Saranac Winter Lager

Brewed by Matt Brewing Company
Style: Amber Lager/Vienna
Utica, New York USA

Serve in Dimpled mug, Lager glass, Shaker

send corrections   |   shelftag   |   edit barcodes   |   update pic

Bottle from Winter 09 variety pack. Deep coppery brown pour w 2f tan head. Nose is earthy c malkt, some spices, hops. Tastes fairlly rich, w some hops, mild spicy peppery notes, and some finishing Wheaties. A decent cold weather beer, and this one went rather quickly out of the variety 12 pack, which is a relative indicator of its decency.

Bottle: Poured a dark amber color with a nice head. The aroma was again, sweet malts with a bit of spice. The flavor was malty, cinnamon, ginger, and a hint of clove. Overall, a nice conclusion to the 12 beers of winter...a very easy drinking variety.

UPDATED: JUL 16, 2011 I’ve always considered myself a fan of the Saranac line of beers, although I catch a lot of flack for it within the craft beer geek community. Sure, I’ll admit most of their brews are indeed “supermarket beers,” but that doesn’t necessarily make them bad. I think when other beer geeks think of Saranac they would think of a beer like Winter Lager. This is an overtly pedestrian beer, which is evident from its smooth drinkability and fairly direct palate. It’s not a bad beer by any means, but it’s not nearly as fanciful as the description would indicate.

APPEARANCE AND AROMA

The body here is very reminiscent of an Oktoberfest with a dark amber/brownish color with a clear complexion. It forms a surprisingly large, off-white rocky head which is slow to dissipate and, surprisingly enough, leaves some lacing on the glass. The aroma is quite sweet with hints of caramel and a touch of spice. There is a slight graininess to the nose as well, but mostly it’s unremarkable.

TASTE

I’m not sure what the average drinker (craft, macro or otherwise) thinks of when they hear the term “winter beer,” but the first thing that comes to my mind is a spicy, peppery, warming palate. If a beer is going to put the put itself forward as a winter beer, especially as blunt as “Winter Lager” then it’s reasonable to have an expectation along these lines.

Saranac Winter Lager does play by these rules, but isn’t a strict adherence to them. There is a slight bit of cinnamon or ginger to be tasted here, in addition to a maltiness to create for a slightly sweet palate. It’s mild, to be sure, but the character is noticeable. There’s even a touch of hop crispness on the finish with a faint bitter aftertaste.

The problem is, despite all this apparent complexity, this beer is pretty direct. The palate doesn’t change as it warms, although it doesn’t worsen either.

DRINKABILITY

The good thing about Saranac Winter Lager is that it’s a surprisingly refreshing brew. In fact, I think that’s the intention. The brewer’s website recommends pairing it with spicy food such as chili, and I could certainly agree with that. It’s thirst-quenching because it’s so mild and has a watery, soft mouthfeel. What’s surprising is the fact this is such a potent brew at 5.9% ABV. It doesn’t feel that heavy in the mouth, nor on the system.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I really wanted to like Saranac Winter Lager more than I did, but it’s impossible to coax flavors out of a beer that aren’t there. Its drinkability is impressive, but the palate is not. Still, considering this beer’s target audience it’s a worthy conclusion to the Saranac “12 Beers of Winter” variety pack ($12 - $20). I just wouldn’t make it one of my first choices right out of the box.

Presentation: It was poured from a brown 12oz bottle into a pint glass. The bottle has no freshness date or abv% listed. This bottle was part of the 2009 Saranac Winter 12 pack. Appearance: The body has a garnet color with good clarity. On top sits a thin half inch thick head which is beige in color and fades quickly. Lacing is very minimal and slick leaving a mostly clean glass behind. Smell: It is light overall in the nose with some malty sweetness and hints of leafy, almost herbal/metallic hops. Taste/Palate: There is a rich bready sweetness up front with some light roasted grain notes as well. This maltiness meats some hop flavor in the middle it and adds a nice moderate balance of hop spice and bitterness with just a very slight metallic edge. It seems to finish quickly and fairly clean. It is dryer than it started but there is still a thin residual sweetness mixed with thin hop bitterness. The body is light to medium with average carbonation. Notes: For the style it seems just a little on the light side but everything is in good balance for the style. Once again Saranac has brewed another decent easy drinking beer.

12oz bottle. Filtered chestnut brown-amber color. Frothy off-white head. Sweet medium-dark malt aroma. Rich caramel malt tones, with a drinkable very-Saranac body. Lacks much depth, seems like it’s missing some pieces. Solid enjoyable sugary sweet malt tones, and a touch of soapy bitterness. Despite these qualities, it’s still watery and bland, and a tad too sugary for it’s own good. A beer Saranac should nail, and only pull off half-heartedly. Good for a tick, not much else.

Pours a rich dark brown color with a slight white head. Flavor is a sugary bready mixture that is delicious. One of my favorite Saranac offerings.

Pours amber brown with a thin white head that disappears quickly. Aroma is pretty hoppy, floral and grassy, with a decent bready malt backing it up. The flavor is quite a bit more subdued, however, bringing in a disappointing wateryness. There is some hops in the taste again, and the same general maltiness, but it’s all washed out. The palate, too, is thin and watery, and there is virtually no finish. It starts out looking ok, and even smells ok, but falls flat when you take the first drink.

Copper color with an off white head...Mild malt aroma...Slightly bready flavor with a medium body and carbonation...Good balance...

12oz - Aroma of toasted malts and leather. Flavor of caramel, toffee and toasted malts. Palate is sticky. Not a bad dark lager.

Bottle. Pours a clear mahogany with a thick light tan head. Aroma of sweet caramel malt and residual sugars. Flavor is sweet malt and cardboard with a weak palate and some sweet grains. Not very tasty at all. This is just bad... 5/3/3/2/7 [2.0/5]