Polar Haze
Matt Brewing Company / Saranac Brewery

Aaarrgh! Wotta pain inna a**! The CANQuest (tm) tries NOT to review & rate any beers without an approved pic already in place. However, ResizeYourImage has been down for a while of late & due to my current USPS work schedule of 10.5 hours/day x 6 days/week, I CAN only get in one beer a day. 8={} Thankfully, I have a seCANd one, CANtesy of my local, in-person trader, @tone77 so I am able to proceed as planned.

From the CAN: "Polar Haze IPA India Pale Ale"; "50 IBUs".

I dig that Saranac is CANning more frequently, but this seems like it might be outside of their realm of expertise. I beCAN my investigation with a Crack! of the vent, followed by a heavy-handed aggro C-Line Glug since it was unfiltered & therefore hazy. I was met with just under two fingers of dense, foamy, rocky, eggshell-white head with decent retention, slowly falling away to wisps. Color was an oh-so-slightly-hazy Golden-Amber (SRM = > 5, < 7). Nose was quite tropical, very much of pineapple with some mango & guava thrown in for kicks. Hmm. Mouthfeel was big, thick, full & creamy! Wow. That actually caught me by surprise! The taste, while remaining tropical, was also infused with a pleasant grapefruit-citrus bitterness & a light-pine mintiness. Mmm. Still, it did not seem like an AIPA & more like a NEIPA. I shall rate acCANding to that style & submit some Notes & ChANge Requests when I am finished. They rated it at 50 IBUs, but this beer was super-smooth & quite quaffable with only a hint of bitterness. Finish, thusly, was semi-dry and a real treat, balancing the tropical fruitiness with a light bitterness that lingered well after the swallow. I might be satiated after a couple/few, but it CAN work as a Winter's Après. YMMV.

 

Poured into a grip shaped goblet: color is slightly hazy straw, nice effervescence, head is bright white and presents at least 1 inch thick with fine to small bubbles and dissipates to soft whispy top with great lacing on the glass sides.

Smell is herbal, grapefruit, bitter, light malt.

Taste is similar with herbal, grapefruit pith, some grass, light neutral malt flavors.

Mouthfeel is moderate, good bitterness playing of some of the sweeter feel.

Overall this is an ipa/hazy ipa blend - solid bitterness, lighter herbal hops, hint of malt.

 

Pours a hazy though slightly translucent golden hued body. Slight carbonation. Good initial white head reduces to good lacing. Smells of grapefruit and tropical (mango) citrus and pine notes. On the front palette a lot of manga, guava, and grapefruit. Mid-palette lots of pine, a good amount of hop bitter and funk that is very grapefruit bitter like with a touch of lemon, and some malt biscuit. Back palette is lots of pine and grape fruit notes. Crisp finish and mouthfeel. Refreshing to the palette with linger tones of pine and tropical fruit. Very good example of NE IPA Tropical standard. Solid balance and drinkability. Overall very good.

 

Pours golden yellow with a 1/4 inch white head, which dissipates. Minimal lacing. Hazy.

Aroma is fruity, floral, piney.

Taste is resiny, piney, fruity. Excellent bitterness.

Medium bodied, moderate carbonation. Dry, bitter finish.

This is a great IPA from Saranac. A lasting head would be nice.

Very grapefruit forward in the aroma. Tasty is a touch metallic bitter in the finish. Lacks sweetness and malt body. Mouthfeel is a touch thin. It’s more of a session IPA. If you are into that style it’s not bad, but I like my hop forward beers to be sweeter and thicker/more chewy.

 

 

 

Really nice feel. Some bitterness. The head dissipated pretty fast. Hazy. Nice and crisp taste. Drinkable for an ipa, somehow feels lighter than expected with the abv.

Poured from a 12 oz can into a pint glass. 3 finger soapy white head that dissipates quickly. The nose has citrus, woody rustic pine, pineapple, guava, and peach notes. The taste is fermented peach and pineapple with sharp woody citrus peach tea. The finish is crisp and tangy. Medium Body and light carbonation. A refreshing choice from Saranac brewing.

 

 

Poured from a 12 oz. can into a pint glass. Hazy pineapple - orange color with 2 finger white head that dissipated to a thick film. Faint nose of pineapple and peach. Tastes of tea, pineapple and citrus pith is lighter than expected. Finish is dry and moderately bitter that lingers on the tongue. High carbonation with medium light body. I did not find this to be very juicy compared to others that I have had.

Poured from a 12 oz. can. Has a rich golden color with a 1 inch head. Smell is of peaches, some citrus. . Taste is of tea, citrus, a touch of dankness, moderate bitterness. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall is a decent and thirst quenching beer.