Saranac Belgian Pale Ale - Matt Brewing Company

beergoot

Colorado

3.28/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Nicely carbonated body with a thick, creamy white head. Wisps of apricot and biscuit in the aroma. Softly bitter, malty flavor with a hint of light fruit flavors. Mouthfeel comes across light bodied, clean and crisp, with a dry finish.

This is a fair little beer. Great appearance with an okay taste. It balances nicely with lightly toasted malt flavors and hop bittering. The fruit-like component isn't overly pronounced, but can definitely be picked in the smell and buried in the flavor. Nothing earth-shattering, but still a good beer overall...

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2013 22:37:28 | More by beergoot

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

3.61/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a light clear gold, white foam and some lacing. Aroma of Belgian yeast and flowery hops. In the taste, biscuity pale malt sweetness and a solid presence of somewhat fruity Belgian yeast. Mild bitterness with a light sweet yeasty funk. Medium bodied, smooth and well carbonated. Nice American take on a simple Belgian ale. Easy to drink a few of these in a sitting.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2013 02:13:09 | More by Stinkypuss

stephenjmoore

Maryland

2.83/5  rDev -18.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 2.75

A- Very transparent, golden colored body with a frothy white head that leaves a lot of lacing.

S- Really just get some sweet, bready malt, no real sign of a Belgian influence.

T- Maybe a hint of Belgian yeast flavor in an otherwise blonde ale. I find this to be a stretch as a BPA.

M- The feel is not offensive, light-medium bodied, medium carbonation.

O- Pretty embarrassing take on a Belgian Pale Ale. Not a terrible beer, but not good for the style.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2013 02:58:54 | More by stephenjmoore

beerthulhu

New Jersey

2.68/5  rDev -23%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.5

A: Pale orange with a pristine clarity, 1/2 finger chalky white head is creamy and sticks well to the glass walls. Medium carbonation factor rises to the occassion like beads of oil on a string. Decent length of stay retention wise leaving a milky speckled band lacing.

S: Light to medium sense of fruity hops, melon, cantelope, apples and pears.

T: The flavor begins with some fruity hops, again apple, pear, and melon with some fresh greenery, very vine like. Ends with a tart fruit sourness, touch of grassiness and some fruit skin. The finish kind of ruins it for me personally,with some moldy nature.

M: Tingly carbonation, frothy, tart fruitiness ending with some turing of sour fruit. Scratchy texture and moldy hop feel.

O: Overall had some potential in the beginning, fruity, light in character and fresh. Things started going downhill mid-way through the flavor. The sour fruitiness and moldy hop appeal made this a hesitant to finish. pass altogether on this one.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2013 23:32:44 | More by beerthulhu

rangerred

Tennessee

3.3/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

12oz bottle into a pint glass.

Pours a clear light gold with a one finger white head. The abundant carbonation gives the head excellent staying power and there are nice globs of lacing clinging to the sides of the glass.

The aroma is, unfortunately, quite metallic but there is some clove and bubblegum poking through it all. Not enough to overcome the metal, though.

Thankfully the flavor is quite nice and really suprised me in a pleasant way. Lots of clove and bubblegum esters that I love in a BPA along with a nice dose of bready malt. There is a little bit of pepper towards the finish which is pleasantly dry with just a little bit of stickyness left on the lips.

Overall, I was suprised by this as the other offerings I have had from Saranac have been less than impressive. While not on the same level of a beer like Ommegang, a good value and one i wouldn't hesatate to pick up again.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2013 02:54:03 | More by rangerred

smakawhat

Maryland

4.01/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from the bottle into a tulip glass.

A real nice brassy dark gold colored body, with lively carbonation. Head makes a good two to three fingers with a shocking white color and soapy character. Retention is pretty good with a lot of creamy whipped up sense also, and some spider legged up lacing. Pretty decent looking.

Sticky malts, and hints of light candi sugar. Straight forward with hints of peanut butter also. Smells like a straight forward Belgian minus the creamy peanuts. Mild hints of grassy like hops.

Interesting flavor profile. Hints of crisp hop in the palate with a very lager like and malt taste. Belgian sweetness does come but also with a refreshing sense of grass. Chewy with a very bread like sensing malt like an American lager. Seems a good strong emphasis on barley compared to most Belgian pales. Carbonation is lively with a good palate feel. Lots of density here.

