Bill's Beer Blog

Saranac Seasonals - Saranac E.S.B.

Saranac ESB is a seasonal offering from Saranac, in their "Brewer's Choice" offering line.

Initial pour

I poured this at 55°F into the usual cool hand washed clear mug. The color was a nice red, very clear, and with a smooth head which covered the brew to about 8mm (1/2 inch). The aroma was malty, rich and pleasant.

The taste

Was very good. Complex and balanced between malt and hops, not overly smoky or overly anything else. I've had ESB and bitter style brews in various parts of the world, and I don't believe that any bottled beer is going to match cask conditioned draft bitter. Having said that, the head lasted, and the flavor didn't become boring, this could be a session beer if you like to drink a single style all evening.

A bit of history

My first really good bitter was in Thursk England, in about 1983. It was in a small pub and sold with only the S.G. (specific gravity) listed. It was identified only as the "Publican's Choice." And believe it or not, I didn't have another bitter good enough to remember until 2002 (or so), when we were attending a 50th anniversary party in the VanDyke in Schenectady NY, a place we had visited for decades under various owners. The recent addition of on-site brewing led us (wife Pat and I) to try the bitter, which we proceeded to enjoy as you can with friends and within walking distance of home. Alas, the brewer changed, the brews changed, and the owner was good at finding investors but not customers, and it eventually closed.

The final memorable bitter was at Four Peaks Brewing a few blocks from Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe Arizona. They had a sampler with not a single bad brew in the rack, and some better than average food to go with it. That was about 2005, on one of our trips back to the land of my wife's childhood. I strongly suggest a visit there if you are anywhere in the Phoenix or Tempe area, you will thank me for it.

Saranac Seasonal Brews 2008 - Nut Brown Lager

I don't remember this Nut Brown Lager, but I'm told Saranac has released it before. In any case I bet most people either don't remember or haven't tried it, so this is the 2008 version of the brew and the review.

Tech Note: the usual brewing of "nut brown" is an ale, using top fermenting ale yeast and moderately warm fermentation. This is a nut brown lager, presumable brewed with a beer yeast, bottom fermented, and at a lower temperature. In general a lager should be clearer than an ale, because the yeast remnants don't have to settle.

This was poured at a good temperature for a lager, about 40°F, into a hand washed clear 500ml mug. As expected it was very clear, and a nice red color, with a smooth head with various size bubbles up to 2mm or so. Before you ask, people care about bubble size, perhaps looking for that "perfect creamy head" for visual appeal. The head was relatively thin, but lasted as long as the brew (not all that long) and didn't noticeably leave any lace doily effect on the glass as the level dropped.

The aroma was a mild malty one, and I tried without success to detect any hint of clove, often noticeable in a nut brown ale. The taste was also mild, not the solid heaviness of malt with a tang of hops, just kind of a nice inoffensive well balanced mix, which really lasted more on the roof of the mouth than the tongue. I got the impression that Saranac wanter to present something different without offending anyone. It claims 5.3% ABV but it wasn't enough, it tasted like a "nut brown light" brew. Note that people who like bold brews found it lacking, my few friends who like lighter beverages thought it was fine.

This isn't a bad brew at all, it's a nice one to have around to server people as "something different" without scaring anyone, and tastes good enough to avoid disappointing serious beer drinkers.

I'm going to do photos of all the Saranac seasonals in a few days, I don't have the time right now.

Saranac Seasonals 2008 - Belgian Ale

Saranac calls this a "Belgian Ale," and perhaps they don't use the term Lambec because it's a trademark or similar, or because they care about the correct usage. I would call it a "Lambec-style" brew for sure, perhaps and "Abbey Ale," it has most of the characteristics in the Lambec from Europe (real Lambec) and Lambec-style from Ommegang. Hopefully that lets most people identify the style.

I poured this pretty cold, about 45°F, which I hope is a proper temperature, into a cool clear, hand washed 500ml mug. Pretty cool stuff, nice red color, nice firm head, nice bubbles, and an outstanding complex aroma with fruit, cloves, and malt playing in my nose. The taste? Great, of course. My nose didn't oversell this brew, it's big, and rich, and complex, and the aftertaste is some fruit and hop combination which lingers just long enough. Hold it on your tongue for a moment and let the warming push the aromas into your nose. Swallow and the aftertaste lays on your tongue just enough.

Do I sound like a commercial? Maybe, but this is the same type of drinking sensation I get from imported brews at a much higher price. If you like Abbey Ales as a style, if you treat yourself to a Lambec from time to time, then this is a find for you.

