Saranac White IPA - Matt Brewing Company

PicoPapa

Connecticut

4/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

!2oz bottle. Pours a cloudy dark straw color with a half inch of head. Lots of lacing. Aroma is of citrus hops, grains and orange peel. Smells pretty hoppy, especially for Saranac. Taste is of citrus hops and wheat up front. Orange peel near the end. Nice hop bitterness. A bit of a floral finish to go with the orange peel. This is a solid beer from Saranac and is right up there with Wet Hop IPA as being one of their hoppiest offerings. Overall, this is an interesting style that is well crafted. I will be buying it again given the chance.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2012 16:12:13 | More by PicoPapa

bluejacket74

Ohio

4.13/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 ounce bottle, bottled on December 7th, 2011 (julian date stamped on label). Served in a pint glass, the beer pours a cloudy gold color with about an inch frothy white head. Head retention is good, and there's a lot of lacing left behind on the glass. Aroma is mostly hoppy, it smells mainly like citrusy hops (grapefruit, lemon and orange peel), along with some coriander and bready/wheat malt. The taste is similar to the aroma, but the hoppy and malty flavors are pretty even and none of them are much stronger than the others. It's a nice mix between a witbier and an IPA. Mouthfeel/body is light/medium, it's refreshing and a bit creamy with good carbonation. At just $7.99 a 6-pack, I'd buy this again for sure. It's a great deal for the price, I can't think of many beers this good for that low of a price.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2012 00:46:51 | More by bluejacket74

DrinkSlurm

Connecticut

3.95/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from 12oz bottle into tulip. Wheaty hop aroma with a grapefruit or passionfruit aroma.
No head, little lacing.
Nice refreshing take on an IPA. Wheaty, but bitter and hoppy with a bit of citrusy fruity hops. Its a very refreshing IPA and a really good brew from Saranac. Worth a try for sure.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2012 01:23:47 | More by DrinkSlurm

Amalak

New York

3.95/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This is completely opaque, a very light (but thick) straw yellow. Some foamy white head and a little bit of lacing. A metallic wheat scent to it.

Nice citrusy taste to it. Sweet, but not overbearing. Not much of an IPA at all, but there's a wonderful wheatyness to it. Very crisp. Refreshing.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2012 01:19:14 | More by Amalak

Kendo

New York

4.2/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Poured from the bottle into a Duvel tulip. First impression is just how cloudy this is - body is straw yellow that looks more tangerine-orange when backlit. Small white head leaves behind good lacing.

S: Strong nose befitting this hybrid style - wheat twang, citrus - from both the orange peel, I think, as well as the lemony Citra hops, and spice (coriander). Touch of bread dough too. Smells more like a Pale Wheat or Wit than an IPA.

T: Taste is also more like a Wheat/Wit than an IPA, so I think whoever first entered this beer on the site got the style right. All the American Pale Wheat Ale flavors are here - wheat twanginess, coriander spice, yeasty cloves and a real good lemony citrus taste.

M: Light in heft, perhaps a tad bit too much carbonation, but it's fairly mild so I won't quibble with it too much.

O: Wow. I've been drinking Saranac for close to 20 years now, I'd suspect, and this one might be my highest-rated beer from a brewery that generally comes across as average, nothing more (though I have a soft spot in my heart for their Pale Ale). Not sure why they chose winter to release this, though, as I think this would make an excellent summer beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2012 01:56:32 | More by Kendo

suspect

New York

4.13/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a Samuel Adams Perfect Pint glass.

A: Pours a cloudy straw yellow color with some orange hues to it. Normal pour leads to a fluffy pure white 1.5 finger had that sticks around forever leaving a thick coating down the entire glass. Beautiful looking beer, really.

S: Lots going on here with wheat malts, orange peel, coriander, lots of grapefruity hops and bready yeast. It smells exactly what I would think of if someone wanted to mash together an IPA and a Witbier. Complex, wonderful aroma.

T: Man, I can't get over how much this beer dances between Wit and IPA back and forth, back and forth. Just when you think it's going to take over with the banana, bready yeast it hits you with the bitter. Really nice flavors. Wheat malts are definitely present, when the hops show up they hit you pretty good, followed by the spices of orange and coriander. This could be a mess...but it's not. It's good.

