Saranac India-Style Copper Ale

Brewery: The Matt Brewing Company
Location: Utica, NY
Style: IPA
Brewery Website
Rating: A

The folks over at Saranac apparently had a hard time choosing, so they split the difference when naming today's beer - their India Style Copper Ale. The beer pours up (you guessed it) a deep copper color, with a foamy tan head. The nose is pleasantly complex with notes of citrus hops, malt syrup and some yeast ester notes that take on a bit of a cherry aroma.

The palate first picks up some breakfast cereal off-dry malt notes. Hops lead with citrus and apricot. Pine resin comes in a bit later along with some black pepper spice notes. The hops bite builds over time. The same cherry note of yeasty fruit that was on the nose makes an appearance on the palate as well. A fleeting hint of sweetness supports the fruit notes well. The Saranac India Style Copper Ale is medium-bodied with some hoppy oiliness. The finish has off-dry malt with a long hops bite, which is paired with fruity notes from both the yeast and hops.

Saranac has a big winner on their hands with the India Style Copper Ale. This ale has some nice complexity and is well-balanced. There is enough of a malt backbone here to withstand the IPA-style hoppiness, and a nice shot of yeasty fruit esters really fits in quite well for such a hoppy beer. This is a unique take on the copper ale style and is well worth seeking out.

Saranac Bohemian Pilsner

Spring is here, and the wave of pilsners are starting to roll in over at Beer! Check out the Saranac Bohemian Pilsner:

Brewery: The Matt Brewing Company
Location: Utica, NY
Style: Pilsner
Brewery Website
Rating: A

Spring is here, and to me there is nothing like a good pilsner on a sunny spring day. Today's beer tasting this the Saranac Bohemian Pilsner and this surely fits the bill as a good pilsner. The Bohemian Pilsner pours up a light gold in color with a fizzy white head and very fine, profusely effervescent carbonation. The nose detects lager malt, wheat/semolina grain and some fruity hops notes.

The first impression on the palate is that this is a mostly dry, European-style pils. There are malt notes of bread and pasta. A distinct mineral water flavor is present as well as some "Eurolager" notes. Hops are notable with both herbal and citrus aromatics along with a touch of piny bittering hops. The Bohemian Pilsner has a light, fizzy body that is quite refreshing. The finish has pasta with lingering hops and just a hint of sweetness.

Saranac has a fantastic pilsner on their hands here. This is a light, refreshing Euro-style pils that doesn't hide the hops. The Bohemian Pilsner is balanced, flavorful and refreshing. You can't ask for much more in a Pilsner.

Saranac Pale Ale

Brewery: Matt Brewing Company
Location: Utica, NY
Style: Pale Ale
Brewery Website
Rating: A-

Up for review today is Saranac's Pale Ale. The Saranac Pale Ale is a deep copper color with a light tan, bubbly head. The nose has a malt note that is very charicteristic of a British-style Pale Ale. There are also both herbal and fruity hops aromas.

On the palate the Saranac Pale Ale has a bready malt note. There is a moderate acidity that highlights cherry and plum fruit notes from the hops. There is also a mild bitter hops note on the tail end. Mineral and nutty flavors are also present. The finish has wheat bread along with a tart fruit acidity. The Saranac Pale Ale has a smooth, medium body with a touch of juiciness.

The Saranac Pale Ale is a tasty British-style pale ale that is smooth drinking with a nice hint of acidity. To me, this tastes like a fuller-flavored take on the Bass Ale style. This is really worth a try if you're a Bass/Belhaven fan.