Goes with: Saranac recommends shellfish and Moules-Frites, I can say nice things about crab cakes. I think this would be nice with a soft cheese on a cracker, perhaps one of the stone ground thins. Another area in which comments are welcome.

Note: seasonal, limited release, get it now! And if you try it on my review, please drop a line and let me know what you think!

Saranac seasonal 2008 - Vanilla Stout

Saranac has a seasonal beer, and at this time a bunch of Brewer's Choice brews, which supposedly are things the brewers liked and wanted to market in limited quantity. This Vanilla Stout is one of the brewer's choice releases.

The first sample was poured a little cold for a stout, about 40°F, and in spite of that had way too much head. I always pour for the blog in one of a set of hand-washed mugs, which hold 12oz of beer (common US size) with a head of up to an inch. After pouring I had a mug of half stout and half head, and some stout still in the bottle. I'll repeat now that the holiday is over, and take a picture one way or the other.

Besides being over generous, the head had many bubbles of varying sizes, from tiny up to about 1/8 inch (4mm). Not a "smooth, creamy head" that I occasionally read about in beer magazines. The color was essentially black, no light showed through with a 60w light behind the mug. The aroma had a hint of vanilla, but I have a cold and asked my wife to verify that. She found some light malty aroma hiding behind the vanilla, so you get two opinions.

Not waiting for the head to fade (it did, to a nice lace) I took a sip out of the bottle. Okay stout taste, not too smoky, and just a hint of vanilla. While it doesn't bring out the "what is THAT?" reaction, people who expect a traditional stout flavor will notice, but only purists will be offended.

It's been a very busy holiday, and I'm just getting over seven weeks of assorted colds and pneumonia, so no pictures until the re-tasting.

NOTE: this is a limited availability brew, if it sounds interesting get to your local "good beer" outlet.

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Wachusett Country Ale again

I did get a six pack of the Wachusett Country Ale and it's every bit as great as the first one I tested.

We had an Italian Festa at the local church down the street, and this brew goes well with sausage and pepper sandwiches. I wanted to be sure I had accurate results, so I tested it two nights in a row. ;-)

Wachusett - Country Ale

This is Wachusett Country Ale, the third of the assorted six pack I an trying. Their web site calls it a pale ale, and doesn't tell me the alcohol level, although it is called a "light pale ale." This sample was server at about 40F in a 0.5L mug.

On the pour

A nice yellow color, not quite as red as the image on the web site, at least as displayed on my color corrected display, but pleasing. The head is nice, about 1/4 inch (or a cm in Canada), mostly small bubbles but a few somewhat larger bubbles. I only mention this because I've been drinking a few other things which had all tiny bubbles, and the difference came to mind. The arome is a nice malt, not heavy but tempting and slightly sweet. My wife agreed on the aroma, but passed on a good opinion on the taste due to being in the middle of a glass of fruit juice when I asked her for a "smell and tell" opinion.

The first taste

A lot more hop than I would have suspected from the aroma, not big hop like an IPA, but there's no doubt that this is a pale ale. They don't identify the hops, I'm guessing Cascade or Simcoe, but as a former boss used to say, "I made that up." In any case, not enough hops to drive off any serious beer drinker, but certainly enough to be interesting. The aftertaste, or "finish" if you prefer, is a slightly swet malt flavor, very pleasant and refreshing on a warm day.

Overall impression

I added this to my shopping list after the first taste, this is the best brew I've tried so far from this brewery, and one I want to keep on hand to share with friends who enjoy robust brew with less hop character than my usual personal choice. I can't tell you how the head lasted, there was a trail of foam on the sides of the mug, but it was the first on a hot day, after a moderately active morning, and total drinking time was only a few minutes.

This is going on my very short list of brews to bring to a picnic or party when I want to wean people off megabrewed commercial beer. The only negative is that they currently distribute only in Massachusetts and New York State, so if you aren't here a specialty supplier may be needed.

Ommegang Witte - wheat Ale

At a recent tour of the Ommegang Brewery I had a chance to sample most of their current brews. I have to say that while the woman dispensing the brews was very competent, she was not provided with any means to keep each brew at optimal serving temperature, so I was not 100% sure I would like this in the 12oz bottle as well as I did her sample. Not to worry, this was my favorite of all the samples, and it is delicious at any temperature!

About the brewing process

This is a wheat ale, rather than a wheat beer. Some brewers use a lager yeast, bottom ferment, clarify the product with Irish Moss or similar and filtration as well, and wind up with something that looks like Budweiser® but has a totally different flavor, since Bud is made with rice. Ommegang uses an ale yeast, top fermenting, and that tends to make the resulting brew slightly cloudy. Because ale yeasts can be fermented at a higher temperature than beer yeasts (note "can be" not "must be"), the fermentation time is shorter, which is good for production, and the yeast often adds flavor, which can be anything from a fruit or citrus tang to the taste of moldy socks. Other brewers do use ale yeast in brewing Hefeweizen, a traditional European style.

