A Night at the Office

I'm in New Jersey for the Nine Inch Nails- Jane's Addiction concert (NIN|JA tour 2009) and we decided to hit Morristown Friday night for some drinks and social situations. We chose to go to The Office, as it has a decent selection of beers on tap and an extensive bottle selection.

The first beer I had was Rammstein Maibock. It has a nice dark amber color. The Maibock taste sweet, with a malty after taste. There is a minor hop bite, but it is very subtle and complimentary. The alcohol content runs between 6-6.5% ABV. I thoroughly enjoy the smoothness of this beer and considered getting a second glass, but there were so many more beers to try.

The second beer I ordered was Southern Tier Mokah. My only complaint is that the bar did not fill the entire glass. This beer was fantastic. It had a wonderful coffee and chocolate aroma. The head was frothy. The beer was very sweet and full of flavor. It almost reminded me of an Arby's Jamocha milkshake. I thoroughly enjoyed the flavor experience of the Mokah and would highly recommend this beer. The alcohol content is 11.0% ABV.

Thirdly, I ordered a pint of Leffe Blond. This beer was very round in its flavor and smooth to drink. The taste had a hint of bananas in it. I thought that it was a little sweet, but all in all it was easy to drink. The alcohol content is 6.6% ABV.

The final beer ordered for the evening was a Samuel Smith's Taddy Porter. [Note: No Samuel Smith's website exists] The chocolate accent in the porter was very noticeable and very appreciated. The beer has the taste of dark chocolate, making this an excellent porter. The beer was a little thick and was somewhat dry, but not to the detriment of the beer. I was very impressed with the Taddy Porter, as I usually am with Samuel Smith's brews. The alcohol content of the beer is 5.0% ABV.

Saranac Rye Pilsener

The sixth and final installment from Saranac in the 12 Beers of Summer sampler pack is the Rye Pilsner. The beer pours very light and is almost clear. It has a very interesting floral aroma that doesn't hint at rye. It is not as dry as some of the other rye beers that I have had and actually drinks pretty smoothly. The alcohol content is 4.8% ABV. There is only a slight bitterness to this beer and was much better than I expected. I saved this beer until last expecting the worst, but came out pleasantly surprised.

Saranac Pale Pale Ale

The fifth installment from Saranac in the 12 Beers of Summer sampler is the Pale Pale Ale. The name of the beer does not lie, as it is a very light amber color. It has a fresh floral aroma that smells very fresh. The flavor is very light and crisp with a noticeable amount of hop bitter after taste. However, the after taste is not overwhelming and very complimentary. The alcohol content is 4.7% ABV. This was a very enjoyable summer beer that would pair very well with summertime foods.

Saranac Amber Wheat Ale

The fourth beer from Saranac in the 12 Beers of Summer sampler is the Amber Wheat Ale. As far as aroma, I really didn't pick up anything. I am a big fan of the color, a nice dark amber that definitely screams that it hasn't been filtered. The Amber Wheat Ale is sweet on the tongue and has a little hop bite to round out the experience. The alcohol content is 4.8% ABV. So far out of the pack,this is my second favorite beer to the Summer Ale.

Saranac Summer Ale

The third beer selected for tasting from Saranac our of the 12 Beers of Summer sampler pack is the Summer Ale. The floral aroma of the hops in this beers is excellent and it pours a nice caramel-colored amber. The taste is fantastic, sweet with a nice lemon accent. There are many levels of flavor with this beer. The alcohol content is 4.7% ABV and the Summer Ale is highly recommended. I will look to purchase a full case of this beer in the near future.

Saranac Helles Lager

The second post for Saranac in the 12 Beers of Summer sampler is for the Helles Lager. This beer has a sweet aroma and pours a nice golden amber color. The taste is slightly dry, but very crisp and refreshing. There is a slight hops after taste that really enhances the experience. The alcohol content is 4.8% and this is a perfect summer time beer. 

Saranac Pomegranate Wheat

This post will be the first in a series of six related to Saranac, as I picked up the 12 Beers of Summer sampler pack. The first beer I tried is the Pomegranate Wheat.  The pour of the beer is excellent, as it has a very cloudy, unfiltered wheat beer look to it. It was difficult to pick up anything extraordinary in the aroma. I could only pick up the faint smell of hops. As far as taste, I wasn't overly impressed with the flavor, as the pomegranate is very faint. However, I wouldn't say this is a bad beer either. It drinks very smooth and tastes fresh. The alcohol content 4.7% ABV. I think with the addition of more pomegranate, Saranac could have added some more flavor and upped the alcohol content a bit.