As always, Sioux Brew encourages you to support all local retailers who are making an effort to stock quality beers.

-Tim Hynds

Treblehook pours a honey brown with a tall tan head. Its aroma is of toffee malt with distinct citrus hop notes of orange and grapefruit.

This barley wine has an initial flavor of slightly sweet biscuit malt on the tip of the tongue that immediately segues to a moderately intense malt flavor at mid tongue. At mid tongue, the malt is rich – showing dark fruit flavors of fig and light raisin -  but not really sweet.

Although the malt flavors are deep, they are buoyed by nice citrus hop flavors that keep the malt from tasting murky.

At the back of the throat the hop flavors amp up, turn rather intense and piney.

Treblehook’s finish is of medium length and keys on residual biscuit malt flavors and piney hops. It is in the finish this barley wine’s 10.1% alcohol by volume shows as a soothing warmth.

Trebelhook is recommended as well done, flavorful barley wine that gives almost equal weight to both malt and hops. It is listed at 52 IBU and I consider it full flavored and full bodied.

Treblehook was purchased at Miller Liquor in North Sioux City, SD.

-Tim Hynds

For the six months ending Sept. 30, the brewer of Grolsch, Pilsner Urquell and Peroni Nastro Azzurro lagers said net profit was $973 million, compared with $1.42 billion a year earlier.

Comparisons were skewed by exceptional gains of $404 million last year as the company booked a profit from its role in establishing joint venture MillerCoors, while in the current period the company reported exceptional charges of $211 million.

Operating profit before exceptional items was down 19 percent to $1.43 billion.

Revenue fell 21 percent to $8.85 billion, with lager volume down 1 percent on a comparable basis.

Factoring out currency movements, acquisitions and disposals, the company said revenue was up 3 percent while earnings before interest, taxes and amoritzation, also called operating profit, were up 11 percent.

“The weakness of our major operating currencies against the U.S. dollar has affected reported results, but we have continued to generate a strong underlying performance,” said Chief Executive Graham Mackay.

SABMiller shares were up 1.3 percent at 1,679 pence on the London Stock Exchange.

Lager volume in North America was down 5 percent, and MillerCoors sales to retailers were down 1 percent as trade in premium brands was weak, the company said. Earnings before interest, taxes and amortization, a form of operating profit, were up 7 percent.

Lager volumes in Europe declined 4 percent on a reported basis, which the company attributed partly to depressed consumer spending. Operating profit fell 19 percent on a reported basis but up 5 percent when adjusting for acquisitions, divestments and currency shifts. SABMiller said it gained market share in Poland, Romania and the U.K., while volume in Russia fell.

In Latin America, lager volume fell 1 percent but operating profit was up 33 percent on a constant currency basis. Volume in Africa rose 8 percent helped by acquisitions in Ghana, Nigeria and Ethiopia, or 3 percent on a comparable basis.

Asia volume rose 9 percent on a comparable basis. The company’s CR Snow brand posted a 15 percent volume gain in China.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.

New TODAY at Miller Liquor in North Sioux City, SD are:

From Ridgeway in England: Lump of Coal, Warm Welcome Nut Browned Ale, Santa’s Butt, Very Bad Elf and Criminally Bad Elf.

From Flat Earth Brewing Co. in St Paul: bombers of Angry Planet and of Element 115.

From Millstream Brewing Co. in Amana, Iowa: Schololade Bock.

As always, Sioux Brew encourages you to support all local retailers who are making an effort to stock quality beers.

-Tim Hynds

A sighting was reported at the HyVee Wine and Spirits’ Hamilton Blvd. location.

As always, Sioux Brew encourages you to support all local retailers who are making an effort to stock quality beers.

-Tim Hynds

Yeah you. The Sioux City guy who couldn’t or wouldn’t drive 180 miles to Sioux Falls and back last night for a taste of Surly Darkness.

Well, you know, you’re SOL if you want to go to Sioux Falls for the beer. ‘Cause they ran out last night.

But, if you keep it just between you and me, I’ll let you in on a secret.

How does driving 70 miles round-trip for a Darkness or two or a growler grab you?

As I type, a 1/4 bbl keg of Darkness is being delivered to Raziel’s in Vermillion, South Dakota, population tiny. That’s only 36 miles from downtown Sioux City bucko.

I don’t know when the keg will get hooked up, or how long it will last.

You’d better call ahead. I could give you the number, but the directory assistance lady is lonely and wants to talk.

But for God sake, keep this between just the two of us.

OK?

-Tim Hynds

The closest comparison I can give to Darkness that would make sense to Siouxlanders is Goose Island’s Bourbon County Stout (I doubt the comparison will offend either Surly or Goose Island) with the following differences:

* Darkness does not have the oaky nor the boozy flavors that Bourbon County has.

* Both beers are about the same as far as having a massive depth of flavor. However, Darkness seems to have a bit more carbonation and that effects the beer’s mouthfeel. Because of this, Darkness seems to be a bit more “spritely” and less “40-weight” than BCS. in other words, Darkness goes down easier.

