Saranac High Peaks Chocolate Orange

Brewed by Matt Brewing Company
Style: Baltic Porter
Utica, New York USA

Serve in English pint, Shaker, Snifter

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Bottle. Pours a clear dark brown body with a small fizzy beige head that retained as a thin film. The nose is pretty decent, lots of thick chocolate malt, some fudge like sweetness, pretty noticeable alcohol, light licorice, and a nice subtle accent of orange peel. The flavor is a little too hefty on the roast for the style, but there’s some nice chocolaty notes that compete. It’s on the sweeter side, but it kinda works with the Baltic Porter vibe. The cocoa and orange peel thankfully are pretty well restrained, coming out just a bit on the finish. Finishes on the warmer side. Full bodied, a little sticky and chewy with some soft gentle carbonation. This isn’t bad, pretty well on par with most of the offerings from Saranac. Don’t be too fooled by the packing, this is a pretty standard offering from them.

This delicious beer tasted exactly like a chocolate orange. Had a nice frothy head, the strength of this porter will fill you up well with the 22oz bottle it comes in.

Pours coal black with a creamy tan head. Aroma of roasted malt, chocolate, and hint of orange. Chocolate flavor with roasted malt, coffee, and orange. Great lacing. Great beer!

Bottle. Pours a thick syrupy black with a small brown head. Aroma is roasted, coffee, chocolate, and a touch of orange. Taste is medium-heavy sweet, mild bitter, with again just a little orange and big chocolate/roast flavors. Finish is sweet and roasty. Very full bodied, soft carbonation. solid effort from Saranac on this one, somewhat surprisingly. This is a good imperial porter.

Nice to see saranac offering up some higher octane offerings..aroma is fairly booze and chocolate dominant..picking up no traces of the Blood orange in the nose or taste..pretty good robust porter..a little taken back by the aroma..however the fullest flavor profile of any saranac Matt brewing co offering to date..

First thing you notice is the vanilla and blood orange notes. Taste is strong but flavorful. Cacao nibs are pronounced as well. Great stuff.

THOUGHTS: Nice, but not as good as I was hoping for. It seemed a little artificial. Hid alcohol fairly well. Definitely chocolatey but only slightly orangey. Sort of like watered down orange. TECHNICAL: Bottle. Poured a dark brown that was basically opaque black in the glass with red highlights at the edges and a small, light brown head that mostly diminished and left barely fair lacing. The aroma had moderate to heavy grain, dark chocolate, cheap chocolate; way lighter coffee; prune; slight smoke; slight orange and orange rind; and tobacco. The initial flavor was moderately sweet and slightly acidic; while the finish was light to moderately sweet, lightly acidic, slightly sour and lightly bitter. There was chocolate, orange, grain, coffee, roasted malts, and dark chocolate. The medium to nearly full body was oily and a little creamy and sort of syrupy with soft carbonation and a lightly alcoholic and slightly metallic finish.

22oz bottle in a plastic cup. Pours black with a lacy, tan head. Aroma of roasted malts, chocolate, a little coffee notes, some light orange, and floral hops. Flavor about the same. Smooth texture. A pretty good beer, but it’d be better if there were more chocolate and orange.

This was a nice surprise from Saranac. Enjoyable, warming, and different. Nice job Saranac, jolly good show.

Bomber from The Hoppy Dog in Richmond, VA. Pours a very dark brown color with a thin dark brown head. Average head retention. Aroma of chocolate, more chocolate, sweet roasted malts, faint citrus. The taste is chocolate, roasted malts, smoke, caramel, bitter hops and a faint bit of citrus if you really look for it. Medium-full bodied. Nice.