Saranac High Peaks Imperial IPA
The First in our series, Saranac Imperial IPA, is brewed with ten different malts and ten different hops to make a delectably flavored and complex Imperial IPA. AT 85 IBU’s and 8.5% alc/vol This is a beer that is truly meant to be savored.
3.3
400 reviews
Utica, United States
Community reviews
This is the same beer as Saranac imperial IPA> So this is one of the better Saranac beers according to the straight ratings. Darker than average clear american pale beer color, reminds me of yuengling original lager. Tea froth top. Sweet floral hop flower aroma. Bitter biting hop taste impact. Syrupy coating hop bitter bite that is really quite irritating. Saranac IPA is on par with this. As a wheat lover I would rate the Saranac witbier way above this. This stuff, is way too difficult too enjoy. Yes, a lingering bitter finish that just will not go away, too medicine for me. Would rate high on this website in a blind test if the king tasters didn’t look at the label. Long finish is simply too bitter and offensive, a good IIPA!!! I don’t feel or taste that typical Saranac quality here. Will not buy again, as with any DIPA. Almost as offensive as a Bells’s Exp and Lion Stout.
Earlier Rating: 7/26/2007 Total Score: 1.5
So this is one of the better Saranac beers according to the straight ratings. Darker than average clear american pale beer color, reminds me of yuengling original lager. Tea froth top. Sweet floral hop flower aroma. Bitter biting hop taste impact. Syrupy coating hop bitter bite that is really quite irritating. Saranac IPA is on par with this. As a wheat lover I would rate the Saranac witbier way above this. This stuff, is way too difficult too enjoy. Yes, a lingering bitter finish that just will not go away, too medicine for me. Would rate high on this website in a blind test if the king tasters didn’t look at the label. Long finish is simply too bitter and offensive, a good IIPA!!! I don’t feel or taste that typical Saranac quality here. Will not buy again, as with any DIPA. Almost as offensive as a Bells’s Exp and Lion Stout.
Pours dark straw with off-white head. Nose was resiny hops, tangerine, pale malt. Tasted pale malty, somewhat hot, with a heftier malt and ABV bill that most other Matt brews. I liked the hops and ABV in this, but the malt bill was not quite balanced. Still, not bad.
Earlier Rating: 2/21/2007 Total Score: 3.4
Bottle from Capone’s. Nice hazy ruby coppery color with 2-finger off-white head. Aroma of bready caramel malt, big hops, some funky fruit notes. Tastes resiny and hoppy, with some funky and black peppery notes and a firm caramel malt base. Pretty thick and complex. Nice.
This is an interesting variation on the style. Almost Barleywine-ish in sweetness the hops have more of an earthy sense that the tangerine-ish sense further in the background. Almost candy-like with a strong caramelized malt nose and, in the taste, there too though far more in the background. I rated it a tad higher than I might have because if you’re looking for a variation on the style. this is it. The mouthfeel is medium, but filled with enough complexity to keep it interesting.
Ratig from 2010: Der Antrunk ist süßlich-malzig, leicht herb, leicht zitronig, was zum Hauptteil neben der penetranten Süße kaum heraus kommt. Insgesamt enttauschend, zu süß. Es fehlt an an Hopfenaromen! Als Imperial IPA ein schlechtes Bier!
--> 6/5/7/6
Has the flavor of an okay IPA with some added malt character. The alcohol is impressive.
light bread aroma,,amber, hazy, white foam, light sweetness, lightly bitter, light body, oily feel, bitter, long finish,
Light brown coloured and hazy. Has a white head. Aroma is a bit odd, sweet, syrupy and old hops. Flavor starts sweet, warming alcohol, heavy bitter finish. Dry, syrupy texture.
Bottle. Nice dark orange pour with a white head. Good aroma of hops. Flavor is citrus hops and a nice malty body hiding some of the alcohol. I have really gotten to like this style over time.
Earlier Rating: 5/5/2007 Total Score: 2.9
One bottle from BOTW. Noticeable yeast aroma. Initial hops and yeast flavor with a bitter bite. Ending of citrus. Ok for the type, but not my style.
Orange pour with light foamy white head. Aroma is orange zest, sweet malt, and breadiness. Flavor is sweet malt, perfumy hops, abv warmth, and a decent floral/citrus bitter. Medium body with good carbonation. A tad more sweet than hoppy.
Bob had a couple interesting selections in his fridge last night, and this was one of them. Caramel plus floral nose. Pour is very dark orange and a bit unfiltered. Palate well balanced, though the finish was boozy. Syrupy. Decent.
Earlier Rating: 2/10/2007 Total Score: 3.5
Dark orange with a thick white head, nice lacing, retention. Nice pine resin aroma along with caramel. Very nice palate, all at once hoppy and malty. Grainy and lush. Not overwhelming like some imperial ipa’s, a nice beer.
2011, oranje/bruine kleur, witte/beige schuimkraag, ruikt en smaakt fruitig, hoppig, bitter, beetje alcholsmaak, goed mondgevoel
Pours a slightly hazy amber/color with about an inch of head. Aroma is caramel malt and bread. Taste follows the nose and is sweet with just a hint of bitterness. Body is medium and somewhat chewy. This is not what I expected from the style and is definitely more slanted towards the east coast/English style. If I didn’t know any better I would think this was a barleywine. This is a below average DIPA.