* Darkness was redolent with dark fruit flavors with some dark cherry notes and some notes of vanilla. Hop levels seem pretty high (for a Russian imperial stout) but the beer is well balanced. I’m sure the hopping contributes to the beer’s liveliness vis-a’-vis BCS.

* Alcohol flavors were not noticed in the beer.

* I ended up nursing my (about) 10-ounce pour for hour. This is a sipping beer with a huge finish.

If you can get it on tap or find a bottle, I highly recommend the beer.

Also of note, I bought a draw of Surly’s Wet Hop Ale.

Comparisons are dangerous, but…… The closest thing I can compare it to is a hybrid (hop-wise) of Dogfish Head’s 90 and 120 Minute IPA.

However, Wet Hop DOES NOT have the overt sweetness of either of those two beers. Hop flavors in the Wet Hop were very intense, but also very fresh and crisp tasting.

Wet Hop’s finish was huge and very citrusy. A hop-head’s delight.

I found Wet Hop to be very enjoyable and somewhat more interesting (a very well balanced, big IPA without the apparent malt sweetness) beer than Darkness. If you can find some, it too, is highly recommended.

-Tim Hynds

Answer: No.

Last night (Nov. 17th) Monk’s House of Ale Repute in Sioux Falls hosted a tapping party for a single keg of Surly Brewing Company’s Darkness.

Now Darkness just isn’t any beer. It’s a Russian imperial stout that’s so anticipated when it’s released each year, that the Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, brewery hosts a party to sell it. People stand in line for a chance to get one of 800 wristbands that will then allow them to buy six bottles of the beer at $18 per. Cash only, thank you.

It always sells out. Bottles of the stout are re-sold on e-Bay and traded to others on various beer websites. The beer is analyzed and dissected. Arguments are started over which year’s release of the beer has the best label art.

I don’t care if the beer is brewed by Elvis with help from Michael Jackson (no, not THAT Michael Jackson). I’m not gonna drive 730 miles to stand in line to buy an $18 beer. But, 180 miles for a $6.50 draw? I can do that.

The beer was good. Really, really, really, good. Great? Perhaps.

What was great was hanging out with an entire bar crammed-packed with people who love beer. It was SRO for the first hour and a half I was there. I spent the first 45-minutes wedged between a leather couch and three guys jammed around a two-top.

Fellow newspaper photographer and top flight Sioux Falls home brewer Elisha Page stopped to talk and – being both big guys – we ended up blocking a short stairwell. I’m sure the Sioux Falls fire marshal would not have approved. But no one who had to squeeze around us seemed to mind; we were all drinking good beer.

Enough people in Sioux Falls know about this blog, so there were always people coming up to ask about what beers were for sale in metro Sioux City that they can’t get in South Dakota. This drew the attention of a group of guys from Mitchell who made the 150-mile round-trip to Sioux Falls.

They made me run the gauntlet. “We need to find out if you really know what you’re talking about,” one asked before having me name my five top beers. I must have passed because I got a high-five for each of the beers I listed. I was in.

I wasn’t worried though. I was with (new) friends and we were having a great time talking beer.

I left with invites to drink beer in Mitchell the next time I was wandering though. And they are welcome anytime in Sioux City.

And that’s what made the trip worthwhile. The evening wasn’t really about the cult of Surly. It could have just as well have been Millstream, or Brau Brothers or Goose Island.

It was about the cult of good beer.

And just maybe, that’s the true reason people will stand in line for a wristband to stand in line to buy a beer.

Or drive 180 miles for a $6.50 draw.

-Tim Hynds

Here’s what he has to say about the beer:

“Definitely one of our bigger beers.  Clocks in at just under 10% ABV.  Brewed late this summer, this ale spent months on Madeira Oak for added complexity.  Something a bit new for us, it will be bottled in 750mL bottles.”

Brau adds that on December 5th, there will be a group-brew at the brewery to make the winner of the Brau Brothers’ homebrewing contest.

“We’ll be brewing Elisha’s Old Ale,” Dustin Brau writes.  “For those not in the know, a terrific homebrewer (Sioux Falls’ Elisha Page) submitted this beer for the South Dakota Homebrewers Challenge and it was a unanimous winner.  We’ll brew and age a single batch which will go on tap at all the participating bars and restaurants in South Dakota.  Just guessing it will be ready to be tapped later this winter.  Everyone is welcome to help brew, however please email me an rsvp so I have a rough idea of turnout.  We’ll supply lunch and maybe we’ll have a beer, who knows.”

-Tim Hynds

If you show up, you will get the chance to meet Surly owner Omar Ansari who will be in attendance at the tapping to talk about his Russian imperial stout and his company’s other beers.

Be advised that the tapping and party will start at 6 pm, NOT at 7 as reported on Surly’s website.

-Tim Hynds