee, and dark fruit; reviewer notes on barrel-aged versions also suggest the broader Darkness family holds up impressively over time. For pairings, think chocolate desserts, bread pudding, blue cheese, smoked brisket, or roasted meats—foods with enough richness to meet the beer’s intensity. The aging recommendation is an inference, not a brewery-issued cellaring instruction.

Founded in 2005 by Omar Ansari in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, Surly Brewing Company began with a singular mission: to brew bold, uncompromising beer that challenged the status quo of the Upper Midwest. At the time, Minnesota’s craft beer scene was still emerging, and Surly quickly distinguished itself with aggressively hopped ales and irreverent branding that resonated with a growing audience of hop enthusiasts. Early releases like Furious helped establish Surly as a regional powerhouse and built a loyal following that extended well beyond state lines.

Surly’s impact on Minnesota beer culture extended beyond brewing. In 2011, the company successfully advocated for legislative reform that allowed breweries to sell pints on-site—a pivotal change widely referred to as the “Surly Bill.” This shift opened the door for taprooms across the state and fundamentally reshaped the local craft beer landscape. In 2014, Surly expanded operations with the opening of a large-scale destination brewery and beer hall in Minneapolis, dramatically increasing production capacity while integrating a culinary program to match the intensity of its beers.

Today, Surly remains fiercely independent, known for pushing stylistic boundaries while maintaining technical precision. Its portfolio spans hop-forward IPAs, barrel-aged stouts, lagers, and experimental releases, all built with a philosophy centered on bold flavor and balance.