Beer Review: Saranac India Brown Ale

F.X. Matt Brewing Company Saranac India Brown Ale

Another of the new beers in the 12 beers of winter mix pack. This style was much needed in the winter pack. Last year's release had few hoppy beers. Hopefully this will fill the void. This one pours an amber color with a short lived head that leaves a very small amount of lacing. Aroma is interesting, it reminds me of the pumpkin ale they released a few months back. Just with less spiciness.

Flavor is not what I expected. The malt is a bit disappointing. It has a very weak presence and is dominated by the hops. Normally I would like this but the hops are really just bitter. There isn't much in the way of flavor or aroma from them. I would have expected this to be the most robust and flavorful of all the new releases but it really just leaves you wanting something else. I don't think the malt blends at all with this kind of hopping.

I definitely wouldn't buy a six pack of this were it stand alone. This isn't a horrible beer by any means, its just disappointing and lackluster. Their India pale ale is much better. They should have called this India amber ale. There just isn't much that's brown about this.

Final Score: 69% (Disappointing. Malt and Hops are Weak.)