Saranac Vanilla Stout (NY)

I've been disappointed with Saranac as often as I've been pleased with them, so I don't know why I keep coming back. Vanilla Stout certainly sounds tasty, although Caramel Porter did as well, and I didn't like that. It turns Vanilla Stout didn't do it for me, but for reasons that were different than I would have thought. So at least it was interesting in that respect.

I was ready for an overly sweet, lightweight dark beer, with faux vanilla and too many bubbles. Instead, I got a beer with an admittedly terrific, fluffy beige head and a decent (if somewhat light) body. It wasn't too sweet; it wasn't sweet at all. And there was very little vanilla to be found. At most, it tasted like chewing on a leathery vanilla bean pod. Instead, it had a dark roastiness that sounds attractive, but turned into a harsh bitterness in the finish. 

It looks like Saranac Vanilla Stout is receiving pretty good reviews. I can understand that, I guess, as it was neither weak nor cloying. Still, it wasn't for me.  

Three More from Saranac

The other three from Saranac's Adirondack Trail Mix:

Brown Ale: Clear brown with a red/orange tinge. The label boasts of "Pacific Northwest hops," and I think I can smell them. So this isn't a British Brown. To it's credit, it isn't a bland one either. A touch of chocolate malt, a decent hop presence, and a dry finish. But also an over-carbonated body and kind of a rough taste. Eh.

Black & Tan: I've often had the suspicion that Saranac produces some of their myriad beers by mixing existing ones. No secret about the Black & Tan, a mixture of their Amber Lager and seasonal Irish Stout (which, as Wikipedia explains, would technically make this a Half and Half). From a bottle, you don't get the cool layered effect as with a true Black and Tan. So what do you get? A lighter stout, I suppose. It's roastiness is cut by caramel sweetness from the lager. Overall, the malts and hops don't really blend, and it tastes like the sort of experimental beer mix you'd create at home with the remnants of various six packs. Still, it's pretty intersting and worth a try.

Black Forest: "Bavarian Style Beer." It never comes out and says it's a schwarzbier on the label, but I think that's what it is, more or less. I don't think it strives for German authenticity though (the Black Forest isn't even in Bavaria) . It's very dark brown and ruby colored. Even accepting that this is a lager, the body is too light. In fact, the entire initial taste is too light and mineral water-ish for me, more treble than bass. At the end, a light roasted flavor comes through, which is great, but overall I don't like this as much as some others do. Sam Adams makes a better American black lager, while Sprecher makes one that is much richer and roastier.

So the Pale Ale is the star of this sixer for me, and probably the only one I'd seek out again.

Three from Saranac (NY)

Saranac really makes a lot of styles, so many that I can buy their variety six-pack and find no beers that I've reviewed (though I've had a couple of these before).

Adirondack Lager: The good news is that this isn't a bland lager. The bad news is it doesn't taste quite right (at least not to me). Clear, light amber color, light hop aroma. It's made with both Hallertau and Cascades, and you can kind of taste both of them battling it out. However, some of the taste gets buried beneath heavy carbonation (not uncommon for this brewery). There are also somewhat sour, metallic elements appearing. Maybe just a bad one-off for me, but this wasn't good.

Pale Ale: Much better. This might be considered their signature beer, and it's all over the place around these parts. "Classic English Style," it says on the label, and it uses Fuggles and EKG hops to prove it. I think I sense some US-style citrusy hops in the nose, but those don't really appear. In stead, it's a good balance of malts and fruity, herbal hops. Softly carbonated. Great sessions brew.

India Pale Ale: The label says "American I.P.A." and boasts of "generous amounts of Cascade hops." This is a tough style to crack for a place like Saranac. Do you try to appease the hop-crazed elements of the craft beer community? Or do you tone it down a notch to appeal to a larger crowd? A bit more of the latter, I'd say. The citrusy hops come through against the malt background, but neither is huge. A bit light in both body and bitterness. The last IPA I had was Great Lakes, to which Saranac can't hold a candle. Still, if you forget about others of the style, you'll find a fairly tasty beer, and maybe a good first IPA.


Not a bad half a six pack (you only get one of each). Their Pale Ale may be my favorite of the brewery, but sometimes I think its more fun to drink things like Caramel Porter and Mountain Berry Ale and Chocolate Amber Lager, even if they don't all work. That's what Saranac does best: crank out the styles.

Saranac Hefeweizen (NY)

In the wake of the F.X. Matt brewery fire, I decided to pick up one of their seasonal offerings. I'm not going to pretend as though I love the Saranac line. They do some things well, some not so well. Hefeweizen is one I was not confident they'd do well; I don't think many US brewery's get it right. It turns out, this was better than I'd expected.

Off to a good start: Saranac Hefeweizen is unfiltered and has a proper banana aroma. The flavor brings a bit of spice (coriander, clove) and, near the end, a lemony tartness. The finish is a bit messier than I'd wish, with spice and tart and maybe some slightly off flavors. Still, the whole thing is pretty good. The body isn't too light and it has a nice active but not obtrusive carbonation (a lot of other Saranac's are over-fizzed, IMO).

I'd rank this above the American "classic" Widmer Hefeweizen, which I admit I don't much like. Saranac's attempt at the style isn't up to the standards of top German breweries, but you'll pay barely half as much for a bottle. It's sold as part of the brewery's summer 12-pack if you can't find it in singles or sixes.

Sraranc Oatmeal Stout/Scotch Ale (NY)

The last two from 12 Beers of Winter, which I'm honestly happy to be rid of.