Aroma is caramel and medium malt scent and mild hops. Color is dark amber. Head dissipated too quickly to my taste as the head hold scent flavors longer. I feel like I lost aroma due to this. Taste I got a balanced mix of bitter and sweetness. The beer tastes similar to Sam Adams Boston Lager, but the difference is the Imperial IPA flavor is stronger, it’s the after taste that reminds me of Sam Adams. I’m not getting any specific tastes such as fruit or toffee. The carbonation is higher than I like, the feeling tended to linger on my tongue. I liked this IPA but wouldn’t buy it again. There are other big IPAs I enjoy more. I do recommend it if you just want to give it a try.
Bottled, 355ml from Burg Bieren, Ermelo, Netherlands. Amber with white head. There is a certain harshness to this, quite metallic, hard, dry hop flavour, earthy and bitter. The malts are pretty full on, grainy and a touch stewed. Didn’t quite come together for me, but still ok to drink.
12oz bottle from Premier Gourmet. Clear bubbly amber pour, large foamy off-white/beige lasting head. Floral, sweet fruity aroma, alcohol and a bit of spice. Taste follows, just a tad soapy and harsh - average body, light carbonation, a hint of onion in the finish. ehhh.....
Earlier Rating: 1/18/2007 Total Score: 2.9
Bottle (12oz). Shared with blankboy and tupalev, via trade with TURDFERGUSON. Clear pale amber with a decent frothy off-whtie head. Weird aroma - alcohol, dishwashing detegent and oily hops, maybe a hint of apricot and peach. Tastes sweet and fruity (peach), some sweet herbal notes, not so much soap (thank God). Fairly thick and astringent mouthfeel, too lively and harsh finishing. Not a winner.
Rich amber/copper color; Medium slightly creamy body; Aroma of citrus hops, pine, & caramel malt; Flavor of sweet malt, caramel/toffee, pine hops, and citrus (notably grapefruit); Finish is bitter; Overall, flavor was off - did not care for this one.
Tap @ Pony w James, Andy, Feng. Medium to dark amber, smooth bubble-less large white head, nice look. Aroma and palate are full of earthy wet hops, loose structure, kind of sloppy and sticky but I like the hop profile and the middling consistency.
12 oz. bottle. Pours a thick, well retained, ivory head, with extensive lacing, over a slightly hazy orange amber (SRM 15) body.....nose is pine, citrus, pineapple, toffee/caramel.....taste is heavy cereal, leading to pine, citrus peel, pineapple, vinous tones, with hints of apricot, finishing with a moderate bitterness....mouth feel medium, alcohol hidden, carbonation low. This is an interesting take on the I/DIPA style. It is well balanced, with the malt and hop complexities matching each other quite well. It is more nuanced than some and is much more "East Coast" or "English" than many. BJCP 7/3/14/4/7
Bottle at GBF 2012-09-07 Göteborg
AR: roasted malt , coffee
AP: hazy golden/Brown, wee stothy y head
F: sugary, caramel, sprity, dry, salty
From a bottle at GBF 2012. CLear amber, medium off-white head. Bready malt aorma, some piney and perfumy hops. Medium bodied, medium carbonation. Dry with medium bitterness.
almost 2 years expired bottle. Orange amber color, a bit hazy. Malty aromas with some hoppy hints. Very sweet and thick body, with a very high presence of the alcohol. It was really hard to enjoy this beer with such a warm temperatures we have. Not very impressed.
Cloudy copper body and creamy beige head. Dimmed red fruit, sweet soapy,roses and yeasty. More rounded off, bit well developed. Light tinteling body with quite light bitterness for a double IPA, but with enough taste. Quite fruity. Ending is more bitter. Bit spectacular but well made. Nice. (At the De Molen tasting)
35cl bottle shared at a molen tasting.
Decent white head. Clear amber pour. Not very bitter. Malty aftertaste.
Bottle @ 2nd tuesday tasting @ de molen. Aroma is mostly metallic malt, faint herbal hops. Meh. Flavour is dry murky bitterness, but with very little hops. Meh.
12 oz of drainpour. Poured an okay looking deep orange amber with a smaller to average sized off white frothy head. Aroma is horrible for style, raisin, wet dough, bad citrus, glue, dates. Medium bodied with softer carbonation. Flavor is just as bad as the aroma. After two sips I duped the rest, ugh this shit is foul.
Bottle, not sure how I’ve never had this. Pours out a copper color with slight haze and a small head. Aroma is stale bread, light citrus, caramel, and some light alcohol. Taste is of citrus, light cereal, grapefruit, some lingering alcohol.
Bottle. Piney hop aroma, hazy amber, thin head. Medium body, coats the mouth, plenty of bitterness but lighter than many imp Ipas.
17th July 2010
Clear amber beer. Good tan head. Sweet malt on the nose, somewhat lacto. Semi soft and semi dry palate. Sweetish creamy malt with sugary lactose gives way to fairly brutal hop. Bitter bitter orange and a trace of grapefruit. Aniseed alcohol. Trace of bubblegum as the beer warms up. Okay if slightly odd.
The taste was of a sweet burst of grapefruit, but the nose failed to deliver as pungent an aroma. Pours a rich orange amber, but the palate is a bit thick. A nice imperial ipa, but nothing too sophisticated.
Bottle. Hazy copper color with nice tan head. A very malty taste for an IPA. Tasty. Bitter. Really nice brew.