Saranac Rye IPA

Today in the world of beer brewers are becoming more and more creative with their many different beers. Brewers are combining styles; using new hops or new hop combinations, and many other things to brew great beers. This here is Saranac Rye IPA, 5.95% ABV, this is not such a new thing. IPA’s have been around for hundreds and hundreds of years, and as for using rye has been used for a few years now, more common in an IPA style beer. This Saranac pours somewhat darker gold color with a very thin quarter finger head that fades kind of quick. There was a decent amount of light coming through the glass around a great amount of carbonation bubbles. The aroma of this Rye IPA is grassy and spicy with hints of citrus fruit, like a grapefruit or a mild orange scent. The taste of this Saranac Rye IPA is a big spicy hoppy note from the rye up front and then you get a grassy, citrusy taste of grapefruit and orange that is almost orange juice like. There is a slight pine needle flavor there as well but it faint along side the citrusy flavors.  The mouth feel is medium and coats your tongue. The finish on this Saranac rye IPA is spicy hoppy and sharp, this really works your taste buds. The after taste is hoppy with spicy hop bitterness that sticks around for a while after. Over all this is not bad, so I am giving this a B, as far rye IPA’s go this is good, but not as good as say a Sierra Nevada’s Ruthless Rye. Saranac Rye IPA has a good balance between the rye and the hops, but I do think that is slightly over spiced but none to bad. This is an interesting IPA style and so is this beer. Cheers!

Out of all six of these Saranac beers from the twelve beers of summer,  here is how I would rank them.

6. Rye IPA

5. Pale Ale

4. White IPA

3. Wild Hop Pilsner

2. Kölsch

1. Session

I would also give this twelve pack, as a whole, B+ rating. This is a very interesting beer pack and so are the beers themselves. The Saranac brewery really does a good job of show casing different way of using hops. I do recommend this twelve pack. So go pick this up and try all these twelve beers of summer for Saranac. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

   

Saranac Session Ale

When it comes to a summer beer on thing I like is to have a session beer, because some drinkers will drink more of a summer style beer than something wintery and dark. This here is a slightly hoppy version of a session ale. This is Saranac Session Ale, 4.50% ABV. This ale pours a golden straw color with almost half finger white head, which fades instantly. There is lots of light coming through the glass, and you can see though this beer. I do find nice amounts of carbonation bubbles flowing nicely throughout the glass. The aroma on Session Ale is a little citrusy with grapefruit, and a very faint pine needle scent; I think that is from the hops. I am not sure but I think Citra hops are used here in this. The taste is a crisp grapefruit flavor that is not to bitter, but just bitter enough to be enjoyable. There is a nice slight hoppy note on the end but isn’t overly bitter and/or tongue numbing. I also found a tiny bit of a grassy note as well. The mouth feel is crisp with a medium to almost light feel and does finish with a little hop not, but over all finishes nice and tasty. The aftertaste is like a fresh grapefruit but does stick in you’re mouth for a little bit. Overall I’m giving this beer and A. I really like the grapefruit taste to this one really was balanced well with the hop bitterness that was just the right amount of bitterness. I could have a few of this. I mean after two or three you taste buds aren’t worn out from the extreme bitter flavor or your mouth is way to dry from the beer. It is very well balanced all around. I really recommend that you try this one and see what I mean. It is good! Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Saranac Pale Ale