Overall it's different, but this is actually quite enjoyable. I'd have this again, pretty good beer for the style and a nice twist.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2013 20:22:58 | More by smakawhat

ColdWaffles

Pennsylvania

3.16/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a tall pint.

Appearance: Pours what Saranac describes as a "light amber" color. I'd call it a dark gold. Provides and keeps very little head. It passes.

Smell: Smells lightly of clove. Weaker pale malt scent. Relatively strong overall scent. Kinda sweet smelling.

Taste: This one is easy to drink, but it doesn't taste like much. Little bit of pale malt, generally pretty sweet with a light bitter end. Tiny bit of clove. Overall just absolutely unexciting.

Mouthfeel: Probably the only decent part of this one. It's got a lot of carbonation which mixes with its subdued flavor to make this an effortless drink. Still, that doesn't make the whole beer good, and it kind of just covers up the beer's deficiencies.

Not something I'd buy, but I doubt I'd pass it up. I think.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2013 23:19:08 | More by ColdWaffles

puboflyons

New Hampshire

3.71/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

From the 12 fl. oz. bottle. Sampled on February 1, 2013.

The color is yellow to golden with a lingering white head and light lacing on the glass. Decent carbonation.

Nice aromas of sweet pale malts, yeast, caramel, pear, and minor hops. There is a kind of musky note on the nose that reminds me of a cellar.

The body is light and smooth.

The taste improves as it warms up with a subtle sweetness up front, biscuit, and low, lingering bitterness. The characteristics of a Belgian Pale Ale are there but all in in all it is more reserved than the one straight out of an Abbey. Still, I found it easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2013 23:11:14 | More by puboflyons

kangarooAdam59

Maine

3.54/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Best by March 31, 2013:

In a chalice:

A: bright clear golden colored body leaving a white foamy head in my chalice. Small inner valleys appear within the head and light rapidly moving carbonation is seen rising.

S: banana and clove up front with light fruitiness in the background.

T: sweet and kinda grainy with the fruitiness coming back more so in a citrusy sort of way. It leaves a dry aftertaste and a sticky finish.

M: light with nothing harsh on the tongue, a really nice smoothness is felt all around, kinda creamy.

O: though I'm not usually into a fair amount of Belgians, this is adequate for me and for the style.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2013 19:42:06 | More by kangarooAdam59

Treyliff

West Virginia

3.39/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

A- pours a bright clear golden-straw color with a small fizzy white head with short retention and no lacing. Not the big rocky head typical with many Belgian pales.

S- fruity yeast with notes of banana and clove, some musty funk, a bit medicinal and some herbal notes.

T- some grainy husk up front with a somewhat thin malt body, transitions into some citrus fruity notes with a bit of clove, the finish is dry with some resinous yeast lingering on the palate

M- light body with assertive carbonation, foamy mouthfeel mid-palate, with a slightly creamy dry finish

O- the think malt body leaves this I've a little too thin and grainy for me. It did however have a nice yeasty finish.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2013 05:17:00 | More by Treyliff

deltatauhobbit

Maine

3.36/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Pours a clear straw yellow color, hardly any head and no lacing.

Smell is primarily sweet malt, not much of anything else to note, only a slight clove aroma.

Taste is fairly straightforward, malt upfront with a slight grassy aftertaste, cold crisp carbonation with a dry finish.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2013 02:22:46 | More by deltatauhobbit

bobquick

New York

3.41/5  rDev -2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Chimay? Nope. But it is a nice representation of the style. Light head, starts smooth then the hops kick in. Don't think I could drink more than two in a single sitting. Even though it checks in at 5.4 ABV, the after taste limits how much I want to drink in one sitting.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2013 21:15:59 | More by bobquick

Hop_kulture

3.95/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

a: wonderful golden honey appearence. one finger head that moderately disappeared

s: smells close to a german wheat beer

t: citrus banana taste with a heavy malt character

m: good coating and goes down easy. the taste stays and progresses as it makes home in your mouth

o: not had many belgian pale ales but i do enjoy hefeweizens so i could have 4+ of these easy. i am bias due to my love for saranac simply because i hold the brewery close as a gateway craft beer drug ;)

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2013 07:00:58 | More by Hop_kulture

u2carew

Massachusetts

3.21/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12oz longneck bottle
A) Pours with a very thin head, but still has visible carbonation. Clear straw colored body.
S) Classic Belgian aroma - hints of banana, cloves and floral notes.
T) Pleasant malts upfront which transition to a mellow hop bite mixed with earthy, pungent, floral tones. A linger graininess in the finish.
M) Light bodied. Crisp. Dry in the finish.
O) An alright Belgian pale ale. A bit thin on flavor and body.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2013 01:17:51 | More by u2carew

Kremlock

Ontario (Canada)

3.81/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

A: dark straw to low copper in colour. Head has low stability with medium-low lacing. Very clear with no particles.

