Saranac Caramel Porter - Matt Brewing Company

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

2.9/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

well malted and carmel to make go down A melange of porter and burnt rubber and maybe burnt wood. Highly roasted aftertaste. Nice colour. Medium mouthfeel. Sweet but not cloying. In any case, I will save the rest for tenderizing meat in the slow cooker.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2006 02:37:06 | More by northyorksammy

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

3.1/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Darkest caramel with brilliant scarlet and orange highlights... that becomes dark crimson with backlighting. The khaki colored cap is three fingers to start and required a small slurp after a vigorous pour. This is pretty much how I'd expect a caramel porter to look.

If you're going to give your beer this name, then you'd better make sure it smells like caramel. Caramel malt probably isn't enough, which is why the brewery added natural caramel flavor. Although it isn't an amazing nose by any means, mission accomplished. Sweet caramel is mixed with what smells like a garden variety porter.

I'm less impressed when it comes to the actual drinking. Something doesn't seem quite right and I can't decide if it's the caramel or the porter talking. I guess it could be both. There isn't much malt on hand, which is never a good thing when it comes to beer of this style. Maybe it's the artificial sweetness. It tastes as if saccharine is present rather than malt sugars.

Other than a mild tightening on the finish, and an increasingly bitter linger, I can't appreciate much contribution from the Fuggles or East Kent Goldings hops. No matter, malt should be able to carry a porter if enough is utilized. The lack of it in this beer hits the mouthfeel pretty hard. I'm reminded of a dark lager more than a porter.

Caramel Porter is my twelfth Matt Brewing Company beer and I haven't given one of them a flavor score higher than 3.5. That has to be some sort of a personal record. This brewery seems to be constantly spinning its wheels, putting out style after style without gaining any sort of traction toward what I would consider good craft beer. Call me an optimist or call me an idiot, I still have hope that one will surprise me someday.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2007 14:39:49 | More by BuckeyeNation

mikesgroove

South Carolina

3.5/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

i have been assembling full lineups from breweries and randomly doin these horizontal tasings with my family. The saranac one from a couple weeks ago was more then epic as it took months to gather all of these, but it was a hell of a fun night!

Poured a dark brown with a small tan head which faded leaving behind a nice thin film of lace on the top and long sticky strands down the glass. Smell was a tad light, but came through more as it warmed. Roasted malts, caramel, perhaps a touch of coffee were present. Maybe even a hazelnut as it warmed. Taste was great. First off the feel was silky smooth, almost shake like with perfect carbonation that just floated in your mouth. Smooth feel gave way to a full taste, lots of roasted malts and caramel, slight burnt coffee in the back and a dry hop like finish.

overall not bad at all, it had all the parts and just needed a bot more to throw it over the edge to excellence

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2011 23:48:06 | More by mikesgroove

Thorpe429

Illinois

2.78/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Pours a moderate caramel-copper color and really doesn't have any sort of head at all. It's a bit murky and there isn't any real lacing. The nose is actually quite nice with some very mild chocolate plus a good dose of toffee and caramel, leaning toward the former. The taste is a mess with the toffee really taking over and it tastes just like liquid candies. Feel is a bit too sweet and moderately cloying. Does not drink well and is just a bit too much of a novelty.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2010 22:05:39 | More by Thorpe429

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.2/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Unique in its dedicated focus to the taste of Mrs. Butterworth's caramel flavor, the insane taste throws the traditional porter flavor to the side and favors the sweet tooth above that of fans of the standard dark toasty ales.

Very dark brown in appearance, the beer shows solid clarity with it's onyx-like mirror depths. Capped with a sandy-tan head the beer rises with a stern medium-dense head but lightens to a thin sheet before holding firm. Light isolated pockets of foam lace the glass timidly.

Caramel, butterscotch, and popcorn govern the nose while a light backdrop of chocolate, toast, and cola offer weak support. Milky malt aromas are evident and give the beer a slight yogurt-like aroma. Hops never make their way into the aroma conversation.

The lighter taste of coffee, chocolate and toast recede immediately and invite the stronger and sweeter taste of butterscotch, caramel, and buttered popcorn to completely dominate the taste. Although the sweetness is pleasant and dessert-like, the beer severely lacks the support needed to become a proper porter. Mild woodish bitterness closes the session with a light hop balance that never really balances the sweetness.

The beer's mouthfeel may its largest determent. Medium-sweet to start, the beer doesn't allow the creamy textures of carbonation and malt to emerge, instead relying on sheer caramel and grain sweetness to coat the tongue for a texture that's best reserved for cream soda- not bad, but not what I want in a porter. It's tacky warmth and residual sweetness is all that extends in finish.

