Saranac Lake Effect Lager
Lake Effect Lager is part of the Saranac
winter sampler pack, and represents an example of a traditional
lager style.
On the pour this brew has a slight orange tint rather than being
a lighter straw color. The hint of red is probably a touch of
caramel introduced in toasting the malt. The head is modest, about
5mm (1/4 inch) mixed small and tiny bubbles. The aroma is malt,
with maybe a tiny hint of hops and yeast. Knowing how this beer is
brewed that could be suggestion, but the caramel is very subtle,
unlike a stout or porter style. On holding the little beer stein
to a strong light, I observed typical small bubbles, and tiny
flecy of bright caused by very small bubbles. The beer held its
carbonation and enough head to cover the surface in the glass for
about 10-15 minutes that observed. On a hot day this would not
have to last as long, it goes down very nicely.
On first taste I found hops which seemed most evident on the top
of my tongue, and malt which was evident further back. The flavor
was complex, caramel, hops, malts, and very little lingering after
taste. That was a surprise, the initial flavor was strong, usually
that is followed by a lingering and fading aftertaste. Not so
here, the aftertaste was brief, but the taste was so good it made
me want to sample again. This beer, particularly on a hot day,
would be for thirst quenching not sipping.
If you think of lager in terms of Budweiser (made with rice and
beechwood) or Miller, Lake Effect Lager has a "bigger" flavor,
more complex, more malt flavor to match the hops, a hint of
caramel, and generally a more intense flavor sensation.
A word about the lager style
The German purity laws allow malt, hops, yeast, and water for
beer. And Lagering is a
fermentation process which uses a bottom fermenting yeast which
converts sugars to alcohol at a low temperature over a relatively
long time. Originally "long time" meant months, yeast aren't
nearly as active at low temperature. Yeast also produce esters (organic
compounds, some having distinct taste) at different temperatures,
so the same ingredients fermented at a different temperature will
taste different. Needless to say, not all beers marketed as lager
are made from ingredients based on the purity laws or using the
traditional lagering process.
Overall impression
I hope Saranac will make this brew in the summer, or better yet
year round. It is very good at quenching thirst, and tastes great.
Taste conditions
Saranac tells me they used Hallertau hops and fermented to
6.0ABV. The beer was chilled to 40F (lager is good served cold),
the small stein I'm using for tastings was cooled to 50F, and had
been triple rinsed to eliminate any possible soap residue. Hint:
many bars don't rinse carefully, it matters!
