Saranac ESB - Not Bad, Not an ESB
Written: Dec 07 '04 (Updated Dec 10 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Not a bad beer
Cons: not an ESB
The Bottom Line: While an okay beer overall, this is not what I would qualify as an ESB.
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| martytdx's Full Review: Saranac ESB |
It's that time of year again, when the craft brewers start sending out their 'Seasonal' variety packs for the beer lovers like me, exciting us with new and rare treats that we'll think fondly on (mostly) later in the year. Last year, I did a piece, "The Twelve Beers of Christmas", which covered the Saranac Seasonal 12-pack. This year, I have once again found one to enjoy. While some of the beers are the same, they are offering some different varieties - Marzenbier, Roggen Bock, E.S.B., Mocha Stout and Saranac Chocolate Amber.
Rather than revisit the 12 beers - when 7 of them are the same - I'm only going to review the 5 new ones (hold your applause, please). So, without further ado...
[• about SARANAC •]
Saranac beers are brewed by the Matt Brewing Company, a brewery located in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains in Central New York. Over a century old, the brewery is currently being run by the third and fourth generations of the Matt Family (Nick and Fred, respectively). Today, the company brews a number of different beers (27 different beers in the recent past, including seasonals and limited editions), as well as SIX different soft drinks (they added one this year).
[• about E.S.B. •]
E.S.B. is short for Extra Special Bitter, a variety of beer popular in England. While the name implies a bitterness, usually born of the hops, the 'extra special' refers to an exuberance of hops to make the hop character exceptional in these beers. Still, ESB's are also noted for a malty character and even some fruitiness hidden within that hop bitterness.
Saranac-s ESB is made with Willamette hops, and adds a "floral hint" of English fuggle hops and the "spicy" Saaz hops (their words, from the bottle). Sounds exciting (seeing as how I like spicy, but would it live up to the reputation. Unfortunately, no.
the POUR » I poured this into an English pint - seemed appropriate, after all. The beer was a reddish amber with a slight, tan head. I liked the color, although I would have expected it to be a little darker for some reason.
the NOSE » This beer presents a VERY hoppy nose with a hint of bitterness even in the smell. There is a slight maltiness to it, but not as much as the style is noted for. I detected no fruitiness of any type.
the TASTE » I dug in, knowing that I am not a huge hops fan but that I had to try this one for the team. I was remarkably surprised then, that I liked this beer. The hops- flavor was subtle and not especially bitter; in fact, there was more bitterness in the nose than in the actual taste. However, the beer does come with quite a tingle on the tongue not born of carbonation, and the hops sticks around in the aftertaste.
However, I have to say that this is not what I would have expected in an ESB - truthfully, this was a gross under-performer in both hoppiness and bitterness. Which, for me, made it a decent beer - but not an ESB. If anything, this might qualify as an English bitter, but the ESB moniker is a stretch. For those looking for a hearty hop flavor, it won-t be found here.
Still, the beer wasn-t bad. I liked it as I slowly drank it hoping that it would warm well. It stayed basically the same throughout the entire beer - which is to say, good but not great and definitely not what I was expecting.
[• beer SPECIFICS •]
• Awards: None
• ABV: n/a
• IBU: unknown
• Shelf-Life: n/a
• Serving Temperature: 50 degrees F (chilled temperature)
• Calories (per 12 oz.): unknown
• Carbs: unknown
[• final THOUGHTS •]
While this was a good beer, it was hardly remarkable - even more so because it isn't an ESB as much as it is a simple bitter. If you want that style, go for it, but look elsewhere if you want a true ESB (such as Red Hook).
[• final SARANAC BEER TALLY •]
including last year's batch:
GREAT (4) - Caramel Porter, Season's Best, Chocolate Amber, Mocha Stout
GOOD (8) - Black Forest, Black & Tan, Golden Pilsener, IPA, Pale Ale, Traditional Lager, ESB, Roggen Bock
FAIR (3) - Adirondack Amber, Single Malt, Stout
EHHH.... (1) - Belgian White
For More Information
www.http://www.saranac.com/
• related SARANAC REVIEWS •
2004 »
Chocolate Amber
Mocha Stout
Roggen Bock
2003 »
1st Day of Xmas - Saranac Pale Ale
2nd Day of Xmas - Saranac Stout
3rd Day of Xmas - Saranac Black Forest
4th Day of Xmas - Saranac Caramel Porter
5th Day of Xmas - Saranac Belgian White
6th Day of Xmas - Saranac Black and Tan
7th Day of Xmas - Saranac Adirondack Amber
8th Day of Xmas - Saranac India Pale Ale
9th Day of Xmas - Saranac Golden Pilsener
10th Day of Xmas - Saranac Traditional Lager
11th Day of Xmas - Saranac Single Malt
12th Day of Xmas - Saranac Season's Best
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
martytdx
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 - Top 200 |
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Member: Marty
Location: New Jersey
Reviews written: 481
Trusted by: 179 members
About Me:
Doing what I can to try new places, restaurants, books and beers.
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