Matt Brewing Company's Saranac Pale Ale

Matt Brewing company puts out a decent amount of beers out each year and this is their Pale Ale. You might remember Matt Brewing Company was initially reviewed here when I covered their IPA, so if you wanna know more about them just click on that you big wise guy!

Pale Ales are obviously a pretty common beer for breweries to make. It's about as common as Crocs at trashy waterparks like Waldameer or as common as me eating too many fries at The Potato Patch...at Waldameer. The important thing to remember is that french fries are delicious, but like most things in life, must be taken in moderation. Also, In-And-Out make some great fries. I can literally put down about 4 orders. So for this one they use English Pale Ale malts and Cascade and East Kent hops which yields an ABV of 5.5%.

Now Cascade hops are pretty common in beer popular in the West Coast of the USA; such as the ever-famous Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. This obviously yields a moderately bitter and floral taste to the beer whereas the East Kent Goldings will add a touch of spice that the Sierra Nevada does not. There are also citrus undertone as in most pale ales, so that's pretty common. It has can uncommonly sweet scent to it, which is in contrast to the bitter taste. There is a slight aroma of the hops as you'd expect.

This baby has some nice head on it. As far as pale ales go, its right around the median. If you like a spicier pale ale, this might be right up your alley. Me? The bitterness is nice, but I'm not much of a spicier type of guy. If you are a guy caught in between IPAs and Pale Ales, this is for you. If you are a more citrus, smooth maltier Pale Ale guy, I'd steer clear. I would definitely drink this again, but I wouldn't be in any hurry. This beer is average, for me, from the top the the bottom. A nice addition to the 12 pack, which I bought for $13.99, but I don't think it could stand on its own and Matt Brewing might want to dig a little deeper to make an exceptional Pale Ale.

Drinkability: 5/10

Taste: 5/10

Value: 5/10
Curb Appeal: 5/10

Overall: 5.0/10

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