Saranac India Pale Ale
A hop lover’s delight! In the India pale ale tradition, this brew is very hoppy in both aroma and flavor from the generous amounts of Cascade hops used in brewing. Look for a medium to full body and golden straw color.
2.9
795 reviews
Utica, United States
Community reviews
(bottle from UDBeernut for Krampus) Pours a semi-hazy orange/copper color with a very thin white head that leaves a thin film. Aroma is mildly hoppy, with some orange, maybe pine, caramel, and an off smell that I can’t quite place. Maybe dill? Taste is kind of a biscuit-caramel sweetness mixed with a minerally flavor and light hits of orange and bitter hops. Not really much else there. It’s not offensive, but it’s not really much of anything. Overall a middling IPA.
12oz bottle via BoostIPA for Krampus pours a clear copper/orange with a small off-white head. Aroma is very muted faded caramel malt and regurgitated hop spice. Very mild light taste of non distinct hop spice same goes for the malt profile. IPA Light? Not much as far a flavor, might be sessionable on a hot day, certainly not offensive.
Not one of the best American IPA in circulation, good color and the foam is washed out but then the taste without persistence and notes with palatati monotonous and unpleasant
Poured deep gold, with a thin white head. Faint floral aroma. Watery mouth feel. Taste is mostly grass, but somewhat lacking.
From a bottle, no date. Clear light amber white rapidly dissipating white head. Funky smell... Not much hop action, unbalanced, funny aftertaste... May be past it’s prime? Meh...
A: Golden Straw Hue, Passes Most Light, Thick White Head, Some Lacing
S: Malty, Mild Floral
T: Malty, Cascade Hops
M: Decent Carbonation, Medium Bodied, Mildly Bitter
Overall, a pretty boring IPA with a definite cascade hops nose and taste but nothing else.
Bottle from Wegmans. Pours clear amber with a small white head that quickly dissipates. The aroma is all caramel and citrus.. no hop profile at all. The taste is dry, medium bitter, unbalanced, and unenjoyable.
Smells a bit of citrus. Preferred by its taste. Some wheat? Good IPA for the price point ($8.99 box of 6)
Bottle. Foamy white head. Golden clear color. Aroma is spicy grass and pine. Flavors of pine and herb, bitter and oats. Lingering bitterness
6/24/2011: Saranac India Pale Ale... Aroma: Citrus flower aroma; toffee candy; Appearance: Shiny marigold color, hazy; large, lasting frothy beige-colored head; spiderweb lacing. Flavor: Biscuit malt with some honeysuckle-like sweetness; moderate bitterness that sneaks up on the palate after the swallow; hop flavor is mostly herbal and floral; slight soapiness Palate: Medium-bodied; smooth, calm texture; oily feel afterwards. Overall: Decent IPA and a pretty fair price; Saranac isn’t nearly as bad as I remember it...
12 fl. oz. bottle from Kroger in Harrison, Ohio. Rating #777 for this beer.
Pours a lazy light orange with a small white head. Smells a bit of citrus not much of anything else. Taste is a bit better, just enough to know that there were hops, other than it it is much pretty plain. Not impressed at all
July 2011. Ugh, weak and watery. Aromas of caramel amd malt. They definitely held back on the hops for this one. Why even bother?
12 oz. bottle from Harris Teeter
Ar: Mild citrus with a bit of pine.
Ap: Clear, copper. Frothy white head with a bit of lace.
T: Sweet, bready up front. Finish is moderately bittered but not particularly flavorful. Slightly tannic note on the finish as well.
P: Medium-thick and a bit sticky.
O: Meh. Just a really mediocre IPA.
12 Fl. Oz. Bottle. Pours clear amber with a medium white head and lots of lacing. Aroma is mostly malts (unusual for an IPA) with some hops (not a whole lot). Taste is also mostly sweet caramel, some citrus notes and a slight bitterness towards the end. It doesn’t tastes bad but it is unusual flavor for an IPA.
Aromas of floral, citrusy, grassy hops, and toasty, nutty, toffee-like malts, almost paralleling a light barleywine. Clear copper with a mostly lasting, bubbly, white head. Dry and bitter, with flavors of citrus fruits and bread crust. Medium body, refreshing carbonation, and a snappy hoppy finish.
