Saranac Hoppy Hour Hero
Matt Brewing Company / Saranac Brewery

 

Got this one in a mixed 6-pack from Wegman's. Nice looking -- cloudy deep gold/copper color on the pour, with frothy head and some lacing. Aroma is dank resin and hops. Flavor is complex with biscuit notes, grapefruit and citrus, hops, and piney resin. Slightly bitter on the finish. 7% ABV, but not boozy. Moderate carbonation. Not really a WC or NE IPA, but a pretty good offering from Saranac.

 

Pours a lightly hazy, medium gold/coppery amber with a two finger white had with good retention and nice lacing. Aroma of biscuit malt, grassy and citrus hops, orange, hay, grapefruit and a little caramel. Flavor is biscuit and pale malt, citrus and grassy hops, lemon, grapefruit, dry grass and faint over-ripe light fruit. Flavor tapers off in the finish leaving a slightly astringent moderate bitterness. Medium bodied with light to moderate creaminess. I had low expectations for this one and pretty much got what I expected. The malt has a little biscuit, which often redeems an otherwise modest IPA, but doesn't help this one. The hops have some citrus and hints of Noble hops, but are too muddled to be interesting. The finish dies out, leaving the hops somewhat stark on the palate. As jzeilinger noted, this has a deeply coded date on the bottom of the can, indicating it was canned at exactly 11:16 on the mystery date of 0854 which probably only the brewery knows. Their loss, I don't know if this an old can or just a mediocre IPA; I won't be back again, although it was adequate enough to finish the can. Looked OK, though.

Canned on: ?????? (whatever "0544 " means.

A - Pours a hazy orange caramel color with frothy lacing and low carbonation.

S - Smells like caramel malt and stale citrus.

T - Stale caramel malt, bitter pine, and faded citrus with a small amount of spice.

M - Medium body with low carbonation.

O - This beer is horrible, one of the worst IPA's I've ever had.

 

Pours a clear amber with soft head.

Smell is fruity with notes of pine, grapefruit, orange peel and some caramel.

Taste is fruity with a solid bitterness. Notes of pine, strawberry jam, orange peel and some caramel.

Mouthfeel is medium and well carbonated.

Overall, a good IPA with a bit too many jammy notes.

 

Golden in color with a thin quickly dissipating white head. Nose is piney, earthy, and dank. Taste was citrus and somewhat grassy. Decent amoutn of bitterness on backend.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poured into a narrow water glass: color is gold, nearly transparent, head is off white to brighter white with frothy mixed bubble head, head lingers well and laces glass sides.

Smell is light - notes of citrus, grass, herbs, and rounded out with light toasted malt.

Taste is similar with citrus forward flavor balanced by some light herbal and grass, hint of earth, malt is toast and light caramel.

Mouthfeel is moderate carbonation, moderate sweetness, low/moderate bitterness.

Overall a clean but understated IPA - not quite west coast in execution but more classic IPA.