I have always thought in my personal opinion that pale ales are less intense IPAs. They do taste that way to me, and I do love great pale ale. This is Saranac Pale Ale, 5.50% ABV. This is English style pale ale. Saranac Pale Ale pours a dark gold or amber color with a big fluffy four finger head. I found some light coming through the glass but not a lot. There is a nice amount of carbonation bubbles. The aroma on this pale ale is slightly malty with a hint of hop aromas. This beer doesn’t really have any IPA like aromas that the majority of pales ales have, it has more malted aromas to it. The taste on Saranac Pale Ale is much like to aroma, malty but not sweet. There is a very faint sweetness but it is quickly chased away by the hops that hit you after the malts. I find this pale ale to be a bit on the rich side but still good. This Saranac has a medium mouth feel and finish slightly less malty than when it started and it has a slight hop finish. The aftertaste it a bit of a tart hop flavor with a semi crispness that makes for a good after taste. I would say this is a B. Nothing is really wrong with this, it was better than I though it was going to be, but didn’t blow me away on the first sip. Just a solid pale ale nothing really spectacular about this beer thought. Just a slightly above average English style pale ale. This Saranac could I’ve been toned down in the hop department just a tad and add a pinch of malt and it could be perfect. But my number one favorite pale ale is 21^st Amendment’s Bitter American. But I do think you should try them both and see which is better. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Saranac Kölsch

In the craft beer world German styles are always popular with brewers and breweries.  On style in particular that is great for the summer season is Kölsch, which is light body blonde ale from Köln Germany. Some versions can be medium hoped to lightly hoped. This Kölsch is Saranac’s take, 5.0% ABV, on the style. This Kölsch pours a golden straw color with barely any head. The head does fade quickly and leaves no lacing. I did however find tons of light streaming though the glass with huge amounts of carbonation bubbles. The carbonation doesn’t transfer into the taste, but we’ll get to that in just moment. The aroma on this Kölsch has a small spicy/pepper like scent and there is a slight hop aroma too. There is a bready note there that is slightly more assertive than the other aromas. Now the taste on this Kölsch, this has a nice crispness upfront with small light spicy/pepper like notes, and a nice bready note that really plays well the pepper like notes. Then there is a slight hop flavor, but not overly hoppy. This Kölsch is on the medium to lower side in the hop department. The mouth feel is medium and crisp.  Saranac Kölsch does finish clean and refreshing. The aftertaste is slightly hoppy with a bit of a bready note. I am a fan of the Kölsch style, and this on is getting a B+ here. This beer needs the slightest tweaking on the balance between the bready malts and the hops to get to be better for me. But I did enjoy this beer, and I think it’s a good version of the Kölsch style. I would recommend this beer for the summertime. It was good, but doesn’t need a lot to make it the best. Try Saranac Kölsch and see for yourself! Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!

Saranac wild Hop Pils Pilsner

In the world of craft beer trends come and go. I believe that one trend coming is more pilsner style, like hoppy pilsner, imperial pilsner, or wheat pilsner. This is Saranac (been in operation for 125 years) Wild Hop Pils, 5.2% ABV. This is a German style pilsner. Saranac is the first to use Belma hop first discovered on growing wild on a farm in the Yakima Valley. Wild hop Pils pours a nice clean golden color with a bright white three quarters finger head. There isn’t great retention on the head.  I found plenty of light coming through the glass with lots of carbonation bubble racing from the bottom to the top. This beer really looks a good pilsner should. The aroma on this is nice a floral with a tiny hint of a breaded note.  When I smelled the aroma on this it reminds more a little of a pale ale or an IPA. The taste is first crisp with nice light hop flavor in the middle, but it the hoppy bite at the end is not as hoppy as the start. There is a nice kind of grassy flavor that is almost leafy green like with the smallest hint of pine needles the mouth feel is light to medium and crisp. This Saranac beer finished nice with a slight hoppiness, but not overwhelming, and leads to a slightly hop bitter but clean aftertaste. Overall this is an interesting take on a pilsner, Saranac really takes a ho hum beer style and makes more interesting and flavor, not that some pilsner have no flavor, pilsners across the board as a style aren’t know for bold flavors. This is on direction that craft beer is moving. So I am giving this A-, a really good beer and an interesting take on a pilsner, but I think that the balance between the pilsner malts and the hops could have been taken up just half a notch, but still a great interesting beer and in my opinion the next popular trend in the craft beer world. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!