Bottle courtesy of Kermis at the NS2 tasting. Poured a clear amber with a big white frothy head. The aroma is rich and hoppy leading to a medium to weak bitter flavour. This beer is nice enough but lacks the bitterness you would expect from an IPA.
Bottle shared at NS tasting #2. Pours amber with a thick tan head. Aroma of caramel malt, light citrus, really hop lacking. Flavour is light moderate sweet and light bitter. Light medium bodied with soft carbonation. Certainly not unpleasant, but lacking compared to other beers of the style.
A very nice IPA for the price point. Slightly amber in color with a pleasant hop finish.
12oz bottle. hazy gold, fluffy white head. nice hop aroma, little bitterness in the taste, resin, light finish.
Garbage, just pure garbage. One of the worst saranac beers. If you can avoid it, do so.
A pretty delicious ipa, and easy to drink. A pretty golden amber color, and good lacing.
Bottle; copper clear, small beige head; aroma-very pleasant, caramel, hay, citrus, honey; taste-light sweetness, medium bitterness, lightly sour, medium body, lively, bitter finish. The aroma is really what makes this beer, accessible IPA but rather light on the taste.
Bottle into a goblet. Pour is a dark amber gold with a fine head. Aroma is light hop and co2. Taste is a nice bitter washed out with co2. Finish is a co2 bitter. Not a bad ipa for the cost.
Bottle-> SA. Gold with frothy white head. Aroma: wet hops and pine. Taste is flat, wirth some bitter hops and a slight metallic aftertaste. Below par.
From memory here. The first IPA I ever tried. Bitter and one dimensional, but a decent intro to the style. Meh.
Saranac IPA is exactly what it should be: a by-the-book India Pale Ale for a fairly mainstream audience. There’s no bells and whistles or hype with this beer. It’s a rather inconspicuous IPA that could be sitting on the shelf at a supermarket, gas station or even craft beer store near you. You get plenty of hoppy bitterness that’s well balanced and easily drinkable. Is it remarkable? No. Is it good? Yes.
I poured a 12oz bottle into an official Saranac shaker glass.
Appearance: Amber hue, crystal clear, some carbonation visible. Forms an average size, white, foamy head which leaves plenty of lacing on the glass and never evaporates completely.
Smell: Hop flowers; pale malt sweetness; plus a hint of pine needles.
Taste: Mild bitterness and slight malty sweetness opens the palate. It’s a sweet honey-like taste that’s mild for the style, but at the same time still noticeable. There’s a somewhat sharp, dry bitterness from start to finish. Pine flavor without any resin or sticky character is detectable as well. The palate finishes with a quick, strong hop bite that imparts a subtle citrusy component. There’s a bit of a starchy aftertaste that seems to be the logical conclusion of the palate.
What’s interesting about Saranac IPA is that it’s a simple recipe: one malt variety (North American Two-Row) and one hop variety (Cascade). That probably explains the rather simplistic and somewhat repetitive palate. This brew probably won’t amaze a lot of craft beer drinkers, but it’ll still be at least satisfying. There’s no off flavors at all, and the hop character and balanced palate make it interesting to the tongue. I like it.
Drinkability: At "only" 5.8% ABV, Saranac IPA is actually a bit small for the style. That’s okay because its quaffability is nice. A perfectly medium body all around that’s easy to get down in sips or gulps. Though the aftertaste is a bit dry and pasty, it’s par for the course. A good beer for burgers and football.
Bottle. Fizzy looking tan color with no head. Smells hoppy, but the taste dissapoints. Very watery an boring IMO. I expecte this to have more flavor/boy then the lager but it does not. Eh.
Served in Sam Adams lager glass. Clear golden-amber with a typical head. Good carbonation but tad watery. Hoppy aroma, but less so than the average IPA. The flavor features good citrusy hops (Cascade but is a bit mild for the style. Lacking in character and complexity.
O: very drinkable [3.75]. Decent but mild IPA for price point.
Bottle. Pours a clear amber color with a moderate white head. The smell is a little skunky, actually, which surprised me. Taste is malty without being very bitter. Not a good IPA.
Bright clear copper with a rocky white head, plenty of carbonation bubbles rising through the drink, and big swirls of lace. This is a rather mild IPA with slightly bitter malt joining mild hops. The taste stays consistent through the finish. Drinikable, not memorable.