Tonight's review is Saranac's new Imperial IPA. I've come to know Saranac to be a pretty decent value in beer. They're not the highest quality brews, but they stack up decently. They're usually quite cheap compared to many micros, which is nice. I paid $8.99 for a six pack, making this their most expensive beer. A four pack of the DFH 90 runs me $11.65, though, so it's still on the cheaper end of this variety. This beer is a little weaker, packing 8.5% ABV and 85 IBUs compared to the 90's 9% ABV and 90 IBUs.
The beer pours the expected clear orange-amber color. It was a little short on head, even with an aggressive pour. It's lacing my glass nicely, though.
Taking a whiff, I'm impressed. The hops are quite strong, and I especially smell the floral variety I like the most. I don't smell too much sweetness or malt. Taking a sip, it's a little different than the smell. The hops are dominated by the bitterness, then there are the flowers, then the citrus. This is a little bit of a let down, but I can't complain too much. The malt is fairly dry and fairly mild. If you thought the DFH 90 was syrupy, you might like this one better, actually, but I like the sweetness of the 90 contrasting w/ the bitterness of the hops. I'm going to award this beer [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] and a half [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. This is a solid imperial IPA, if not the best out there. It's a great buy at the price, though. Reading the bottle, it appears this is the first in a new line of premium brews that Saranac will be putting out. I'm looking forward to it.