The connoisseur's fruit beer
Written: Dec 04 '08 (Updated Dec 28 '08)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: complex taste of fruits and spices while still being sweet; smooth
Cons: overly-heavy body for a fruit beer
The Bottom Line: This is the Pomegranate Wheat done right!
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| Chad9976's Full Review: Saranac Belgian Ale |
A mistake brewers seem to make is creating gimmicky, overly-sweetened beers that are essentially wine coolers or malt beverages. But Saranac gets a fruity beer right with their Belgian Ale by loading it with lots of spice. It’s a full-bodied, robust beer that’s sweet and spicy.
POUR, COLOR AND AROMA
Belgian Ale poured extremely smooth and formed a white, foamy head which dissipated mostly, but not entirely. It left some lacing on the glass as well. The complexion was a beautiful dark copper/reddish-orange clear body with some carbonation noticeable. The aroma gave off some fruity notes, mostly tart along the lines of a cranberry scent with clove also being prominent.
TASTE
As soon as I took my first taste of Belgian Ale I wondered when I had drank this beer before, and then it hit me: Saranac Pomegranate Wheat. This beer has a similar taste in that it’s obviously fruity, but with a deep, rich layer of sweetness rather than a tart or citrus-like taste. It tastes like cranberry or pomegranate may very well be key ingredients in this beer (Saranac’s description says it’s “fruity” but which fruits are used they’re not saying).
Basically, this tastes like a summer-style fruity beer with additional spice for the winter season. Clove is a noticeable, with possibly some vanilla. In fact, the beer reminds me of pumpkin ale sans pumpkin and replaced with fruit.
FINISH
Spicy beers tend to be difficult to drink since their contents have a tendency to dance on your palate. Belgian Ale, while being quite spicy, doesn’t assault the palate and goes down extremely smooth.
BODY
Really the only thing I can criticize Belgian Ale for is its seemingly heavy body. At 5.9% ABV it’s quite a hefty beer, especially for a fruit-themed brew. I definitely noticed the alcohol after just one bottle and the weight was noticeable as well, but nothing I, nor the average beer drinker, can’t handle.
FINAL THOUGHTS
While I wouldn’t consider Saranac Belgian Ale to be a masterpiece, I do have to commend it for being such a high-quality beer because it’s able to convey a fruity theme while still having a truly complex, robust, non-gimmicky taste. This is truly a fruit beer for the connoisseur.
NOTE: watch the video version of this review at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcHpWQdtnCg
OTHER FRUIT BEERS:
Harpoon UFO Raspberry Hefeweizen (3)
Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat (3)
ALSO BY SARANAC:
Saranac Adirondack Lager (3)
Saranac Belgian White (5)
Saranac Black & Tan (4)
Saranac Black Forest (4)
Saranac Bohemian Pilsener (2)
Saranac Brown Ale (4)
Saranac Extra Special Bitter (4)
Saranac Golden Pilsener (3)
Saranac Hefeweizen (5)
Saranac India Pale Ale (4)
Saranac Kolsch (3)
Saranac Octoberfest (3)
Saranac Pale Ale (3)
Saranac Pomegranate Wheat (3)
Saranac Pumpkin Ale (4)
saranac Season's Best (4)
Saranac Summer Ale (3)
Saranac Vanilla Stout (4)
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Chad9976
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 - Top 1000 |
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Member: Chad Polenz
Location: Albany, New York
Reviews written: 656
Trusted by: 147 members
About Me:Check out Chad'z Beer Reviews on YouTube
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