S: Bready malt aromas present, malt forward with hints of fruitiness. Some spiciness when warms up a bit.

T: Bready and malt forward. Bitterness is low and no hop flavours. Slight pear taste comes in in the aftertaste with a low dryness in the finish.

M: Medium-low body with proper carbonation. Has a clean finish that leaves this dry pear flavour in the mouth.

O: I'm impressed with this beer. This brewery seems to be hit and miss and I would say this is a hit.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2013 21:15:37 | More by Kremlock

micromaniac129

Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Matt's beers I found are hit or miss in alot of different styles but this is pretty decent.
The beer has a golden amber hue with lots of carbs but only a small ring of a head.
Aroma is nice too with nice malt aroma and spicy yeast. A good sip I get sweet and spicy malts peppercorns and yeast. A crisp bitter finish this beer is easy to drink and refreshing.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2013 12:29:46 | More by micromaniac129

BEERchitect

Kentucky

2.78/5  rDev -20.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

With the typical alterations that are made by American brewers to otherwise classic Belgian recipe- the Saranac Belgian Pale ale substitutes mild caramel-tasting malt for the fussy pilsner malt for a new attitude from which the fruit and spice play out.

Bright gold in color, the appearance is straight forward and abundantly carbonated. Capped with a foamy white topping, the bubbles shows firm staying power and laces the beer as you'd expect Belgian ales to do. With the yeasty haze filtered out, the beer looks odd, yet pleasant.

Slight apricot and coriander aromas balance out upon a terse caramel and honey base. The part grain, part malt character tampers down the spices and fruit before weaving in the mild alcohols. Lightly medicinal, the nose culminates in a very lemon-scented furniture polish kinda way.

Grainy-sweet to taste, the malts thin out and allow for an odd settling of soap and stemmy hop bitterness to assault the palate hardly into the body of the taste. Lemon and orange, peel become the fruit balance to the spicy bitterness of spice tannin and harsh hops. But light overall in taste, the off balance has nothing to hide behind and leaves the flavors naked and isolated.

Light bodied, the beer's short lived malt texture leaves the beer thin instead of dry and exposes the harsher mouth sensations that reveal hop and spice astringency and unnecessary bite. Finishing grainy and thin, the bitter taste of soap lingers deep into aftertaste.

I'm all for American brewers gaining inspiration from Belgian brewing technique and not trying to replicate their methods and tastes, but the trade offs here really disrupt the balance and causes much harshness, abruptness, and lack of character on many fronts.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2013 04:59:18 | More by BEERchitect

kojevergas

California

2.18/5  rDev -37.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

12 fl oz brown glass bottle with standard pressure cap served into a nonical pint glass in me gaff in high altitude Castle Rock, Colorado. Reviewed live. Expectations are below average.

Served straight from the fridge. Poured with standard vigor.

A: Pours a beige colour head of slight cream, nice thickness, and above average retention. Body colour is a transparent translucent pale yellow. No yeast particles are visible. No bubble show.

Sm: Pale malts, light candi sugar, floral hops, and a hint of lemon citrus. Soft and fragrant, but slightly artificial. An average strength aroma. No yeast character or alcohol is detectable.

T: Pale malts, sweet candi sugar, traces of a lemon ester, floral hops, and unwelcome caramel. Imbalanced. Build is generic and bland, but it's still pleasant to drink. No yeast or alcohol comes through. Comes off a bit artificial. Candi sugar is dominant to its detriment; it's far too sweet.

Mf: Smooth and wet. Generic standard fare. Decent carbonation. A bit too thick. Lightly metallic, actually.

Dr: Drinkable but boring and bland. Another generic offering from Saranac.

D

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2013 07:22:56 | More by kojevergas

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.1/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Part of the Saranac 12 Beers of Winter variety pack - $13.99 at Total Wine & More in Kennesaw, Georgia.

"BB MAR 31 2013"

Appearance: Pours a pale gold body, a little less than clear, and topped with a goodly-sized layer of white froth.

Smell: Notes of Wonder Bread, cracked grains, cracked peppercorns (both black and white), barest hint of fruit, and a little coriander.