On the pour

Great, cloudy but not murky, like pulp in orange juice you like it or you don't. Nice head, and a light "beer" aroma, hinting malt and hops, and perhaps a bit of fruity overtone. The head is nice, enough but not too much, and it lasts as long as the brew, which is often not long.

If you think Hefeweizen when you think of wheat beer, this isn't it. The flavors are different, and the use of spices is subtle but noticeable. I particularly like the way the flavor evolves in your mouth from the initial taste of the ale on the tongue to an aftertaste back farther in the mouth and throat. This 5.1% ABV, you will taste it, but it doesn't dominate the overall impression.

Overall

I like this a lot. I have another wheat ale in the queue, and summer is a great time to test how well a brew fares in fighting the heat. This is my personal favorite of the excellent Ommegang brews.

Brew Trip Announcement

We recently took a trip to Cooperstown NY, primarily to visit the three museums there. That's the home of the Baseball Hall of Fame, the Farmer's Museum, and the Fenimore Museum.

Also in the area are Brewery Ommegang and Cooperstown Brewing. I'll be doing a report on each soon.

Quinn's Amber Ale - label

I get the message!

People would like me to add a label scan to reviews. Noted, no more mail needed.
I am trying to get caught up on turning my notes into postings.

Enjoy!

Wachusett - Quinn's Amber Ale

As part of a mixed six pack, I just tried Wachusett "Quinn's Amber Ale'.

First impressions

Nice head, good carbonation, slightly cloudy. Instead of the usual deep red color caused by carmelization in a red, this was more of a light cranberry juice hue. Not unpleasant, but lighter than I might have expected. The aroma was lighter than I would have expected, as well. Above the nice even layer of small bubbles was... not much. You could tell it was beer, but there was no malt, hop, caramel, fruit or sour character.

and the taste

was also lighter than I expected. There was no more than a hint of caramel, so little I have to wonder if the color comes from toasting the malt or just "something else" to add color. The flavor was a balance of hops and malt, but there was precious little of it.

Overall

Pretty pedestrian brew. It looks nice, it tastes okay in sort of a slightly watery way, it just isn't robust. Note: I like big character in my brew, big hops or big malt, or in certain styles big fruit or yeast impressions. I want balance in flavor, but lots of flavor to balance. People who like more subtle brews may be quite happy with this one.

Wachusett Nut Brown Ale

This is the 2nd of the six pack of Wachusett brews I picked up the other day. The style is a "Nut Brown Ale," a common brew in upstate New York.

On the pour

This brew looks great! It has a nice dark brown color and a rich creamy head, full but not not so thick it's all head. With a light behind the mug I see that the color is a dark amber rather than a true brown (which is more of a yellow if you're an artist or graphics person). And the aroma... was not right. Typically a nut brown ale will have some malt, some spice, maybe a wisp of hops. This had a sour smell, not a bad sour smell, but the aroma you get from some yeast used for lagers and hefeweizen, and other brews.

The flavor

Another surprise, this didn't have the big caramel taste I would expect from the color, and in fact didn't have much malt to be found. There was a bit of tingly hop on the tip of the tongue and front of the roof of the mouth, nothing in the back of the mouth, and essentially no aftertaste.

Overall

Terms like bland and boring come to mind. If looks make a beer, this was great, but unless your taste buds were shot off in the war, you are going to want more flavor and character than this brew delivers. I can't think of any foods or bar snacks which would improve or be improved by this one, I bought a bottle, several of us shared it, it got a unanimous rating of boring.

Sorry Wachusett, I give this one a failing grade, it lacks enough character to even seriously dislike it.

Wachusetts Summer Ale

This is the first of six new (to me) brews from Wachusetts. I'm going to try them over the next week and then write an entry from my notes on each.

the pour

A nice yellow color on the pour, lots of bubbles coming up, the head was just over a quarter inch (1 cm) and stayed until the mug was done. Serving temperature was about 40F, summer ales are supposed to be cold! This was nice and clear, and I have to say I looked hard at it, because the color is very much like a hefewizen and I expect cloudiness when I see that color. It's described as "a wheat beer with lemon flavor," and looks the way I expect a wheat beer to look.

aroma and taste

Nice sour aroma, but not strong. If you weren't looking for aroma you could just start drinking this without ever noticing that there was any. The taste matches the aroma, subtle to the point of being too subtle. I like big bold flavors in my brew, but my wife was in favor of it as a first "come in out of the heat" drink, The ABV is not obviously listed, but I neither tasted or felt any, so it's probably safe to down a few quickly when you're hot and thirsty.

impression

As long as you are looking for a drink which is identifiable as beer without too much character to gulp, and not enough alcohol to be felt, this is okay. It may actually qualify as a low alcohol beer, that's a legitimate thing to have around if you're keeping a very clear head.

