Beer Review: Saranac Summer Ale

Saranac Summer Ale

Having a summer ale in the middle of winter is really a interesting experience. I really don't know how I managed to find one of these in the liquor store but I did. From 2005 no less. Maybe its a bit stale but this one still has some character. You can actually see what I think are lemon particles floating around. Smell is of cloves and lemon. No more, no less.

Pours a light copper color with an average head. Looks like a nice light summer beer. This is what it delivers and promises. I have a hard time reviewing this beer. If I had it in the summer at the Adirondacks I would be beyond happy. To me having a beer in the woods is what summer is all about. But I didn't have this in the Adirondacks in the summer. I had this in the middle of winter in Jersey City.

Despite being out of place it is pretty good. Not the most complex or knockout beer but it is a great light summer beer. Good for boating or anything else in warm weather. Very refreshing and flavorful. Not as good in the middle of winter.

Final Score: 73% (Great in its element, Mediocre elsewhere)

Beer Review: Saranac Golden Pilsener

F.X. Matt Brewing Company Saranac Golden Pilsener Lager

I've shared a few good memories with this one. This is a member of the Saranac 12 Beers of Summer pack. This dry hopped wheat beer pours a very pale straw color and possesses an almost nonexistent aroma. The head is small and disappears quickly.

This is a fairly good beer. Nothing too out of this world. A good hop presence and a very wheaty texture. Very good mouthfeel. Its much heavier in the mouth than you might expect. This is solid summer beer. I really don't have too much to write about it. If you like a light wheaty beer than this is for you. I prefer my beers darker and bolder.


Final Score: 62% (Not Too Much To Say)

Beer Review: Saranac Black Diamond Bock

Saranac Black Diamond Bock Dark Lager


This is a great looking beer. I really love any beer that has a bear with skis on it. You really can't beat that. This definitely wins my award for best bottle label. I have seen some artsy ones but I just don't know of anything that can compare to this. Genius. This is a dark beer with a rich thick head. Very creamy and full of warmth. Great for winter.

I really enjoy bock beers. They are practically the opposite of an IPA with a rich malty flavor and a small amount of hops. I just wish I was able to get these year round. I hate that the spring beers are coming out already. It's January! At least give us till mid February! Back to the beer...

This is a rich beer. Strong malt flavor with a smooth finish. It gets a little bitter towards the end but its really pleasant. This is a great example of a bock beer that I would encourage anyone to try. This will satisfy your palette and keep you warm on those long winter nights. This is one that I will buy every year. It's priced great and full of goodness.

Final Score: 75% (Rich and Malty with Bears!)

Beer Review: Buckler Non-Alcoholic Beer

Heineken Buckler Non-Alcoholic

This was my first NA beer and I had to give it a shot. I have long wanted to try an NA beer and I finally got my chance. This beer pours a standard gold color with a head that lasts longer than I would have expected, but I really didn't expect all that much. This beer really tastes poor. I don't know why I expected any better but I just did. I thought that if you weren't drinking the beer for the alcohol then you should at least be drinking it for the flavor. I doubt anyone drinks this for the flavor. It tastes like a light Heineken that has been out for far too long. Skunk to the max.

If I had to come up with a positive its that this is cheaper than most beer. But you really do get what you pay for. I am not completely opposed to trying more of the NA beers but this is not one I will buy again. It could be better than others but I really hope there are good NA beers out there for the sake of all the good AA members.

Final Score: 57% Tastes Old and Weak, I Name You: Grandpa Buckler

Beer Review: Saranac Black Forest

Saranac Black Forest

I am thrilled that the Matt Brewery has decided to include both the Black Forest and the Brown Ale into their Trail Mix six packs. I love that I can now buy a six pack of six different beers. Great sweet America. This brew has a very light aroma and a dark appearance. Pours very smooth into the glass.

The first thing I notice is that this has a very light mouthfeel. I expected a very heavy beer that would overload me with rich malty goodness. This is not the case, but it also isn't a bad thing. This actually makes this a very unique beer. It has a very sweet and smooth maltiness that goes down very light. Its almost like malt syrup. I detect very little hops in this as well. Overall, I think this is a great offering and I am glad to now be able to welcome it to my home.

Final Score: 76% Malty and Sweet, Dark and Smooth, Good Beer.

