Saranac Belgian Ale
Review Date
Before I begin,
I should set the record straight: nobody is ever going to confuse Saranac
Belgian Ale with a genuine Belgian Ale from Belgium. And of course, this
is really a Belgian-style ale (whatever that means, the Belgians have
more styles of beer than you can shake a pomme-frite at). Think about it:
there are dubbels and tripels, goldens and lambics, quads and faros, wits
and grand crus...the list goes on and on.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
Also From This Brewery
To be fair, they do qualify this business on the label. If you look closely,
you'll see what I mean: "Belgian Style Ale" is written in little letters
under Belgian Ale in big ones. Yes, that helps. But I'm inclined to
give Saranac a pass because they produce so many wonderful styles of beer at
great prices.
The bad news is that you can't run out and buy a six-pack of Saranac Belgian
Ale if it's a beer you really like. It's only offered in the 12 Beers of
Winter sampler pack. The good news is you get a lot of other good beers
in the sampler, too. Anyway, here's what Saranac says about it:
Saranac Belgian Style Ale is deliciously fruity. It is brewed with a
generous amount of Belgian aromatic malt, hand selected hops, and a
traditional Belgian Ale yeast. Brewed in the "trappist" style.
Ah but which Trappist style? That's the ticket, and I am not holding
my breath for an answer. Brownie points, though, for the use of an authentic
Belgian yeast strain.
I pour my bottle of Saranac Belgian Ale into a wide-mouthed, bowl-shaped
Trappist ale glass to best appreciate the aroma. A moderately sized creamy
tan layer of foam forms atop the hazy orange liquid, and I also get a good
amount of Brussels lace clinging to the sides as the liquid descends.
The nose is a tad candyish but I do like the earthy, musty Belgian yeast
notes I'm getting. Taking a sip, I immediately notice the slightly
chocolaty, thick and bready malt body of the beer. This is definitely a beer
you could sustain yourself with on a cold winter's night. The fruity notes
of banana and perhaps berry are quite welcome, and nicely accented by subtle
notes of vanilla, cotton candy, black pepper, and perhaps a hint of spicy
coriander.
The finish is surprisingly hoppy, much more so than most Belgian-Belgian
Ales usually are. Generally, the Belgians use hops to season and balance off
malt sweetness more than to bitter, but I can definitely detect plenty of
grassy, herbal bitterness from the German Hersbrucker and Tettnang Hops used
here. They do impart a gentle bitterness on the tongue.
At 5.9% alcohol by volume, this is a bit under-strength for most of the
Belgian styles it could be pegged at. Still, it has plenty of Belgian-style
character to it, and for a buck a bottle in the 12 Beers of Winter sampler,
it ain't bad at all. I think, in fact, it's better than in the past.
Just another reason to run out and get that sampler pack. Three and a half
stars, but I'll round up to four in the spirit if the season.