Okay for what it's intended to be, I may keep a few around just to offer people in hot weather.

Saranac - Pomegranate Wheat

Since I seldom pass up a chance to try some new beer, and I respect the brewers at Saranac, when they released a Pomegranate Wheat Beer I had to try it. The mix of fruit flavors with wheat beer is one area of American brewing where even some of the more competent brewers have done a test batch, tasted the result, and then slapped a neat name and spiffy label art on the result and ignored the urging of their self-respect to pour it out.

So here's the label, with a black bear wearing shades and juggling pomegrantes, not a good sign, but the name is pretty direct, and no one can claim they didn't know what went into it.

On the pour

Cloudy, but not murky, I don't expect crystal clear from a wheat beer, even when there are no other organic molecules in play, so this isn't a fault. And the head was thin, although it did look smooth and inviting. During the 10-15 minutes I had this brew in my mug the head stayed thin but not gone. That's not unexpected for wheat beer, either.

The aroma, well it was pretty subtle to say the least. Many of these fruited wheat beers have an overpowering aroma of the fruit to assure you that "This is real fruit beer." Saranac did put in the fruit, but maybe it was the stealth pomegranate they used. Wheat beer generally isn't overpowering in aroma, so I didn't expect a lot of malt, or hops, and I was not sure what a pomegranate should smell like anyway, I didn't get much feedback by sniff.

The taste

Well, it was time to taste it, and I took a good gulp or two and then thought about the taste. The flavor hit me at the front of the tongue, and the back of the mouth. I could taste the pomegranate, but I think Saranac used too much subtlty here, the taste didn't really separate itself from wheat beers of any other competent brewer. I was prepared for too much fruit character, but this is a first, most brewers either get it right or get too much and hide the basic flavor of the beer.

Overall

I hate to say it but I was disappointed by this brew. I had another, and I let it warm a bit before opening, it still went down as well as any other wheat beer, but I still had no particular good or bad feature to note. It wasn't particularly filling, it would be refreshing on a hot day, so what? Saranac has made some brews I didn't like, but that was preference, not because the brew lacked enough character to make me care one way or the other. I didn't dislike it, but worse than that I didn't care.

I didn't like this one, and don't recommend it.

Saranac - Black Diamond Bock

When I saw that the Brewer's Choice earlier this year was "Black Diamond Bock" I had to try some. The label says the name comes from the black diamond (expert) ski trails, and of course here in upstate New York the big winter pastimes are skiing and shoveling (and drinking beer). Since I usually like Saranac brews, I got a six pack.

The pour

Not as dark as I expected. Very clear. Moderate head, although it kept a thin head all the way through the time I had it under observation. The aroma was malty, not a heavy malt like a stout or porter, but both malt and hops were detectable. Since this was brewed with lager yeast it isn't surprising that it looks like a lager, albeit a reddish one.

The taste

It's a lager. Very smooth, the label says aged for months, with light hopping which starts at the tip of the tongue and finishes on the back of the roof of the mouth. This is not a "bold statement" beer, as some brewers produce to set their bock apart from the rest, whoever that might be. If I was going to characterize this beer, I would say polite but not boring. The malt and hops are really well balanced, but it isn't bland for it. I think this one would go very well with food, almost any food.

I enjoyed this brew, although I tend to prefer a bit less balance if I'm just sitting down to mix beer with conversation. And if I was going to drink this as a thirst quencher in really hot weather, I like lager with a bit more bittering hop bite. But beers with lots of character frequently go with one type of food and not well with others. This bock seems likely to go well with almost any food, and will be used with meals until the supply runs out.

3 hoppy brews - Saranac Imperial IPA

In addition to their IPA, Saranac also offers an "Imperial IPA," with more and different hopping and a bit more ABV. Like the IPA, this brew is currently limited in distribution, although Saranac has given in and will brew it all year instead of occasionally. Unlike the IPA, this brew is for people who are into IPA, it's both very complex and moderately costly, about $9/six pack.

On the pour

Clear, good head, complex aroma of assorted hops. The aroma is inviting, but you might not guess from that alone that it's an IPA. If it seems that I give good marks on appearance and aroma to everything, it's because I rarely bother to review anything I don't like, not because I don't occasionally get a murky beer. Actually one being reviewed in a week or so.

