Red IPA

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Red IPA

• Brewery: Saranac Brewing Company (New York)

• Style: IPA

• ABV: 6.0%

• IBU: 63

• Color: A dark amber that can easily be seen thru

      The head of this beer was real fluffy from the get go. Easily distinguishable as a IPA as soon as you smelt the top. A nice citrus grassy smell. The color was obviously a red ale with a dark amber tone to it. Lacing began at the top and started tracing down as I bathed splash after splash. The bitterness is there for a IPA but it has a nice back bone to the sips. Hops are of course the star though. Citrus, grassy, and pine flavors are all easy to find. These flavors also echo long after the bathe and sip are over. Really one of the better spring seasonals I've had.

      Wow. Let me start by saying if you want a great 12 pack, you should get the 12 beers a springing from saranac. It's basically a IPA love triangle in that thing, plus a few more hop heavy favorites. This is the one I think is the best of the bunch though. The yeast flavor that most of the Saranac beers have, maybe it's a house yeast, don't blend this well. The yeast just fills out the flavor profile as you get a strong dose of bitter hops and slightly sweet malts. A IPA loving mustache like me can't help but love this one! Maybe this one will go full time soon like the White IPA!

Rating: *****

Big Moose Ale

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Big Moose Ale

• Brewery: Saranac Brewing Company (New York)

• Style: American Pale Ale

• ABV: 5.3%

• IBU:?

• Pour Color: A dark amber color that can be seen through.
  

      This one poured with a fluffy head that last for a few sips. Once bested it only was a small film island at the top of the glass. The color was a nice copper like amber, as it was slightly darker then most pale ales. The scent off the top is pale malt and hop character.  The malt and the hop again commingled in the taste too. The taste was fairly bitter in mouth with a malt backing. The malt backing is slightly sweet. A extremely dry finish to this one though. That nice sweetness is no where to be found once you swallow. Although the malts do have a nice baked or toasted flavor at the end. This is a regular in my follicles come winter.
      For a triple dry hopped beer you'd expect a better bouquet to this one. As far as a pale goes this is a nice offering. It's not the kind of super hop flavor dales has. Instead it tries to balance the sweet with the bitter and make it easily drinkable. I'd definitely take a dip again in this one. Even if it's not super hopped!

Rating: ****

BlueBerry Blonde Ale

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: BlueBerry Blonde Ale

• Brewery: Saranac Brewing Company (New York)

• Style: Fruit Beer

• ABV:5.0%

• IBU: 18

• Pour Color: Golden but hazzy, can't see through it.

      The pour was golden and hazzy. A malty blueberry scent off the top of the glass. The head was nice and fluffy and only hung out for a few sips. The taste is not over overbearingly blueberry tasting. It's in the sip but it's light. You notice more tones of the wheat malts and oats that give it a good wheat taste. A little thicker then some other summer ales. Still easy drinking and a nice blueberry kick on it that's nice on a summer day.
      Summer fruit beer and I gotta say I enjoy it. This is another beer that comes in a can and makes it nice for next to the pool or on the beach. Light on the fruit flavor unlike most fruit beers this one only gives you a hint. If it's hot, and your looking for a refreshing change to the summer seasonal with lemon, then grab this one and give it a try. 

Rating:***1/2

Whitewater IPA

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: WhiteWater IPA

• Brewery: Samuel Adams Brewing (Massachusetts)
  

• Style: White IPA

• ABV: 5.8%

• IBU: 60

• Pour Color: A golden color with a heavy haze, the light makes it glow

      The pour came out a golden color that was very cloudy. The head disappeared just as fast as it appeared. The scent off the glass was a citrus apricot mix.  The taste of this one is extremely hoppy. Pine and Citrus notes jump out at you. The apricot comes through as a slightly under ripe flavor due to the citrus notes. The white aspect really is just the color not really any kind of spice kick or anything. All and all a decent beer.
       This beer reminds me of a White IPA from Saranac. With a strong fruit backing, and strong hop character, they are a lot alike. With this one though Sam Adams decides to get into the over saturated apricot beer market. A decent offering but I personally would go for a Aprihop from dogfish before this one or even the before mentioned Saranac white. In any case this is good beer.

Rating: ***1/2

Saranac IPA

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Saranac IPA

• Brewery: Saranac (New York)

• Style:IPA

• ABV: 5.8%

• IBU: ?

• Pour Color: A clear dark golden color

      The Face poured this one and it looked real nice. The head was fluffy and stood it's ground for a good few sips. I even got the face to wait a few minutes before he stuck me in. You could smell the hops off the top the glass. It had a nice citrus or almost pine scent. The taste was a nice bitter hop. The malts gave a sweet tinge that made it pretty easy drinking. Really a good IPA in a sea of them.
       This was one of the first IPA's that I had starting out into craft beer. I used to switch the black forest lager in my six pack, with the six pack behind mine, just to get a extra in the trail mix. Bathing in this one, off tap, is reminding me why I fell in love with IPAs. May not kick you in the head like a Dogfish, but a real nice balanced flavor.

  

Rating: ****

White IPA

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: White IPA

• Brewery: Saranac Breweries (New York)

• Style: White IPA

• ABV: 6%

• IBU: ? 

• Pour Color: A cloudy golden color. 

      The head of this beer was thick and kinda creamy. The smell of this one is complex. You smell the hops of a I.P.A clearly. On top of that you have the scent of orange that you would expect of a white ale. As it splashed upon my follicles, I felt, I was in a liquid orange peel. You have a bitterness and a citrus flavor all melding. Think of a hoppy orange slice that you also bite the peel of. This one is an original and interesting beer. At least for a majorly distributed brewery.
      Saranac was the first beer that I could find that did a mix of flavors. They call it a trail mix. I used to take the black forest lager outta one six pack and swap it with the IPA from another. This is not their IPA though. Although good it's originality out weighs it's actual quality. This one really is a nice mix of refreshment and bitterness.

Rating: ****1/2