Astringent English-styled pale ale with fruity thrust, toasted nuttiness and candied caramel malt pleasantry in need of punch, bite and finish. Why does Saranac always lack that extra ‘something’ to put them over the top?
SARANAC OCTOBERFEST LAGER
Mild Saaz-hopped citrus bitterness takes hold as Scotch malt dryness hits fragile wheat backbone. Cedar and red fruit nuances lean on murky grain finish drowned out by minor phenol astringency and watery resolve.
SARANAC NUT BROWN ALE
Only a hint of undistinguished malt sweetness shines through bland, inefficient nut brown. Neither dark nor heavy enough, and lacking nutty assertiveness.
SARANAC MOUNTAIN BERRY ALE (LIMITED RELEASE 2002)
Reddish-amber fruit ale converges blackberry-blueberry-raspberry sweetness with increasing hop-fizzed bitterness that mutes supposed honey nectar influence. Dank grains weaken unresolved, meek finish.
SARANAC MOUNTAIN BERRY ALE
Snazzy refreshment ferments honey and fruit juices without becoming too sweet. Soft grain bitterness settles in well. Problem: too difficult to pick out berry luster.
SARANAC MOCHA STOUT
Strong vanilla-chocolate ice cream frontage lavishes well-detailed burnt coffee roast, infiltrating caramelized mocha latte midst with thick mocha frosting. Maple sugared recess counters powdered cocoa souring to malted milk finish for creamy dessert alternative.
SARANAC MARZENBIER
Weak German-styled lager retains sullen malt balm as diacetyl mouthfeel, cardboard midst and dead end citrus slide mire dank soapy finish. A stinker!
SARANAC MAPLE PORTER
Sugary chocolate presence and smooth grain rush provide decent up-front assertion. However, lack of mocha malt penetration and syrupy yeast thew hurts this caramel porter. Too reliant on thin maple finish and lightweight water texture for its broadened class.
SARANAC LAGER
Toasted barleymalt sweetness highlights rice-y follow-through and buttery creaminess reminiscent of Sleeman’s (but not as well-defined). Suffers from same ‘clear bottle syndrome’ Miller and Corona do, remaining basic, second rate, and worse, cloying.
SARANAC INDIA PALE ALE
Light watery variant (closer to slimly hopped pale ale) missing strong spiced-fruited bitterness and/or smoked wood ascent – usual IPA components. Disturbing phenolic nut char, skimpy banana taffy illusion and dank alcohol finish further deplete indistinct fink.
SARANAC AMERICAN INDIA PALE ALE
Sparse moderate-bodied amber-cleared IPA disguises 8.5% alcohol volume well, as rounded red-fruited opening lingers above spicy pine-sapped hop fade. Subordinate lemon rind bittering counters juicy red apple ripeness, apricot-tangerine tang and minty herbaceous twang. On second tasting, orange-soured apple-candied grapefruit bitterness and mild white bread toasting lacked some aggression.
SARANAC HEFEWEIZEN
Smooth unfiltered German-style wheat ale softens up-front banana dominance with sweet yeast influence, spicy clove insistence, and teasing herbal resonance. Durable overripe banana finish embittered nicely by frisky lemon peeled hop stead. 2011 version upped the banana sweetness and deepened the cardamom-coriander-clove spicing.