Saranac Juggler•Naut
Matt Brewing Company / Saranac Brewery

I picked this up recently at Country Garden 6-Pack, which is just up the street from my new place of work. It is always fun to see what they put out in terms of singles to go.

From the bottle: "This ain't a bear of a beer. It's an unfiltered ale that tastefully juggles wheat 'n' sweet, with a slightly tart finish. Sip after refreshing sip, it's wonderful on a hot summer's day."; "A Family Brewery Since 1888".

I Pop!ped the cap and began an aggro pour which created two fluffy fingers of eggshell-white head with limited retention. Color was a slightly hazy Amber (SRM = > 7, < 9). Nose was odd, slightly fruity, slightly sour/tart, fruity and with a slight pink bubble gum note running through all of it. Mouthfeel was medium. The taste was certainly unique! The wheat really gave it a fruity bubble flavor and the pomegranate lent the taste a slight astringency to keep things in balance. Finish was semi-dry, but the pomegranate juice accounted for a lot of its dryness. It worked well a a whole, but it was not really my speed. I might have enjoyed it more on a hot, humid summer's day, but I somehow doubt it.

 

Pours a slightly hazy golden straw color with a short wispy white head that quickly settled into a light ring.

The aroma is grainy with a light pomegranate fruit note. Kind of perfumey.

The flavor is of a bready wheat malt and light pomegranate juice. Not really much else going on.

Solid mouthfeel with tingly carbonation. Lightly sweet on the palate. Drinks very easy.

Typical fruit flavored wheat beer. No off flavors.

"This ain't a bear of a beer. It's an unfiltered ale that tastefully juggles wheat 'n' sweet, with a slightly tart finish. Sip after refreshing sip, it's wonderful on a hot summer's day." Brewed in the style of an American Pale What Ale, available in 12 oz. bottles. Brewed as part of the Saranac Summer Variety pack.

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle to a pint glass. Served above 54 degrees Fahrenheit.

(Appearance) Pours a fizzy crisp head of an ecru white over a golden amber body with moderate haziness and plenty of visible carbonation. Retention is low and there is very little lacing visible. 2.5

(Smell) Fruit juices and syrups and malted cereal wheat come together to form a borderline sweet-smelling body. The choice of pomegranate has aromatic qualities similar to cherry syrup or sugary plums with a light tartness. The aroma is clean and simple with little bitterness nor distinctive yeast character. 3.25

(Taste) The flavor is a bit more reserved in how much fruit sugar sweetness is allowed to creep through, but overall the beer is a bit too sweet and unbalanced. Largely sweet pomegranate juices with a very subtle edge of tartness meets a distinctive malt profile of sweetened wheat and pale malt syrups for a sweet, sticky malt profile. There are very little hop flavor nor bitterness to counter the imbalance. The mild tartness of the fruit doesn't do much to remedy the issue either. Drinkable, and even in some seasons, fairly enjoyable but I think Juggler-Naut would be more enjoyable all around with reservation and balance. 3.25

(Mouthfeel) The texture is lightly syrupy, smooth and mildly dry. Carbonation is moderate, generating a medium frothiness and a medium crispness. The body is medium+ for the style, medium overall. Balance is moderately sweet over bitter and tart. Alcohol presence is low and there are no notable off characters. 3.75

(Overall) Juggler-Naut is another forgettable ale in Saranac's extensive line of one-off and limited batch brews. While Pomegranates are not commonly enough used to accent wheat beers (although they pair quite nicely), there needs to be some balance, be it hop bitterness, earthy or peppery spice or even a striking tart funk to keep the sugary sweetness from reaching critical levels and dragging down drinkability. Sadly, this is nearly the case for this beer, which edges dangerously close to a syrupy sweet fruit beverage cooler without the balance that an ale of this caliber should be appreciated for. Approach with caution. 3.25

Matt Brewing Company's
Saranac Juggler-Naut
3.26/5.00

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poured from a 12 OZ bottle into a pint glass. Aroma- Has a strong wheat smell with fruit. Appearance- Pours a murky orange color with a small white head. Taste- Has a nice wheat and malt flavor mixed with pomegranates, this is really good tasting beer. Palate- A medium bodied beer with moderate carbonation. Overall- A really good beer, I heard this beer was retired by Saranac. What a mistake in my opinion.

Part of the Saranac 12 Beers of Summer Variety Pack - $12.98 at Sherlock's in Marietta, Georgia.

Appearance: Appearance: Pours a hazy, orange-gold body topped with a fine ring of white bubbles.

Smell: Wheaty aroma that... HEY! This is their old Pomegranate Wheat -- the label features the same pomegranate-juggling bear.

Taste: Soft wheat malts are rushed by the juicy, sweet-tart pomegranate flavor which holds onto the tongue with a vice-like grip. Tangy finish. Part of me is pomegrateful it's over -- man, deja vu.

Mouthfeel: Medium-thin body. Medium carbonation.

Overall: Much like the bear on the label, this beer does an decent job at juggling the pomegranates, though maybe this beer would be better had I not drank it in the dead of winter.

 

Fresh 12 oz 2014 bottle.
Does indeed taste like a wheat beer with pomegranate juice and looks nice in the glass, but disappointing nonetheless. The body is a bit watery; the unappealing aroma (falsely, I believe) hints at some contamination, and flavors components don't play well together.

Pours a cloudy straw. 1/2" pale cream colored head. Retaining lacing in wheat beer glass. Nice light flavor of berry against a light plain type of beer. Refreshing summer brew like a shandy