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: ****