Saranac Summer Golden Ale
Matt Brewing Company / Saranac Brewery

Best by date of September 30, 2018.
This was poured into a nonic pint glass.
The appearance was a golden bronzed yellow color with a sly transparency about it. Rapidly rising carbonation bubbles could be seen filling an eighth of slim white cap of a head. Messy lace ran out in a sticky fashion.
The aroma tied together some sweet corn, earthy spicy hops, peppercorn, freshly cut grass and dried bitter lemon rind.
The flavor moderately leans towards a bitter earthiness developing a sly spicy grassy hop behavior rolling into the aftertaste.
The mouthfeel between light and medium bodied with a fair sipping quality about it. The bitterness seems to have a fairly strong harshness along my tongue. Carbonation felt fine. ABV seemed to be on par. Finish was extremely bitter yet with a crisp odd earthiness to it with the corn.
Overall, somewhat to be expected with the older types of blond ales on the market - that corn. I didn't mind so much for me but I can see how a lot of people probably aren't going to like this one.

 

not a whole lot going on in this one. i feel like some of these recipes are barley altered and released as a new beer, like how different is this really from some of the saranac summer beers of the past? to me the answer is not very, it reminds me of the others, with a familiar saranac house ale yeast character perhaps unintentionally the main flavor agent, a bit of honey sweetness from the malt, and a very basic and simple, almost dumbed down brew overall, drinkable enough, even pleasant as a icy cold refresher in hot weather, but there isnt a ton going on here, and it leaves a little to be desired. it could be a little drier, but i enjoy the flavor of the malt, without the sweetness this might be close to flavorless. lightly floral at the end, trace hop bitterness, good carbonation but less crisp and interesting than the adk pils from the same box, i find myself drinking this one only when those ones are gone. nothing real remarkable here, but its classic saranac, and these beers always make me happy this time of year, if i am drinking them, it means i am in a place i love with people i love, so the beer has a nostalgic thing working for it, despite it being rather average overall...

 

12 oz bottle into Nonic Pint
BB 8/8/18
Clear gold, with quickly fizzling head
Sweet crackery aroma
Sourish taste to this.....sweet crackery malt, earthy and floral hops
medium-bodied, crisp
Overall east drinking blonde, with weird tartness thing going on

Just a beer, not bad, but not much more.

 

 

 

 

This was a a beautiful lemon yellow pour clear body with just off white head that flourished well and fell clinging. Nose is sweet with fruit and hop herbal. Sweet herbs, light orange, light hop spice, lemon and a touch of cracker. Light crisp drink. Cascade hops are like a grassy sweet hay. Bubbly , drinks like lemonade. Malty finish with a balanced and very smooth bitterness. It's a quiet but firm bitter you don't really notice ti but it does it's job. A little pine cone from the centennial.