Saranac High Peaks Lemon Ginger Saison

I picked up a bottle of Saranac High Peaks Lemon Ginger Saison from Discount Wines and Liquors in Boonton, NJ. The beer pours a golden color with a lofty and frothy white colored head that leaves a lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of lemon, ginger, wheat, pepper, and grass. The taste bites the tongue at first with some strong ginger and lemon flavors. That subsides and leads to pepper, wheat, grass, and caramel flavors. The alcohol content is 8.5% ABV.This was a good saison, especially considering the cheap price, and had plenty of tasty flavors, especially the added ginger flavor.

Saranac High Peaks Chocolate Orange

I picked up a bottle of Saranac High Peaks Chocolate Orange while in Ithaca, NY. The beer pours a black color with a frothy tan head. The aroma consists of dark chocolate, alcohol, and orange. While other flavors were present, it was amazing to see how prevalent the alcohol actually was on the tongue. The taste overall was dark and dry with plenty of chocolate. Obviously some hints of orange and orange peel came out, providing a nice accent to the beer. The alcohol content is 9.0% ABV. I like the flavor of this beer, but I did think that the alcohol was a little too present in the beer and knocked it a little off balance.

Saranac High Peaks Imperial IPA

I picked up a bottle of Saranac High Peaks Imperial IPA from a bottle shop in Ithaca following the LeBleu release. The beer pours a copper color with an extremely lofty and frothy off-white colored head. The aroma consists of caramel, orange, tangerine, lemon, and pepper, but definitely errs on the sweet side of those aromas rather than the bitter side. The taste is more bitter than the aroma suggests, but not overly so. There is orange, tangerine, and a hint of grapefruit. The base is built upon caramel and toffee, with a pine and pepper finish. The alcohol content is 8.5% ABV. So, this beer was not the most bitter Imperial IPA or most complex, but for $2 per bottle that I paid, it was a good deal. Saranac usually doesn’t blow me away, but makes an affordable and drinkable beer. This beer is right down that alley, but it does come through with some bitterness on the finish.

Saranac Winter Lager

The sixth and final beer I had out of the “12 Beers of Winter” sampler pack from Saranac was the Winter Lager. The beer is a dark brown color with minimal head. It has a slight malt aroma. The taste is very sweet and malty with a very light hop accent. It also has a slight caramel accent and a dry coffee taste on the finish. The alcohol content is 5.9% ABV. This was a very excellent lager and would rank up there with my favorites. There are a variety of flavors and this beer is very dynamic.

Saranac Rye IPA

The fifth beer I had out of the “12 Beers of Winter” sampler pack from Saranac was the Rye IPA. The beer has a gold color with a frothy white head. There is a fresh and slightly hoppy aroma. The taste is slightly sweet at first with a peppery hop bite on the finish. There is also a light lemon accent. The alcohol content is 6.0% ABV. I liked this Rye IPA and thought it was not just about the hops, but more about the balance of citrus, hops, and malts.

Saranac Black Lager

The fourth beer I opened out of the “12 Beers of Winter” sampler pack from Saranac was the Black Lager. The beer has a deep brown color with a creamy foamy head. The smell is heavy on sweet malts with hints of coffee. The taste is dry and slightly bitter at first, but the taste sweetens with hints of chocolate and a slight coffee undertone, which is what makes it dry. The alcohol content is 5.5% ABV. I really enjoyed this beer with the coffee and chocolate tastes and thought it was a very dynamic experience.

Saranac Big Moose Ale

The third beer I had out of the “12 Beers of Winter” sampler pack from Saranac was the Big Moose Ale. The beer has an amber color with a lofty frothy head. It smells of yeast and hops. The taste is smooth and hoppy, with lemon and pepper accents. It is pretty dry on the tongue due to the hop content. The alcohol content is 5.3% ABV. I thought that this is a very smooth and a great tasting pale ale. The lemon accent really compliments the pepper flavor and is a satisfying drinking experience.