The taste

Unlike many "Imperial" brews, this one didn't come from just adding more hops and malts to the IPA recipe and standing back while it fermented. This is the most complex hopping I have ever tasted, and the flavor is such that people, including me, comment that it tastes slightly thick and smooth, like diluted honey. It's all in the taste, however, a pour will show that the viscosity is the same as any other ale, it just fools and pleases the palette.

This is one brew I would would strongly suggest should be served around 50F, as the best part of the flavor is muted (not lost) if you over chill. I personally drink this IPA like brandy, it's the last beer of the evening, and I sip it carefully rather than drink it down. While someone will probably chug a bottle from force of habit (back to Budweiser, heathen), this is a brew to savor after your thirst is quenched and you have whatever level of alcohol you desire in your system.

Feel free to drop me a line and let me know how you like it!

3 hoppy brews - Loose Cannon Hop3 IPA

Being easily seduced by the promise of promiscuous hops in a brew, I bought a six pack of Heavy Seas Loose Cannon Hop3 Ale and gave it a test drive. It's interesting but I don't think it will grace my cooler again.

The pour

A bit much head but not excessive, slightly cloudy, a definite aroma of hops with a slight citrus tinge which can either be an aroma hop choice or "yeast behaving badly" in the fermentation. The neck label promises that there is yeast at the bottom of the bottle. Mine sat in a cooler for 48 hours and didn't have it, perhaps "what happens in suspension stays in suspension," and that was the slight haze I noted.

The flavor

Let me start by saying that there was no hint of yeast in the brew, as there often is when you pour a bottle conditioned brew and stir up the yeast. The taste was hops, with three pounds per barrel how could it not be? But more complex aroma hops than strong bittering hops, although that's related to balance rather than implying a lack of bittering. The overall effect was not unpleasant, but my impression is that it was a good idea poorly executed, and the "more hops" were not balanced to my taste.

I didn't find anyone who really liked it, people who drink IPA frequently had a "drinkable but don't buy more for me" reaction. If you want to try a really hoppy brew, perhaps this one should be down your list below a lot of other brews. It's a B- on my grading.

3 hoppy brews - Saranac IPA

I am an IPA (India Pale Ale) lover, and recently found that the Saranac IPA "Limited Release" product will be available all year in my area (near the brewery). So for all the folks in upstate New York, and anywhere else this brew is sold, here is the ideal IPA to have in your cooler. Here's why:

On the pour

You can pour this one in your best clear mugs, it's crystal clear, has a nice head which lasts well, and a great IPA aroma, with various hop esters evident. The head will thin but not vanish over the reasonable drinking time of the mug, (until it gets warm - what a waste that would be). I like to serve at 52F, it's tasty enough to hold it's character colder, and doesn't become unpleasant at anything I would call drinking temperature (up to say 65F) as it loses the first sensation of coolness. But if you have a fridge which is 40F or colder, you may find that letting the bottle warn for a bit will improve the experience.

The taste

The reason I call this perfect is that it is a balance of enough hops to be clearly an IPA, while not making lager drinkers wonder where their taste buds landed. And the balance of bittering vs. aroma hops is perfect to my taste, neither is overpowering, but no one will complain that hop character is missing.

Hairy Eyeball Ale

I recently tried The hairy EYEBALL ale from LaGunitas Brewing Co. On the pour, the head was solid but not excessive, perhaps a half inch in my mug, and the color was a dark red and very clear. Not what I expected in an ale. The aroma was malt and perhaps a touch of citrus, although testers were not totally sure it was there.

On first taste my immediate impression was porter rather than ale. The smoky flavor was there, the taste lingering on the tongue was what I expect of a porter, and a good one at that. The head and carbonation held up through about a half hour of sipping, and no defects were noted. The flavor was not as smoky as the Otter Creek Stovepipe Porter I tasted several years ago, but that's probably a good thing for most people. I like Stovepipe, but it is pretty smoky.

With food: goes with cheese, okay with knackwurst and sauerkraut, not optimal with apple pie. Not optimal at all, I suggest you leave that pairing to the imagination. The smoky character does not play well with the sweetness of an apple pie.

Beer blog is back

I going to cautiously going to say that the beer blog is back after hiatus. Some things changed in my life, and I took most of a year off from writing anything but code. I'm not going to try to do something every day, I'll guess that three posts a week are about what will happen. Enjoy, drop a line if you wish.

And look for some minor cosmetic changes in a few weeks, I will be updating the "look and feel" soon.