Saranac Belgian White Beer Review

Saranac Belgian White

Review Date 11/23/2000

Try? Re-buy?

What’s in a name? Sometimes everything. In the case of a wheat beer, there may be three names you’ll hear in the name of the brew. Here in America, you’ll obviously see a wheat beer called just that, a wheat beer. American wheats are often crisp and refreshing with perhaps a touch of yeast fruit character. They may be cloudy or clear depending upon filtration.

German wheat beer is often referred to as weizen beer, literally wheat beer. It is often referred to as Weiss beer too, meaning white beer. Most German Weiss beer will have distinctive spicy notes of clove and banana, though it is not brewed with these. Their flavor presence is a result of the use of a distinctive yeast strain which which produces fermentation by-products that suggest them.

As you’ve no doubt noticed, however, this is Saranac Belgian White. The proper name for the style is wit, Wallonian for white. Wheat has a tendency to impart a white cloudy color to a beer, and for this reason the Germans and Belgians both use the term white when describing wheat beers. Belgian Wit beers are spicy and complex just as their German counterparts are, but they achieve this through the addition of spices to the brew, most notably coriander and orange peel. The Belgians love to spice their beers, and why not? Hops are a spice after all, and are present in almost every beer you’ll drink. Though the notion of spicing your beer is anathema to the German Reinheitsgebot, or beer purity law, it is an essential component of Wit beer and another example of the idiosyncrasy Belgian brewers are renowned for.

On December 17th of 1998 I wroite the following about Saranac Belgian White:

There are a number of great breweries around the world which can be cited as refutations to the argument that great beer can't be made in large breweries. In the United States, one of the first that comes to mind for me is Matt Brewing in Utica, New York, makers of the Saranac brand. Saranac beers are reasonably priced, always tasty, and readily available.

Belgian White is brewed with oats, wheat, and barley malt, lightly hopped and spiced with coriander and orange peel. It's a faintly cloudy orange in color, and nicely carbonated: a thick bubbly head quickly forms from a gentle pour of the beer. The nose is spicy as would be expected, with the coriander most apparent. The palate is crisp and refreshing with plenty of citric orange character and coriander, a hint of vanilla, and a light dose of refreshing wheat. The finish is fairly clean though the spices definitely linger.

This is a really nice beer overall, which makes it a shame that currently you can only get it in the Twelve Beers of Christmas gift box (a nice selection of beers, by the way). I think this beer would be a prime candidate for a year round selection.

Saranac Belgian White pours to a cloudy white color with a creamy white head and a spicy fruit nose that hints at blueberries. The palate is citric and spicy, the orange peel and coriander are readily apparent. The body is smooth and creamy, and the finish is nicely balanced. There’s a hint of vanilla, and a light dose of refreshing wheat. The finish is fairly clean though the spices definitely linger.

Perfect with pumpkin pie or vanilla ice cream.

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled

(D)=Draft

(G)=Growler

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