Taste: Pale malts, a bit bready, a bit grainy, along with a hint of crunchy wheat. Light golden syrup sweetness. Vague touch of citrus, with bits of ground pepper and coriander. It does have a bit of bitterness to it, though. The pepper accent and graininess hold onto the near-crisp finish. A whitewashed Belgian ale.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium-plus carbonation.

Overall: Many of these Saranac beers are like getting socks for Christmas, it's not what you really wanted, but you don't get upset about it, and it's something you can at least utilize. OK, so Uncle Saranac bought me another pack of tube socks, big deal. Hold 'em up for the camera and feign a smile.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2013 19:47:51 | More by ChainGangGuy

tempest

Pennsylvania

3.78/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Not a bad stab at a Belgian for Saranac. I like the grassy, spicy hop finish and candied yeast aroma. However, this beer does lack the complex depth of a great Belgian ale. Still, there's a good balance of toasty barley, Euro hops, and a mild Belgian yeast character. Give it a shot if you can.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2013 00:27:05 | More by tempest

MadScientist

New York

2.65/5  rDev -23.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

A: a light golden with good clarity. The head is thin an quick to dissipate in to a thin ring.

S: All the aromas are pretty faint on this, in my experience the Belgian character improves over time. There is a light clover and pepper aroma with a slight spicy hops aroma. There is a slight malt sweetness.

T: A moderate clove flavor and moderate hops bitterness. The hops flavor is a light spicy and earthy flavor. The balance is fairly bitter with a dry finish.

M: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. A light prickle

O: An unbalanced and not all that enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2012 02:34:03 | More by MadScientist

tbruchey2112

Maryland

3.85/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Trying this out of the Winter 2012 Sampler. Nice bottle art for a winter beer. Kind of a dark(er) color for a "pale" ale. Real sweet pine smell. First taste is typical of a Belgian pale, cool, crisp, and refreshing. The aftertaste is what is really special on this beer. Nice, kind of sweet vanilla-ish taste. This is only the third beer I've tried out of this sampler, the Black Bear Bock and the 4059' Porter, and I have to say it is my favorite so far.

Definitely would buy this one independent of the sampler pack.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2012 03:47:04 | More by tbruchey2112

metter98

New York

3.6/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: The beer is clear yellow in color and has a light amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a quarter finger high white head that quickly died down, leaving some lacing on the surface and down the sides of the glass as well as a thin collar around the edge.
S: There are moderate aromas of Belgian yeast in the nose along with some hints of floral hops.
T: Like the smell, you can definitely taste the Belgian yeast in the flavors, which also have some notes of grainy malts and some hints of spices towards the finish. There is a light amount of bitterness.
M: It feels medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is very easy to drink. The flavor is rather good and doesn't taste watered down so I would consider this beer to be sessionable.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2012 01:00:00 | More by metter98

alexgash

Connecticut

3.73/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle from winter sampler pack. Best by March 31, 2013.

Mostly clear golden tangerine body. Nice half inch of thick, whipped, long-lasting head. Nice lacing too. Sweetish wheat malts, banana, clove, a little tropical fruit, and some spicy, peppery hops on the nose.

Toasted grains and nutty-ish malt up front. Estery, fruity flavors follow. Mild sweetness. Banana and a little tropical fruit. Yeasty clove. Dries out toward the finish in the presence of spicy, peppery hop bitterness. Moderate body, with a lively, sparkling feel. An easy drinking BPA, and a tasty one at that.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2012 02:19:15 | More by alexgash

StonedTrippin

Colorado

3.55/5  rDev +2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

the previous review is spot on. this is a highly sessionable belgian pale, lacking the depth and complexity of say, ommegangs offering, but yet a beer im sure ill find myself going back to all winter. it pours really pale apple juice color, with a small but already fading white head. the nose is more like a hefe, with banana and clove from the yeast being really prominent, very light euro malt body on it too in both nose and taste. i taste the fruity yeast first, which is a little sweet, but becomes more spiced as it progresses, almost too delicate on the malt flavors, and not quite as quick a finish as id like, but theres some decent hopping back there, floral and bright. carbonation is spot on, really intense, perfect for the style, and a majorly light body, which achieves what they set out to do here, making a sessionable flavorful belgian ale. this is that, not outstanding, but darn good for what it is. maybe saranacs best belgian style beer, these usually let me down pretty hard, but not this.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2012 04:23:44 | More by StonedTrippin