Saranac Red IPA
Matt Brewing Company / Saranac Brewery

Rating from notes. Poured out of the bottle. Overall impression: "An okay red ale, similar in taste to several malty Canadian ambers, though not an IPA by any stretch of the imagination."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am now committed to reducing, if not eradicating, my backlog of bottles. This one was part of a local, in-person trade with tone77.

From the bottle: "Our Red IPA is a twist on a traditional west coast IPA featuring a deep red color from European dark caramel malts. We brew with generous amounts of American hops including Calypso, Palisade and Chinook to give this IPA a distinctive hop aroma. You'll notice a strong hoppy flavor with caramel malt undertones and a unique color that gives this IPA a whole new personality!"

I will readily cop to being a big fan of F. X. Matt B.C. and their Saranac series of beers. The price point is friendly and the beers are always at least serviceable.

I popped the cap and got the aggro pour going right away. The pseudo-cascade started right up and netted me two rocky, tawny fingers of head with good retention. Color was a deep-copper (SRM = > 17, < 22) with NE-quality clarity. I once had a girlfriend whose coarse red hair was this shade. I miss you, Lou! Hell, between a new, short hairdo for her and another bottle of this and I would be down at the local recyclers to see how much copper is currently paying out. Nose was much more caramel malt than hops. It also had the brand's characteristic yeast-driven tang. Mouthfeel was soft and creamy and completely unexpected. The taste seemed skewed in favor of the malts on the tongue, at least initially. Letting it roll around, though, produced a light citrus bitterness. I kept thinking back to an earlier EIPA, however. Finish was semi-dry, still more malty than hoppy. I disagree with calling it a Red Ale as it was more than that, but I would not call it an AIPA, either.

 

 

 

 

 

Presentation: It was poured from a brown 12 oz bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance: The pour produced a tall light tan head over an amber colored body with great clarity and some nice visible carbonation.

Smell: There are nice juicy citrus hops and some lighter sweet malty notes jumping right out of the glass.

Taste / Palate: Mild hop notes and sweet bready maltiness mix up front with hop flavor and bitterness building up on the back end. It’s middle has just a touch of caramel and toffee sweetness. The palate is classic Saranac medium body and average easy drinking feel with balances carbonation.