Beer Review: Paulaner Oktoberfest Marzen

Paulaner Oktoberfest Marzen

I really love Oktoberfest beers. The Marzen style always greets me with a smile. Some are definitely better than others though. This time of year I grab them wherever I can find them before they disappear for the season. This should be a real deal Oktoberfest style as it is from Munich and depicts many obese women carrying steins around. Obese women know their beer fests.

This beer pours a rich copper color with a small head that hangs around for a bit. There doesn't seem to be any lacing going on. This really has a nice flavor. A bit of honey and a rich maltiness. No idea if I spelled maltiness right or if that is even a word. No matter. This is a pretty solid beer with a good aroma and a nice golden flavor. I would not say this is my favorite but it is one of the most available of the Oktoberfests so this will definitely not be the last time I partner up with the obese women.


Final Score: 72% Pretty Standard

Beer Review: Harpoon Winter Warmer

Harpoon Winter Warmer

I drove through hellish Hoboken/Holland tunnel traffic for this. This trash. I had such high hopes for this one. I had heard great things about the Harpoon brewery and I was incredibly excited to sample my first of what I hoped was a great line of beers. This was far from a great beer.

The only things that I can say I enjoyed about this beer are its color and smell. It smells like warm cinnamon and is a dark copper color in appearance. I really hate the flavor. It is like having an Atomic Fireball in your mouth. I have never tasted such a concentration of cinnamon in any beer before this. I have had spiced but this is well beyond that. This is burned. I really wish I could have tasted the beer so that I could review some other flavors but all I get is cinnamon. If you LOVE cinnamon give this a shot, but for anyone who likes beer stay away. Far away.

Final Score: 55% Waste of Money and Taste Buds

Beer Review: Lancaster Milk Stout

Lancaster Milk Stout

My last still remaining beer from the wonderfully minimalist Amish. I gotta say that I like the idea of this. A stout brewed with lactose is a very cool idea. I have no idea what the action of lactose is with the fermentation process but I can tell you about the results. This pours a very dark brown with a tan head that seems to hang on for a while. Very light aroma is present with some coffee and cream smells. Pleasant appearance and aroma.

The most noticible thing about this brew is the light body. It looks like it would have a very heavy mouthfeel but the opposite is true. Its really light. Definite coffee flavors are also present. If this were work appropriate I would definitely consider having this in the morning with some... well I really wouldn't need anything else. This is a definite good beer. I am just not sure if the light body is an advantage or not, it leaves me wondering what it would be like if they bulked this one up. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to get into stouts but cannot handle the more heavy variety yet (Imperial Stout).

Final Score: 78% (Flawed yet enjoyable)

Beer Review: Saranac Season's Best

Saranac Season's Best Nut Brown Lager

Finally got my hands on this. I love receiving the Matt Brewing Company newsletter because of how on top of the Saranac line I am. The downside is it really can take a couple trips before I find some place that carries this stuff. I wish I lived in Utica. I really gotta go up there and get a tour.

This beer is pretty standard Saranac. It has a noticeable hoppy flavor with a heavy mouth feel. About what I would expect but nothing out of the ordinary. I don't really taste any nut like qualities but my palette may not be as refined as some. Overall, this is a pretty standard beer from Saranac. If you like there stuff, try it. Just don't expect to be blown away.

Final Score: 73% (Good but not great)

Beer Review: Samuel Adams Boston Lager

Boston Beer Company Samuel Adams Boston Lager

There are many things I could say about this beer. It probably deserves at least a full page, but I am not going to give it as much. When I compare this to your standard light lager beer, this is leaps and bounds ahead. This beer revolutionized the concept of what American beer could be back in the eighties. Pours a copper color with a strong head that producing rings of lacing. Aroma is of rich Vienna malt and some definite hop aromatic bite. Very pleasant on the nose and eyes.

Flavor is classic Vienna goodness. The malt flavor is very full on this one. You can really taste barley, almost like biting into a fresh slice of bread. Maybe some light french toast? This taste combined with the sharp hop flavor and bitterness really develops into balanced bliss. The mouthfeel is very rich but not too much. I could drink a few of these in a sitting and still be happy about it.

I love a good lager and this beer never disappoints me. This is a benchmark that I go by for good balanced lagers. Another great thing is how available this beer is. You can go to almost any bar throughout the east coast (maybe west coast too) and find this on tap. This beer has gotten me through many otherwise dull bar scenes. Jim Koch deserves thanks for bringing back his grandfather's recipe.

Final Score: 91% (A Great Beer. Balanced, malty, hoppy, and rich. A Classic.)