Friday, August 5, 2011

Matt Brewing Company's Saranac Irish Stout

"I'm a little teapot that's what I'm all about, this is a review of Saranac's Stout."

That was supposed to rhyme. So I initially covered Matt Brewing Company here, who are the brewers of Saranac beers.

I was saving the Irish Stout for last on purpose when I picked up this variety pack for $14. Its not too shabby. I'm a fan of stouts and this is definitely not a beer you wanna down after eating a large turkey dinner, you turkey.

So this is a dark beer, as most stouts are, with an ABV of 5.5%. When smelling it, you get a very heightened sense of coffee and chocolate and the taste is no different. A lot of stouts taste similar, as these are not as vague as some ales and lagers. What I can say about this stout, in comparison of Guinness, who is the quintessential "holder of the flame" in the stout business, is that it is not as heavy or malty as a Guinness. It has a deep, rich flavor but not the full bodied taste that you would get out of a Guinness. Whether that is your steeze or not is your business.

When I get into a stout, nine times out of ten I don't wanna get off the couch after drinking three of them. This is a lighter stout, which in my case, is a bad thing. Now that I'm not gonna run the 110 meter hurdles after a sixer of these but I expect a little deeper, full bodied consistency when it comes to stouts. I also find the label on the bottle appropriate yet whack as shit. Really? Like a Celtic style clover? Stick with your forest and river labels! I find no reason to have American beer from New York trying to milk the Irish teet from across the Atlantic.

The use 2-row and Roasted Barley malts and Northdown and Golding hops. It has a slightly bitter aftertaste with a dry finish.

This is by no means a bad stout, but no means one that I would single out as "great". I've always found Saranac brews to be "decent" but nothing to write home about. As a whole, their variety packs are easily to slam and have a wide range of flavors that appeal to most palates. As far as a snobbery point of view, they aren't anything to get hung up on. They are great to have around when you're having a get together with people with a wide array of tastes. But don't expect them to rave about the brews the following morning and call you "Super King" or anything like that.

Drinkability: 6/10
Taste: 5/10
Value: 6/10
Curb Appeal: 4/10

Overall: 5.25/10

Other Saranac Brews:
Pale Ale
Brown Ale
Irish Red
Amber Ale
IPA

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