Saranac Kölsch
This golden sparkling blond ale was brewed to pay homage to a 1000-year tradition rooted in Cologne, Germany. Clear, crisp and easy to drink, the Kolsch of today is lighter than the "House" beer that was served in Cologne 200 years ago - the city that made Kolsch famous. We hope you’ll enjoy it!
2.6
279 reviews
Utica, United States
Community reviews
Another case of a company calling some random concoction a kolsch. Pours gold. OK head. Light sour weird finish. Bottle.
light gold color; musty, malty aroma; a very light, slightly sweet beer; not as crisp as I like a kolsch to be
12 oz bottle. Feint sweet/hoppy aroma on the nose. Pours clear, light yellow. Taste is light and effervescent, some bittering hops...more reminiscent of a light lager than an ale. Very nicely attenuated...clean finish/light mouthfeel.
Saranac’s Kolsch has a beautiful golden color and a thick white head. It has a lovely light aroma with some fruity esters that reminds me of pineapple. The flavor is well rounded with some light grains, mellow doughy yeast and fruity hops that add just a little bitterness. On the palate there is a nice carbonation with a light body and clean dry finish. I liked this refreshing offering from the summertime sampler and I could see myself looking for it by itself in a six pack over so.
Ever so slight hint of cloudiness in a light yellow beer. No head or lacing, skunky aroma and taste which I associate with blond ales (which is why I’m not a fan).
Just recently found the notes on this.
I poured this into a stange every time I had it.
The appearance was a nice light golden yet somewhat transparent color. There was a quickly escaping white foamy head that was about less than a finger’s worth. The lacing slid into the body fairly quickly.
The smell had some light German malts leaving a bit of lemon to come out as it warmed.
The taste was mainly sweet through the malts and I didn’t get any lemon in the flavoring.
The palate, that sat at/about a light to medium in body and displayed a pretty good sessionability about it.
Overall, I say this was a decent kolsch styled ale. I might not seek this one out, but I say it is do-able.
From a bottle. Pours clear gold with a fizzy off white head. Tastes like musky corn, very light and very pale. Not much flavor. Light body and low carbonation. Very faint sweet grain aroma.
Bottle from sampler pack. Pours clear gild with creamy white head. Aroma is bready and cereal malts, light floral notes, light cream, and light fruit esters. Flavor is dry malts, light fruit esters, faint hops, and light sweetness; dry finish. Light/medium body and medium carbonation.
Aroma is sweet and weak. Taste is very light and nothing special. Overall just an average beer.
From bottle. Aroma is grassy and a bit stringent. Taste is much better then aroma. Smooth taste. Grass, a bit citrusy. Also a small bit of hops. Some malt on the backend. Overall decent nothing special. Lawn moving beer with taste.
Alright brew, but not great. pour is amber with no head. Flavor is a bit like a standard malty amber beer, but weak.
12 oz bottle from the sampler case. Comes close to a true Kolsch but has a few deficiencies. Some tastes of citrus and a notable smooth quality help, but again, not quite enough.
FROM NOTES: August 23, ’12.
From a 12 ounce bottle into a shaker pint glass.
A: Sweet, citrusy smell. A bit of a floral aroma to it.
A: Pours a clear, light amber color with one finger of off-white head. Good retention and lace.
T: Malty base with some faint caramel warmth. Clean, lager-like aftertaste.
P: Light bodied, heavy carbonation.
O: Overall, Saranac Kolsch is pretty unimpressive in terms of flavor and character but is an easy drinking lawnmower beer, no question.
Its hard to get a kolsch right and this beer has the crispness and mild citrus quality down, but doesn’t have the right mouthfeel or breadiness.
12oz Bottle. The pour was a clear light amber with a large (2-3 finger) white frothy head that hung around for only a short while, reducing to a thin cap and had fair streaky lacing.
The aroma was of a straw malt, herbal hops and a musty yeast with hint of citrus and a dusty cardboard odor.
The taste was very lightly sweet and a tad malty with a touch of citrus throughout, with the finish being a rather minerally with a light bitterness and had a dusty bland ending. The flavor lasted only a short time which turned out not to be a bad thing in case, with the lightly bitter bland citrus taste disappearing quickly off the taste buds.