Saranac Maple Porter

The second beer I tried out of the “12 Beers of Winter” sampler pack from Saranac was the Maple Porter. The beer is dark brown in color with a light foamy head, The smell is sweet with maple accents. The taste is nutty and has hints of toasted malts, finishing sweet and sugary. There is a very slight maple accent in the taste and a toffee undertone. The alcohol content is 5.3% ABV. I thought this was an interesting take on the porter. The maple ingredient smooths out the toasted edges in the porter and makes this a complex beer.

Saranac Belgian Ale

I picked up the “12 Beers of Winter” sampler pack from Saranac. The first beer I grabbed out of the case was the Belgian Ale. The beer has a golden amber color with red hints and a light frothy head. It smells sweet, malty and peppery. The taste is dry and sweet with a pepper undertone. There is an accent of citrus and raisin as well. The alcohol content is 5.9% ABV. I thought that it was not a bad Belgian style and it leaves a spicy film on the back of the mouth. and I thought that this is an easy drinking beer.

Saranac Irish Red Ale

The final beer I tried from the “12 Beers A Falling” from Saranac was the Irish Red Ale. The beer has a red color with a lofty white head. The smell is slightly malty, but not overpowering. The taste is very malty with a slight wheat hint. There is slight toffee and caramel undertones and a very light hop finish. The alcohol content is 4.5% ABV. I thought this was a great Irish Red Ale and would definitely try this beer again.

Saranac India Pale Ale

Another beer in the “12 Beers A Falling” from Saranac that I had was the India Pale Ale. The beer is golden amber in color with a frothy and foamy head. The aroma is floral and peppery. The taste is slightly malty and finishes with a hefty compliment of hops. The alcohol content is 5.8% ABV. I felt that Saranac has a great entry in the IPA category, and the hop content is just right. It is not too powerful and hoppy, but provides a kick that doesn't let you forget that it is an IPA.

Saranac Octoberfest

As part of the “12 Beers A Falling” sampler pack, I tried the Saranac Octoberfest. The beer has a copper color with a medium bodied foamy head. The smell is malty with sour undertones. The taste is malty but is slightly sour with bites from the hops.The alcohol content is 5.4% ABV. The though that Saranac's Octoberfest was a little more bitter than most oktoberfest beers, but it balances nicely with the malts. I thought this was a solid oktoberfest style beer and is worth drinking again.

Saranac Black Forest

The second beer I tried out of the “12 Beers A Falling” sampler pack from Saranac was the Black Forest. The beer is black in color with a thin bubbly head. The beer smells sweet and malty. The taste is malty and is sweet with caramel hints. The beer finishes with a nutty undertone and a little dry. The alcohol content is 5.3% ABV. I was surprised with this beer, as it is somewhat sweet for how dark it is. It was a thoroughly enjoyable beer, as it has several levels of taste, ranging from sweetness to nuttiness to bitterness.

Saranac Caramel Porter

I picked up a case of the “12 Beers A Falling” from Saranac and opened up the Caramel Porter first. The beer has a dark brown color with a tan lofty head. There is a very powerful aroma with caramel and sugar hints. The smell is very similar to a caramel candy or ice cream topping. The taste is sweet with caramel accents and nutty undertone, but not too sweet. The beer finishes a little dry and bitter from the hops, which makes it more beer-like than candy-like. The alcohol content is 5.4% ABV. I was a little worried about this beer from the smell, as it is very sweet and overpowering, but the all-around flavor of the beer is outstanding and it drinks more like a porter than candy.

Saranac Pumpkin Ale

I picked up a case of Saranac Pumpkin Ale today. I love pumpkin beers, and am really looking forward to trying many different brands this falls. The beer pours a dark amber color with a little head. The aroma consists pumpkin and cinnamon with a backbone of nutmeg. The taste is front loaded with allspice and ginger. It finishes a little dry with cinnamon and nutmeg. The alcohol content is 5.4% ABV. I thought this Pumpkin Ale is pretty decent, but doesn't measure up with some of the better ones I've had in the past. I think the balance of flavors is decent, but there is something missing in the beer, but I cannot put my finger on it.

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.