Saranac India Brown Ale

Brewed by Matt Brewing Company
Style: Brown Ale
Utica, New York USA

Serve in Dimpled mug, Shaker

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Savannah, Ga - Habersham Beverage Warehouse - 12 oz bottle - part of a winter variety pack. Medium copper pour, spritzy white head. Sprucey aroma with some brief malty hints. Flavor is decidely bitter with some citrus notes, a hint of mint, brief nuttiness. Pretty full-bodied - probably my favorite of the variety pack. Mouthfeel is a bit on the spritzy side.

Saranac India Brown Ale is a very clear amber-brown ale with a thin, frothy, off-white head that leaves nice lacing. It has a fresh aroma of citrus (orange, tangerine, grapefruit) and pine: the three C’s! It has a medium body that’s pretty smooth with a very dry finish. It is simply flavored with juicy hops. The malt seems almost biscuity. It seems like a well balanced IPA, but I guess it’s a brown ale. Good stuff.

Bottle. Pours a clear brown with white head. Smell of hops. The brown didn’t really balance the hoppyness of the IPA like in the description. I was hoping for more that this. The local brewpub has this style coming out soon and I anticipate it will be better than this. Still this was drinkable and probably the best offering in the holiday pack.

Appearance: Pours a deep, dark, but clear reddish-brown body with an airy, frothy, off-white head. Fair bits of lacing on the way down. Smell: Earthy, nutty aroma with a spicy, citrusy, even floral hop blend. Taste: Toasty, nutty malts with only a meager amount of malt sweetness. Spicy, floral, muted citrus hop character with a medium amount of bitterness present. Finishes dry with a lingering bitterness and charred nut dust flavor. Mouthfeel: Oh, Matt Brewing always straddles that line between medium-thin and medium bodied. Medium carbonation. Drinkability: So sorry, but after the local Terrapin India Brown Ale, this just doesn’t make the grade. That said, it’s still pleasant enough and drinkable enough to make it the entire twelve ounces.

A nice and different brown ale. Aroma was so so, too bad because it smells delicious just not very strong. Rich roasted malt with a little hoppiness. Pour was a nice deep brown with amber hues and a one finger off white head. Taste was malty, but thin with a strong hoppiness throughout. It does taste a little muddled, but it’s a decent beer.

Bottle from a sampler pack. Pours a brownish amber with a medium bubbly creamy off white head. Aroma of floral/citrus hops, light chocolate notes, caramel and biscuity. Flavor of fresh hops, pine, citrus, caramel toffee and light choc notes.

12 ounce bottle from a sampler. Pours a brownish bronze with a large head. Average retention and lacing. Nice citrus hop aroma. Taste is nutty malts with some weak citrus and pine hops. A bit off balance. Medium bodied.

12oz bottle. Winter 12-pack 2008. Deep orange/light brown color, looks filtered. Brewery malt and hops aroma. Quality hoppy mouthfeel, with a medium bodied malt backbone. Crisp, bitter hops carry the beer through, the malt is a little on the thin side, but that does help balance it. Saranac’s signature yeast is certainly present in the finish. Good stuff.