12 Saranac Beers of Xmas #1 - Pale Ale
Written: Dec 16 '03 (Updated Jan 03 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Very good if common pale ale
Cons: fruity bouquet on a pale ale?
The Bottom Line: A good and reliable pale ale - great for new pale ale drinkers or those in the mood for a mild pale ale.
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| martytdx's Full Review: Saranac Pale Ale |
"On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, a Pale Ale from a package o' beer a'plenty"
• about SARANAC 12 BEERS •
I recently walked into my local bottle shop and found a nice site - a 12-pack of assorted bottles of Saranac, including a nice assortment of their specialty brews. I'm definitely one of those people who likes to sample - the appetizer sampler at a restaurant, the Whitman's sampler for candy ... and a beer sampler is to me a GREAT thing.
This twelve pack includes 6 year-round beers (Pale Ale, Black & Tan, Adirondack Amber, Black Forest, Lager, and India Pale Ale) plus six encore presentations of Saranacs past and present (Caramel Porter, Stout, Golden Pilsener, Belgian White, Single Malt, and Season's Best - Nut Brown Lager). A good selection if I have ever seen one. So I brought this home, filled the fridge with my beer and waited to begin sampling...
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• about SARANAC •
From the Saranac website: In 1885, young F.X. Matt I, a German-born immigrant, left a promising career at the famous Duke of Baden Brewery in the Black Forest region of Germany to travel to the United States with the determination and dream of owning his own brewery someday. After several years of brewing experience at the Bierbaur Brewery, F.X. Matt re-organized the faltering brewery to create The West End Brewing Company in 1888. Serving as both the star salesman and brewmaster, the brewery quickly became one of the largest and most successful of the 12 breweries operating in Utica at the time.
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 5 different soft drinks.
• about PALE ALE •
The first beer for my sampling was an old friend, Saranac Pale Ale. One of the most common of the Saranac beers, I've had had this one many times, and found it to be a reliable example of the style.
Saranac is an English Pale Ale style with 6 specialty malts and English Kent goldings and Fuggles Hops. It has a "fruity bouquet", according to the bottle - but I would beg to differ; the nose is similar to most other pale ales if milder than some.
My initial pour filled the glass with a liquid of a copper color and a full white head. Hoppy as heck on the nose, the first taste gives a very decent (but not overwhelming) hoppy taste. While the original taste carries well, the finish is a little bitter - but it is still a good beer to drink. With an ABV of 5.5%, it has a slight kick but remains a good beer to enjoy on a hot, summer day.
• final THOUGHTS •
I think that Saranac is one of the better examples of a 'generic' pale ale that newbies can delve into. It supplies a good example of the style, and is a very drinkable beer overall.
• random BEER FACT •
12 oz of a typical American pale lager actually has fewer calories than 2 percent milk or apple juice.
For More Information
www.http://www.saranac.com/
• related SARANAC REVIEWS •
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 Indian 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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Member: Marty
Location: New Jersey
Reviews written: 481
Trusted by: 180 members
About Me:
Doing what I can to try new places, restaurants, books and beers.
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