Because I'm a bit of a sucker for these sweeter and more succulent tastes, I have a tendency to exercise a kinder hand in review. But the lack of true porter-like character makes the base beer seeming like a very nondescript dark ale of America or Europe- except with the deceiving succulence of artificial caramel sweetness. The beer may make for a nice ice cream float.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2005 15:50:42 | More by BEERchitect

oberon

North Carolina

3.35/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Got this in the holiday variety 12-pack,thought it would be alot better than it was.Poured a dark/amber color with with a medium tan colored head.True to the name caramel was the dominant smell I got almost overpowering,the taste like the smell was very caramelly with a little chocolate/earthy tone but I would have liked more balance there.A good try but not one of the best porters I have had.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2003 06:51:38 | More by oberon

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clear, very deep mahogany body with crimson highlights. The creamy, light-tan head holds well; and it even leaves some spotty lace. But it's not the appearance that gets your attention so much as the sweet caramel and cake-icing nose! It really smells like a dollop of rich vanilla/butter/sugar icing! It's clearly from an extract; and it's a bit odd, perhaps, but not off-putting. The body is medium; and it's smooth and creamy in the mouth due to a very fine and moderate carbonation - anything else would work against the sweet maltiness that's present in the flavor. The caramel that's promised is certainly delivered, although I wonder where the porter side of things went? There are some toasty notes, and a mild chocolate character; but its more of a sweet, winter dessert beer than anything else. Hop bitterness is present but minimal, and it finishes with a lingering maltiness. Quite unusual and interesting, but very one-sided. Still, I can certainly imagine lingering over one following a large Thanksgiving dinner.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2003 18:57:44 | More by NeroFiddled

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.78/5  rDev +21.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in a Duvel tulip glass.

Thanks to Cuzco for this bottle!

Reviewed blind as part of Blind BIF #4:
The pour results in a pretty nice dark brown topped by a healthy tan foamy head. The nose comprises light roasted malts, caramel, light toasted toffee, brown sugar...honestly it smells like a really nice cookie, kinda like the base cookie that normally holds a Hershey Kiss. You know the one I mean. The taste brings the roast and caramel back, now joined by a hint of licorice, a sharp stab of mild blueberry (okay...), a wave of vanilla, some random pinpricks of raisins and figs, and it all wraps up together into an oatmeal raisin cookie-esque configuration. The body is a sleek medium, with a mild carbonation and a smooth, slightly grainy feel. Overall, a very nice beer, one I could see easily drinking an entire sixer of on a number of occasions (if 'twere possible, o' course).

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2011 20:43:58 | More by TMoney2591

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

1.78/5  rDev -42.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

Didn't know what to expect out of this one, the beers from this Saranac sampler pack being so up and down in my esteem. But if you're doing a porter, do it right, that's all I ask. Seems like they went into the project with a bad understanding of what a porter actually is, and screwed it up every which way from then on in.
Clear, reddish brown color, brief, nothing of a head.
Aroma: OOF! POW! BAM! Butterscotch all up in y'all! Nothing but butterscotch, and far away from caramel. Hints of vanilla, and over- carbonated.
Taste: sickly sweet to the point of offensiveness, candyish, cloying, coca-cola-like.
Extra-ordinarily thin body, no texture, no finish.
I give up, it's just bad, and lacks just about everything a good beer should have.
No sir, I do not like it.
I am so very itching to get my hands around a good porter after this!
(And were do they get the cojones to call it "robust"? )

Serving type: bottle

06-25-2003 21:38:54 | More by feloniousmonk

WesWes

New York

3.78/5  rDev +21.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

The beer pours a dark brown color with a thick tan head. The aroma is of sweet malts and butterscotch. It is quite creamy. The taste is rich with caramel and chocolate malts. There is a good caramel flavor to it. The mouthfeel is fair at best. For such a malty beer the carbonation is too high. This is a medium bodied beer and a good drinker; and excellent sessions ale.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2003 23:59:29 | More by WesWes

drabmuh

Maryland

3.08/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass. Beer is dark brown / black - you can see light passing through the beer but at first glance it is black, has a yellow/brownish head that falls away quickly leaving very little lacing on the glass. Smell is of caramel and alcohol. The smell is really kind of disgustingly sweet.

Sweetness / caramel / botterscotch is forefront in the flavor, some sourness in the midpalate, beer finishes nicely. There are no detectable hops in this beer. I would expect more roast from a porter, but the carmel / butterscotch is the primary and dominant flavor. Mouthfeel is fine, its a little thin but not terrible. Drinkability is average. I think you could put this away rather quickly and there is no aftertaste, nothing really impeding you from finishing, kind of an average beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2009 02:07:51 | More by drabmuh

zeff80

Missouri

3.45/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A - Poured out black/dark brown with a pillowy, tan, one-finger head. Left just a touch of lace.

S - I smelled of caramel and almost a little like a red wine.

T - It tasted of caramel and a fruity sweet quality. The taste also reminded me of the tannin-like flavors in a red wine.