M: Creamy mouth, amply carbonated, lingering aftertaste leaves me reaching for my glass for another swig.

O: A surprisingly delicious beer that I will definitely go back to. If someone handed me this brew with an option to guess the brewery, Saranac wouldn't have entered the picture but they did a really nice job on this and the price point is great at ~$7 per 6-pack.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2012 01:58:33 | More by suspect

trive

New Jersey

4.2/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

poured into a pint glass.

appearance - hazy cloudy color, like a white ale

smell - floral and citrus notes like a west coast ipa, some sweeter notes like fruit. totally right in the middle of white ale and ipa.

taste - a mild sweet fruitiness that's full of hoppy flavors. right when the beer should be cloyingly sweet the hops take over and transform the entire taste.

mouthfeel - chewy and crisp followed up by a fantastic dry finish with a hint of orange.

overall- really cool new beer coming from fx matt, can't wait to try it on draft.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2012 22:28:03 | More by trive

kuhndog

New York

4.1/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A great new seasonal from Saranac. Says it's a hybrid of a Belgian White and an American IPA. I think it leans more to the IPA side. Has a great citrusy/floral smell. You can taste the hops as well as some spices.

Overall this is one of Saranac's better beers. I would definitely buy it again!

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2012 17:00:14 | More by kuhndog

ThePorterSorter

New York

4.1/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

$1.39/12oz... Had to try it.

Appearance:
Very hazy light golden yellow with a solid inch of a white fluffy head. There's even some good sticky lacing.
This is not what I'm used to with generally watery looking saranac beers.

Smell:
Yummy citrusy hops and some equally potent Belgian yeast! There is a touch of alcohol, but mainly spices and hops. I'm definitely impressed with this beer's nose!

Taste:
This is a fairly smooth, drinkable beer that starts light and citrusy and finishes with a yeasty/fruity aftertaste. Definitely medium hops with a bold Belgian presence! I typically don't like these hybrid beers, but this one wears it nicely.

Mouthfeel:
Light-medium body with loads of yeast and citrus. I really like how smooth and refreshing this beer from start to finish! There are no weird aftertastes (ie gumball) and it's even decent while it warms... But I'd drink it cold.

Overall:
Awesome price and a really good beer! Saranac, you've finally made something I'll drink.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2011 00:42:44 | More by ThePorterSorter

cavedave

New York

4.03/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a beautiful super-cloudy dark straw color, a solid two fingers of gorgeous white head, and crazy lace, just the look to make an IPA lover go gaga.

Light/med. aroma, but a delicious blend of neutral sweet, clean grain, citrus, and floral. Even a hint of tart yeast in there, wonderful.

This baby doesn't disappoint. Very blended taste of wheat, neutral sweet, grapefruit, lemon, orange peel, and hints of tart yeast and floral, and a bit of spiciness that really adds to it. Balanced, well crafted, and delicious, I keep checking the label to make sure it says Saranac.

A bit thin, and a bit too much carb., otherwise full of resin, clean cling, excellent finish.

I have never said these words about a Saranac beer- go out and get some of this you'll love it.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2011 22:15:26 | More by cavedave

BigPlay1824

New York

4.43/5  rDev +17.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Enjoyed in a pint glass

A: pours a completely hazed honey color with two fingers of fine pure white head that lingers nicely, there is a ton of carbonation bubbles present, leaves spotty lacing on the glass
S: wow, the scent here is simply divine, grapefruit and citrus hops, with a slight underlying scent of banana peels
T: so it begins with the nice hops that i was looking for from the scent, not as extreme on the grapefruit end but definitly citrusy and nice, then kicks in the wheat character, bready and funky middle to end, really smooths it out
M: slight on the carbonation, smooth in the middle, leaves an interesting feel on the palate, dry from the IPA breeding but silky from the wheat character, nice
O: IMO this is the best beer saranac has made to date, that is taking into account the fact that i have enjoyed 99% of their other beers, i really think that they just nailed it on this one, really awesome through and through

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2011 00:51:14 | More by BigPlay1824

fmccormi

New York

3.98/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Straight pour from 12oz bottle (pry-off) to Luettich balloon-style glass (Bruery tulip); bottling date of December 7, 2011—at 7:58AM, to be precise (“3411 07:58”). Very fresh evidently, just 11 days old.

