Saranac Belgian White
Review Date
What’s in a name?
Sometimes everything. In the case of a wheat beer, there may be three names
you’ll hear in the name of the brew. Here in America, you’ll obviously see a
wheat beer called just that, a wheat beer. American wheats are often crisp
and refreshing with perhaps a touch of yeast fruit character. They may be
cloudy or clear depending upon filtration.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
Also From This Brewery
German wheat beer is often referred to as weizen beer, literally
wheat beer. It is often referred to as Weiss beer too, meaning white
beer. Most German Weiss beer will have distinctive spicy notes of clove and
banana, though it is not brewed with these. Their flavor presence is a
result of the use of a distinctive yeast strain which which produces
fermentation by-products that suggest them.
As you’ve no doubt noticed, however, this is Saranac Belgian White. The
proper name for the style is wit, Wallonian for white. Wheat has a
tendency to impart a white cloudy color to a beer, and for this reason the
Germans and Belgians both use the term white when describing wheat beers.
Belgian Wit beers are spicy and complex just as their German counterparts
are, but they achieve this through the addition of spices to the brew, most
notably coriander and orange peel. The Belgians love to spice their beers,
and why not? Hops are a spice after all, and are present in almost every
beer you’ll drink. Though the notion of spicing your beer is anathema to the
German Reinheitsgebot, or beer purity law, it is an essential
component of Wit beer and another example of the idiosyncrasy Belgian
brewers are renowned for.
Saranac brews their Belgian White with oats as well as wheat and barley
malt. The beer first appeared as part of the holiday 12 beers collection a
few years ago and is included in this year’s edition, but I have seen it
sold in six-packs as well.
Saranac Belgian White pours to a cloudy white color with a creamy white head
and a spicy fruit nose that hints at blueberries. The palate is citric and
spicy, the orange peel and coriander are readily apparent. The body is
smooth and creamy, and the finish is nicely balanced. There’s a hint of
vanilla, and a light dose of refreshing wheat. The finish is fairly clean
though the spices definitely linger.
Perfect with pumpkin pie or vanilla ice cream.