Mouthfeel was light in body and watery in texture with a carbonation that was just above soft.
Overall this was a weak tasting brew, with the only thing standing out was a mildly bitter cardboard taste. Most definitely not worth having another... www.facebook.com/KAJIIsBeerReviews
12oz bottle. Filtered pale orange-yellow body. Thin, patchy, fading head. Isn’t so far off a real Kolsch, but just doesn’t have the finesse...it seems like Saranac has gone down a notch in terms of brewing expertise, something they couldn’t afford with their budget beers. It has some of the delicate yeast notes, but the body is lacking a quality feel, and detracts. Real lackluster stuff.
Aroma is malty and slightly yeasty, not strong. Pours a typical straw yellow, OK head. Flavor is yeasty and malty, nothing special. Texture has about average viscosity and fizz. If nothing special, still refreshing and pleasing.
9/15/2013: Saranac Kolsch... To my surprise, this was my favorite of the six Saranacs that I’ve had recently and that’s saying A LOT since the other 5 were NOT good. ALthough this beer isn’t quite a true Kolsch, I like the bready, fruity, bisuity maltiness and soft floral hoppiness with a twist of citrus in it; mildly spicy bitterness overall. The color is a golden color with coppery highlights and a mostly white head. This beer is great, but unlike the other Saranac beers, I’d actually drink a second one of this. 12 fl. oz. bottle from Jungle Jim’s in Fairfield, Ohio. Rating #250 for this beer.
Left over from a party: Pours golden with a white head. Aroma is grain and a hint of fruit. Taste is bready, a bit grainy, very unhoppy, with a green apple/ambiguous fruity finish. Drinkable, not bad.
Clear medium amber with a quick to reduce head, spots and thin bands of lace. Taste is carbonated malt that adds light bittering and a hint of herbs toward the finish. This is average at best, and certainly not a traditional kolsch. (it should be straw colored, light and delicate, with a hint of fruit). Drinkable, not worth seeking out.
Bottle: pours a nice light golden color with a fizzy white head that dissipates very quickly. Aroma is sweet malt. It tastes much the same... Malty and refreshing. Not the best kolsch I have ever had, but its pretty tasty.
Bottle. Pours a clear light orange with a thin white head. Aroma of light pale malts, light fruits. Flavor of pale malt, minerals, light fruit. Very bland, watery and minerally. Not terrible but not too good either.
6/4/5/3/12 (3.0/5)
Pours a bright & bubbly pale gold with a thin white head that dissipates quickly. The nose is fruity and spicy. Light body. The primary taste is bitterness, but not overpoweringly so. Light sweetness and lightly sour. Has a spicy hop aroma, along with hints of sweet malt and mustiness. It’s ok, but doesn’t make a big impression - slightly above average overall.
12oz bottle 7/27/13 (12 Beers of Summer 12pk)-Pours a clear golden in a shaker with a small white head. Aroma of hops, malt, grain, and citrus. Taste of the same with a bit of a dry finish. This light bodied brew is not bad but not a fan of this style.
Bottle in Dillon; poured a dark gold color. Easy to drink beer. Crisp with bread and some lemon.
A very smooth and light tasting kolsch. Good balance overall with mild sweet notes.
Bottle at home, from Summer Variety Pack. Very clean aroma, a bit of lemon soap and pale malt is all. Light and crisp palate. Clean, simple, basically flavorless. Maybe a bit of crackery malt. Dry finish. Lacks everything. More like a pale lager than a Kolsch.
Dried straw and hay aroma with some light lemon and spices, cardboard and CO2. Color is a medium gold with a fizzy white head which does not last long. Light malts and dried grass in the flavor. Dried flowers, chalky bitterness and herbal hops. Very dry palate and a bit astringent. Finished dry and chalky. Not a brew that i would seek out again.
Mild noble hop aroma, pours a clear light amber with a white head. Light flavor with a touch of breadiness and biscuit. None of the crisp light fruit notes that are usually in a Kolsch. It’s light and easy to drink, but it isn’t good.
Pours an orange gold with a foamy head. Smells yeasty. Tastes like malt, bread, and fruit. Not too bad.