Appearance (4.5): I can see immediately the “white” aspect of this. The body is so opaque, it almost looks like juice. Glowing, pale orange body with a very tight, bone-white head on top starting at around two fingers and fading to a hazy film on the surface of the beer. Very, very fine bubbles in this head. Lacing is moderate and sudsy, but even. This is a very attractive beer.

Smell (4.0): Holy cow, this is actually really good. Slightly dank, with a very bright fruity character—some passion fruit, mango, and a modest dose of that resin we all love.

Taste (4.0): Spicy Belgian wit character comes out first, like some coriander was brewed in here . . . but it mixes with a bright, grapefruit-like citrus bitterness very quickly. What really comes out of nowhere is the extremely long, bitter finish—mix of grass and grapefruit pith. What do you know, the label actually says it was brewed with coriander. Good work, tongue. Yeast is back there, kind of a chalky character, but it’s crowded out by the long finish. This is tasty stuff.

Mouthfeel (3.5): Decent but pretty run of the mill mouthfeel: fine carbonation coats everything but doesn’t stick, body is light side of medium and finish is dry. Not a bad mouthfeel, certainly a quencher, but is pretty normal in the scheme of things.

Overall (4.0): You know what? This is a good beer. Saranac takes a lot of shit on this site, but they brewed a nice beer here. What’s more, Citra hops supposedly have a short life in terms of bitterness but personally I think their byproduct flavors are enjoyable in their own right, so this beer will satisfy those looking for hops, but also those who aren’t—drink it fresh for hops, or a few months old for a nice wit. Very glad to have tried this!

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2011 03:55:12 | More by fmccormi

leansean88

New York

3.93/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - One of the cloudiest beers I've ever seen. Not much head, but it sticks. A pale, amber color with fine specks of black kicking around.

S - Does not smell as dirty as it may look. Fresh hops, spices, citrus and wheat.

T - Pleasant, bitter body. Hops are straightforward, and blend well with spice. Finishes on a note of wheat. Surprisingly, it's a nice touch.

M - A bit of carbonation, but not bad. The spice works well, just not terrifically so.

O - I'm happy to say that for a wheat beer, this wasn't half bad. Saranac is a trusted hometown brewery, and this is another fine ale. I think the good people of upstate New York will enjoy it this holiday season.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2011 23:39:06 | More by leansean88

kkosmoski

New York

4.1/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had to get a growler of this new brew from Saranac when Marcy Beverage listed it on their tap lineup. The beer pours a murky golden hue in the glass - some sediment has settled to the bottom of the growler after a day. The appearance could definately pass for a Belgian White in the glass. Aroma has a piney pop to it along with some perfumey spices. Flavor is dominated by the IPA side of this brew. Apparent bitterness and piney/citrus hops come to the forefront. Belgian yeast and spicing is not very noticible here. Mouthfeel is medium with some sharp carbonation.

This is an exciting new brew from Saranac. A hybrid ale that blends the Belgian White and American IPA styles beautifully. I might have to try to brew a clone at home! Easily worth a try.

Serving type: growler

12-18-2011 20:34:37 | More by kkosmoski

StonedTrippin

Colorado

3.73/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

a new winter seasonal from saranac. pours super cloudy barely letting any light through. heavily unfiltered, like the bottom of the blue moon keg, great white head. smells yeasty and pine hoppy. flavor is akin to our familys christmas tree with fresh aromatic pine hops, sappy and vibrant. yeast flavor isnt as pronounced as the smell or look, and adds a richness and nice bitter aftertaste. a bold new beer from saranac, will look for this in the bottle. on tap at the blue tusk syracuse, ny.

Serving type: on-tap

12-16-2011 05:07:24 | More by StonedTrippin