Oatmeal Stout: My point of comparison here is Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout, which for me sets the bar very high. Saranac's take looks comparably appealing, with its very dark body and tan head (although that doesn't stick around). The aroma is promising, but the body lets me down. It's too thin and (again) over-carbonated. The base flavor is roatsed malts, some coffee, and not too sweet. For me, though, it's like a few tablespoons of diet cola have been added to water it down. I don't particularly like it.

Scotch Ale: For this one, I don't have good points of comparison, only having tried a few in the style. The label calls it "a full-bodied, malty sweet ale." It isn't full-bodied; more like medium, although I think Saranac gets the carbonation right this time. Of course it's malty, with caramel sweetness, and there's secondary bitterness as well. In addition, smokiness comes through, as does some booziness (it's 6% ABV). To me, all of this hangs together fairly well until the finish, which is a bit messy. Still, I like this one. In the words of Montgomery Burns: "I know what I hate, and I don’t hate this."

Overall, I wouldn't buy this variety pack again unless it were a necessary compromise with "civilians" (i.e., macro drinkers). I'll probably want to drink the curious Chocolate Amber Lager again (I think I can get singles of that), and maybe the Scotch Ale of Winter Wassail. I could do without the other three.

Saranac Caramel Porter/Winter Wassail (NY)

Two more from the Saranac Beers of Winter 12-pack.

Caramel Porter: This certainly does smell like caramel, but more like those cubes in plastic wrappers rather than something fresh and rich. It looks okay: clear dark brown with ruby tones and a tan head. Taste wise, I'm not one to flinch at the slightest bit of sweetness in a beer, but this is too much for me. The label promises "Fuggles & East Kent Goldings hops for a smooth, yet slightly bitter, roasted flavor." Well, I don't detect much other than caramel. It isn't rich enough in taste for a porter, and the body is too thin. I thought Southern Tier's Pumking was over the top as well, but at least that was big and rich.

Mark at Beercraft blog says drinking this beer is "like licking peanut butter out of a dog's ass." It really isn't (don't ask). On the other hand, it receives fairly decent ratings at ratebeer compared with other Saranacs. I'm not crazy about it, although I didn't pour either bottle down the drain. If I bought this mixed pack again, I'd either cook with Caramel Porter or try to mix it with something else.

Winter Wassail: This is, in my opinion, a bit more successful. It's a crystal clear brown/amber color with a white head. "Look for hints of cinnamon, nutmeg, orange and allspice," says the guy who wrote the label text. The warm spices come through nicely, along with some fruit and some hops that attempt to balance it. My main complaint is the body: it's slightly watery and (again) has too much carbonation. A winter brew in particular should be heftier. Still, this one's fairly decent.

Saranac Belgian Ale/Chocolate Amber Lager

Saranac's 12 Beers of Winter has two each of six beers and costs around a buck a beer (before tax and deposit). Knowing this brewery, I don't expect these beers to blow me away in terms of quality (though it would be nice if one did). They will be approached more in the spirit of "oooh, let me try this one next!"


Belgian Ale: The label describes this as a "Belgian Style Ale." I understand that there are rules saying that you have to call it "-style" unless it's actually made in Belgium, but apparently the beer name itself can be "Belgian Ale."

This pours crystal clear, somewhere between amber and copper. I got a decent head out of it and a malty, spicy nose. It's not a textbook Belgian. It's over-fizzed, as are most Saranac beers (that's what the people like). This cuts into the flavor a bit. It's more spicy/herbal and even hoppy than fruity sweet. The finish is on the dry, crisp side of things. I can't pick out any of the fruit subtleties here, such as dark cherries or plums, and in this case I don't think the fault is mine. Still, this is a half decent beer. It's a Belgian for those to whom the word "Belgian" doesn't bring pre-existing expectations.

Chocolate Amber Lager: This one is categorized by the online rating sites as a dunkel. It was bottled two days earlier than the Belgian Ale: 2677 vs. 2697, which as the website helpfully explains, is September 24th rather than the 26th. This baby pours really dark, nearly black. Holding it up to the light reveals just a tinge of red around the corners, and still can't see my fingers on the other side. It doesn't have much aroma, though.

Again, this has too many bubbles for my taste, but the body is heavier than the Belgian Ale's. It's a bit slick going down. The chocolate is dark and bitter, not sweet, and heavily roasted, almost to the point of being burnt or smoky. I actually coughed at first, like a kid puffing his first cigarette. I didn't expect this to be a sweet chocolate syrup -- and wouldn't want it to be that -- but I do think the chocolate aspect is a bit too faint. There's also some coffee in there. Chocolate Amber Lager is more or less in the same ballpark as Beligan Ale in terms of quality, but gains points for being different.

Saranac Octoberfest Lager (NY)

To me, there's something compelling about the stories of mid-tier and regional American beer brands: Piels, Hamm's, Schaefer, etc. These unpretentious brewers couldn't keep up with the big boys in our globalized, ad-driven marketplace, but were also ill-suited to meet the needs of the beer connoisseurs. Some went bankrupt, some were bought out, some survived through contract brewing or new products.

Matt Brewing Company, in response to declining sales of both Matt's and Utica Club, boldly gambled its future on Saranac, and won. I don't think anyone considers Saranac a top-drawer craft brewery, but they are decent beers, affordable and available.

Saranac Octoberfest has the same light blue and white diamond theme as found on Victory's sleeve (Google shows me this is the Bavarian flag). The beer pours golden-amber with a nice beige-tinged head. Not a big aroma, but what's there is predictable for the style. The taste, however, caught me by suprise. I didn't get much caramel or toastiness out of it. Instead, it's grainy and fairly bitter, with a pop of citrus and spritz of mineral water. This isn't a bad lager (though not a really good one either), but to me, it just doesn't fit the season.