Saranac Pilsener

Pros: Easy Drinkabilty; Good Clarity
Cons: Misleading name; Light

Saranac is a brand name for a family of beers produced by the F.X. Matt Brewery in Utica, New York. A short time ago, I purchased a sampler pack of Saranac beers- a six pack that was supposed to include 2 bottles each of three different styles of beer:...

Pros: Widely available, great hot weather brew
Cons: None come to mind

You've heard of the beer that made Milwaukee famous. Saranac is the line that made Utica famous, and probably kept the brewery alive at the same time. The F.X. Matt brewery was a regional brewer in upstate New York for many years, surviving on the local...

Pros: Readily available
Cons: Lacks character

I must admit that I was excited when I found the Saranac Adirondack Trail Mix six-pack while away for the weekend in Lenox Massachusetts. What a great opportunity to try four beers from the same brewery. I had previously tried the Black & Tan and...

Pros: Good, clean beer with decent flavor.
Cons: Not really a pilsener at all.

NOTE: There was no category for GOLDEN Pilsener, so I put it here; in fact, this is the same beer with a new label!! - Marty "On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love set before me, a golden beer with head a'plenty." ...

Pros: extremely smooth; light bodied; good for parties.
Cons: Weak tasting; rather unsatisfying; misleading name.

I’ve never been a fan of light beers, except maybe at a bar during Monday Night Football while eating hot wings. I prefer taste over a light body, so it’s rare that a light beer can be truly tasty and weighty. Saranac Golden ...

Pros: Complex and cheap.
Cons: Forgettable.

Saranac's Golden Pilsener isn't terrible. That being said, it's not particularly good either.

If you want a better example of properly brewed pilsener beer, turn to Urquell or maybe even the widely available Beck's. Like...

Pros: A Good quaffing beer, nice flavor
Cons: misleading name, a bit on the light side.

Once in awhile even beer geeks like myself need to go easy and enjoy a beer that's not high octane or overly complex. Today, I had a bottle of the Saranac American Pilsner. This is a beer that fits the bill for those situations.

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Pros: Great tasting
Cons: Tough to find outside of upstate NY

Having spent a summer in Utica, NY playing baseball, I encountered a brewery I had never heard of. Being the curious type (especially with beer), I jumped at the chance to try something new and different. With a teammate working at the brewery for the...