Subsidiaries
2.2/10
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Appearance 2
Aroma 3
Flavor 2
Texture 2
Overall 2
Crystal clear amber coloured body with a super thin white head that fades fast. Aroma of light german hops, light body odor, cardboard and some malt. Light-bodied; Mild malty taste with almost nothing else for flavours. Aftertaste is very bland, nothing going on at all. A horrible beer, but that was expected. Light-bodied; I sampled this 12 ounce bottle pulled from the sampler pack purchased at Total Wine in McLean, Virginia.
Tried
from Bottle
on 28 Dec 2004
at 00:44
4.2/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 3
Texture 2
Overall 3
2004 Batch from Winter Sampler Pack:
Deep clear copper coloured body with cola coloured highlights and a thick dense tan head that lasts long. A good start for usually horrible beers. Odd aroma of caramel, beef broth, malt and a little bit of nuts. Light-bodied; Horribly thin maltiness with a bad metallic taste, small amount of caramel and almost no maltiness. The aftertaste lingers with bitterness from metal and a few nuts. Overall, this one is bad-just as expected.l I sampled this twelve ounce bottle pulled from a sampler pack from Total Wine in McLean, Virginia on 23-December-2004.
Deep clear copper coloured body with cola coloured highlights and a thick dense tan head that lasts long. A good start for usually horrible beers. Odd aroma of caramel, beef broth, malt and a little bit of nuts. Light-bodied; Horribly thin maltiness with a bad metallic taste, small amount of caramel and almost no maltiness. The aftertaste lingers with bitterness from metal and a few nuts. Overall, this one is bad-just as expected.l I sampled this twelve ounce bottle pulled from a sampler pack from Total Wine in McLean, Virginia on 23-December-2004.
Tried
from Bottle
on 23 Dec 2004
at 23:46
7.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Nice, but definitely more of a porter than a stout. Dark garnet color, purplish tinge, not opaque. Rich aroma is chock full of a near plummy, lightly roasted chocolatey malt profile. Flavor is similar, somewhat ashy in the light roast finish, tinge of dark fruitiness with a touch of mocha. The body is definitely light for a stout, as I said, but is still nicely rounded and smooth, this is a nice beer.
Tried
on 20 Dec 2004
at 21:03
6.5/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 6
Texture 4
Overall 7
Hard to rate, at one level its a nice ordinary ale, very drinkable. But it seems to match poorly with food (very unusual for an ESB) and to be somewhat poorly integrated. Attractive reddish amber color, inviting almost warming nose of rich malts and spicy hops. Malt palate is more boring though, leading to a surprising citric quality in the hop finish. Somewhat rough around the edges.
Tried
on 19 Dec 2004
at 18:45
6.5/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 6
Texture 4
Overall 7
Bronze color is on the light end of the scale for a marzen. Attractive toasted malt nose. Perhaps a tad too balanced palate, though, lacking the toasty darkly fruity, almost juicy malts of good marzens. Clean, with a mild iron-like hop finish. Borderline empty finish, definitely too watery for an authentic marzen. I don’t mean to sound like I’m rating to style, merely pointing out what this beer is and is not. Decent enough is what it is.
Tried
on 19 Dec 2004
at 17:56
6.5/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 4
Overall 7
Very attractive brightish red color, light pitted head. Crisp, toasty aroma. Palate seems to be missing alot though. Empty with hops showing at the end. The rye lightens the palate perhaps a bit too much. In the end begins to show some malt character.
Tried
on 19 Dec 2004
at 02:25
7.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
A nice lager, and fairly unique. I think this style should be explored further. A reddish brown lager, but not bocklike, with its heavy use of caramel and chocolate malts, giving this a medium-dry chocolatey finish with light caramels, no strong melanoidings. Easy drinking yet characterful.
Tried
on 19 Dec 2004
at 02:23
6.5/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 7
Octoberfests are not a preferred style for me but I like to try new things whenever possible. Sampled from a 12 oz bottle this beer poured a caramel color with a medium sized tan head. There was a sweet and malty aroma. The flavor was malty and fairly sweet with a nice mild hop finish. A nice quaffable brew.
Tried
from Bottle
on 17 Dec 2004
at 20:40
6.2/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6
I have been on a bit of an ESB kick recently so I was pleased to find this one included in the holiday sampler as it was a beer I have not managed to try before. Sampled from a 12 oz brown bottle this beer poured a caramel color with a small white head. There was a light bitter and hoppy aroma with a hint of underlying malt. The flavor was malty and had caramel, nut and light fruity undertones. It was a bit harsh though. While I found the initial sips to be encouraging I found my rating dropping as I got further into the glass.
Tried
from Bottle
on 15 Dec 2004
at 16:50
6.2/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 7
Amber color with the typical smallish Saranac head. Small amount of hops in the aroma, but the flavor is that of a timid Pale, yet some hop bitterness is there. Average gateway Pale Ale. Saranac produces some drinkable brews that undoubtably lead many on to trying the world of craft beers in general so they deserve a lot of credit for that alone.
Tried
on 24 Nov 2004
at 09:47