M - The mouthfeel was soft and creamy. A medium-bodied beer.

D - This is a very interesting porter. It is not very porter-like. There is a fruity/tannin quality reminds me of a red wine, like a merlot or a cabernet. Very interesting.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2007 23:09:16 | More by zeff80

metter98

New York

2.95/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A: The beer is very dark amber (close to near black) in color and poured with a thin tan head that quickly died down.
S: Aromas of caramel--the sugary kind, not caramel malts--prominently stand out in the nose.
T: As in the smell, sweet caramel flavors dominate the overall taste, which has notes of roasted malts. No bitterness from the hops is perceptible.
M: It feels light-bodied and a bit watery on the palate with a low to moderate amount of carbonation.
D: The high amount of sweetness in this beer doesn't make it one that goes down very easily. There's no way I could drink more than one of these at a time.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2010 15:23:26 | More by metter98

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.55/5  rDev +14.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12oz. bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a deep reddish brown color with a thin off-white head that fades quickly and leaves a thin lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is heavy with a sugary candy-like caramel sweetness. Beyond that it was tough to pick up much else, some vanilla, a little bit of roasted malt and a touch of hops was about it.

T: The same intense candy caramel sweetness that you get in the smell dominates the taste. There are some background flavors of spice, vanilla & chocolate. The malt character is strong but not too heavy and the hops presence is a little bit stronger than the smell would lead you to believe. The after-taste is very sweet.

M: Smooth and crisp, medium body, medium carbonation, the finish is very sticky.

D: This beer has intrigued me since I heard about it and it was darn close to what I was expecting. If you can handle the extreme sweetness it’s a little tasty and can go down easily enough. It’s not very filling and is a decent representation of style apart from the caramel twist. This beer would probably go perfectly with many desserts, but I’m not sure I could sit and drink more than one or two these in a sitting without getting sugar overload in my taste buds.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2007 04:00:57 | More by TheManiacalOne

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.23/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours an effervescent chestnut tinged brown with 2+ fingers of fluffy tan head. Good lacing & average head retention

S: Some toasty malt, plums, not a lot else

T: Caramel, toasty malt & dryness, plus leafy hops up front. Roasty malt & dryness are up front as this warms, the caramel tastes a bit less fake. Finishes pretty sweet & dry kind of reminds of some iced coffees I've had over in Asia or Hawaii.. Almost pulled a 3.5, just too sweet

MF: Light/medium bodied with somewhat biting carbonation

Drinks alright I could do a few prior to moving or getting sick of the caramel. If in the right mood I could do this with some doughnuts at breakfast

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2010 23:45:48 | More by russpowell

Gavage

New Jersey

3.33/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

Marks all over the board on this one. It pours a brown / burgandy color with a reasonable off-white head. Some lacing developed on the glass during the drink. The aroma blows your doors off - strong sweet caramel with some light roasted coffee tones. The flavor is as loud as the aroma, but less enjoyable as it sports a very sweet mouthfeel with tons of caramel flavor. This is definitely one of the more flavorful Saranac beers I have sampled. Drinkability is way down below average as every time a took swallow, my sense of smell and taste were overpowered by caramel. The first quarter glass was interesting, the remainder seemed to get old quickly. This would be great in a 4 oz bottle.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2003 01:20:53 | More by Gavage

tempest

Pennsylvania

1.7/5  rDev -45.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Took this our of this year's 12 Beers of Winter not expecting much, but was still sorely disappointed.

Has a very short head that was gone in a minute and left no head. The body is a pretty brown, but light-looking for a porter.

Smells very very sweet, like cheap wine-jug wine at that.

Taste isn't much better, very sweet malt character. There's no hops flavor, yet there's a nasty lingering bitterness.

Carbonation is fine, but I'd want this stuff off my toungue ASAP.

Overall, this is just, flat-out, a bad beer in my opinion. The first beer that I've poured down the drain in a very long time. Reminds me of my first homebrew, and thats definately not a good thing. I recommend the 12 Beers of Winter, but give this one away.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2005 01:22:50 | More by tempest

akorsak

Pennsylvania

2.65/5  rDev -14.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

From the 2006 Winter Seasonal case.

A: The ale is a brown, muddy color, lacking sediment with some reddish highlights. The head was thick but does not retain or lace.

S: The porter lacks a roasted aroma, instead it offers a very sweet, sugary caramel aroma,

T: The porter is completely and utterly dominated by caramel. There is no roasted character, no slight sourness, no chocolate toasted malts, nothing. The caramel is strong from first to last sip and leaves a very long finish. Not quite a caramel apple, but close.

M: The mouthfeel is almost cloyingly sweet, but not quite. Either way, it is unusual and I am not sold on it.

