India Pale Ale
Brewed By: Saranac Brewery (Matt Brewing Company)
Brewed In: Utica, NY
Type: Belgian Ale
ABV: 5.8%

What They Say: A hop lover’s delight. In the India Pale Ale tradition this brew is very hoppy in both aroma and flavor from the generous amounts of cascade hops used in brewing. Look for a medium to full body and golden straw color.

Why I Picked It: Part two of the six-part Adirondack Trail Mix. You may notice that the previous parts were posted months ago. This may or may not be because I forgot to post these final two.

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Presentation: The green label and red logo on this frames a picture of a mountain waterfall. Surprisingly, not nearly as many pine trees as one would expect for an IPA label. I’d expect a veritable Vermont forest of green including a delicious waterfall of pine sap.3

Originality: As will be the case with a lot of these core beers — it’s an IPA. Every brewery has their own take on this recipe. Also, as mentioned when I reviewed their Belgian Ale — there are a lot of other companies that do this beer and some specialize in it. While I suppose I understand the need to market these and other malt beverages and soft drinks to the non-beer drinkers in the country, others do it better and there’s nothing stand-outish here. 1

Taste: If you’ve tasted an IPA, you’ve tasted an IPA. It hits your tongue with a nice fruity, somewhat citrusy note and finishes with the delicious taste of blended pine cone. I don’t like these beers and I don’t get them. If you’re an IPA snob, I’d kindly suggest going somewhere else for IPA reviews. As IPAs go, I do like this better than most. The pineconey flavor isn’t quite so obnoxious to make it as undrinkable as, say, Hoptimator — but it’s still not something I’d go for every day. Or really ever again. 5

Body: Fine, I guess. It’s a full-bodied beer with a nice golden color. It’s very attractive to look at. The thick, coating mouthfeel with the accompanying tastebud armageddon that is the calling card of the type might be good for some. I generally like to be able to taste something else over the course of the evening than the beer I drank two hours ago. But, by all means, if you’re looking to pair with hop sandwich, have at it. 4

Efficiency: You can’t drink IPAs fast — you just can’t. With that in mind, the ABV has to be really high to be efficient in my book. For me to get drunk off an IPA, the ABV would have to fall somewhere between Bacardi 151 and Grain. Otherwise, I just kind of sip it until it’s blessedly gone. 4

Versatility: This would be great for a lot of things. Watering pine trees, attracting bugs away from your garden, substitution for Pine-Sol. In all seriousness — as IPAs go I do like it. I’d be able to drink this if I absolutely had to drink an IPA for something. The Saranac website suggests pairing it with seafood and, honestly, I do actually think that would be good. It’s just not something I’d ever personally go for. 4

The Snob Says: This isn’t a knock on Saranac. They just happened to include an IPA in a variety pack. The fact that I actually drank it instead of just snarkily writing “0″ should tell you how much I like the brewery.

Final Grade: 21 (of 50) – OK beer.

Related posts:

1. Friday Beer Snob: Saranac Adirondack Trail Mix Series – Adirondack Lager
2. Friday Beer Snob: Saranac 12 Beers Of Winter 2009 – Maple Porter

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