Saranac India Pale Ale

This India pale ale came in the Saranac variety sampler that I picked up. Keeping with the promise this new year that I wouldn't buy an India pale ale or anything too acidic unless it was super light, I wasn't against trying one if it came in a set. Saranac is consistent with its brews, there seems to be a weight to most of its regular brews, where there is just enough carbonation in each one and no beer feels light but they're not overpowering, either. This India pale ale wasn't acidic nor had the taste of rust in the water, it was mild, almost like a regular pale ale but there were hints of citrus and very hints of bitterness. I thought this was a good one but not the type of beer I would normally buy since I've discovered the American style pale ale. This beer is very much drinkable and was a great addition to the sampler, it really shows that a brewing company can cater to all tastes.

Saranac Black and Tan

More than half the year is over already and it's officially Summer, which means the Fall brews are just around the corner. Normally, I would focus more on summer brews but I have had this post half written for a while. One of the nicest things about warm weather in New York City is that this place is really meant for walking. Most of the fun stuff is really discovering new places to hang out and new places to try new foods. As always, any place that serves a bit of good food usually has a good list of beers to go with it.

The first time I had one of these, I was in a very crowded restaurant that was known for its greasy greasy burgers. I lacked a camera on me and my hands were pretty grimey to get a cellphone picture of this. I remembered this beer and remembered the brewing company that I ended up buying the Saranac variety sampler to try their regular offerings. I'm a big fan of lightweight stouts like Guinness because the dark color and the weight fools you into thinking that it would this heavy bitter mess, but it's not. I've tried other stouts that were heavy, bitter, and some were downright foul tasting. This one is not any of those things, it's got the perfect balance of weight, bitterness, and carbonation to make it easily one of my favorites for the category. This is something I'd pick up regularly if I could find it near home without making a trek to specialty shops to pick it up.