D: The drinkability is limited, this strikes me as an experiment gone horribly awry.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2006 03:21:12 | More by akorsak

WVbeergeek

Ohio

3.9/5  rDev +25.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Pours deep ruby brown with a nice full tan head sorta chunky textured as well, lacing appears in full patches excellent appearance. Aroma: Robust tones of caramel blended with sweet but slightly harsh dark roasted malts, not too much chocolate but this is one of the best from the Matt Brewing Co. I've had tasted so far. Flavor: Doesn't kill me with over caramel tone but it complements the darker roasts and provides an excellent sweetness that gives it vanilla like tones. Mouthfeel: Not a thick bodied porter medium if that very smooth and silky, great. Drinkability: Couldn't fathom downing these brews in number but for the sheer flavor profile just excellent I would definitely sample again in the future.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2003 03:43:46 | More by WVbeergeek

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

3.68/5  rDev +18.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a very dark brown with a thick light tan head. Nose is super caramel, but it's almost like someone put an additive in it, and it's not natural. Flavor is pretty caramel heavy as well. It's nice and robust and flavorful, yes. The artificial edge is just a bit too prevalent. It doesn't make it a bad beer or anything like that though. Feel is good. It's drinkable and nice enough, but like I said before, the artificial edge just doesn't work right.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2008 19:35:12 | More by RblWthACoz

smcolw

Massachusetts

3.2/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

Brown (dark, dark amber) with a touch of red; decent beige head; no appearance of cloudiness.

Aroma: caramel (surprise, surprise) and vanilla but little else. Lots of sugars. Reminds me of a tray of candy apples.

As expected, a very sweet beer. The caramel comes through strongest in the aftertaste although it is prevalent throughout the tasting. I find it a tad bit overwhelming. With effort, I can also detect some darker malts (chocolate and crystal). While the label notes some English hops (Fuggles & Kent Goldings), I had trouble picking them up until late in the aftertaste.

I like the uniqueness of this beer but not the overpowering sweetness. Not really a porter in my mind, but it could be an excellent and special dessert beer. I'm torn on the scoring: as a Porter, this is very different and not very accurate. As a sweet beer, I could see this with a fine cheese course or a tart dessert and would highly recommend it as a special treat. So I rated the taste as a Porter and the "drinkability" as a dessert beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2004 00:35:48 | More by smcolw

jdhilt

New Hampshire

3.63/5  rDev +16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a two-fingered light tan head that slowly fades leaving a good lace. Nice clear, deep amber color. Good carbonation and medium bodied. Strong sweet caramel nose. Starts sweet, smooth caramel flavor, clean finish. Nice porter. 12 oz bottle from their winter sampler 12-pak $9.99, Market Basket Concord, NH.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2005 23:36:56 | More by jdhilt

Jason

Massachusetts

2.68/5  rDev -13.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

12 oz brown bottle with no freshness date.

A: Nearly impressive head retention and lacing, pretty light in color for a porter with a brown hue with reddish highlights.

S: Smells like a piece of cake, not beer but cake. Very sweet, after a few more sniffs it smells like a thick cream soda and butterscotch. Oh yeah all of this is saturated by caramel and lots of it.

T & M: Smooth and creamy, I’d be real disappointed if it was not this way coming from a flavored beer as some don’t even try.Cloying sweet, malt sweetness is there but then there is the caramel flavoring that just breaks the palate with sweetness. Hops? They are there but do little and are hard to find. Faint roasted and toasted malt add a mild chocolate flavor that just help the cloying sweetness along. Finishes with a long, long sweet flavor.

Drinkability & Notes: This should be treated as a dessert beer and that is all, this is too damn sweet. I looked for the sweetness knowing what was on the label and it smacked my palate around, it was hard to drink another after this one let alone another beer all together as it ruined my palate with that cloying sweetness and caramel flavor.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2008 02:53:19 | More by Jason

Billolick

New York

3.13/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Another very mediocre brew from the fine folks at Saranac. Pours dark brown and clear, minimal head/lacing. Nutty caramel nose. Taste is, you guessed it, caramel and sweet. Tastes sort of like a mix between sugary caramel corn and a bottle of miller. There is obviously much better beer out there to be consumed. Saranac seems to be trying to fill the space betwwen BMC and any type of decent craft brew, I'm sure there is pleanty of $$$ to be made in that zone.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2005 22:17:37 | More by Billolick

ppoitras

Massachusetts

2.58/5  rDev -17%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

12ozer purchased as a single from the Spirit Haus, Amherst, MA.

Poured into an imperial pint glass, formed a 3/4" tan head above a deeply reddish brown brew. Aroma is STRONGLY of caramel and vanilla. So much so as to be sickly sweet and artificial. Taste lacks malt, almost tastes like a cream soda. Mouthfeel is quite watery, and drinkability is due to flavor and sweetness issues. Very disappointed, was expecting so much more.

Serving type: bottle

06-30-2004 00:04:30 | More by ppoitras