August 5, 2020
Saranac Ginger Beer | A Review
The history of Saranac reaches back over 130 years, to 1888, when a German immigrant named Francis Xavier Matt took over a small beer brewery in Utica, New York after the death of the owner. Business went smoothly for a while until 1920 when the United States notoriously enacted Prohibition. Reluctant to shutter like so many other breweries, Matt initiated the production of soft drinks and safely bridged this tumultuous time in American history.
The brewery obtained the very first license in the nation to produce beer after Prohibition and saw much success as it was passed down from generation to generation of Matts throughout the years. In 1995, with Nick and Fred in control, the Matt Brewing Company made a return to soft drink production and today hosts a line of nine varieties including this Saranac Ginger Beer.
Green stands out as the primary color of the label on this 12-ounce brown-glass longneck bottle. The sharp-serifed logo dances at the top while “ginger beer” floats over a barrel illustration in flashy yellow type. Wrapped around the neck clings another small label where a short paragraph description promises “tons of ginger.”
High fructose corn syrup sweetens this beverage built on filtered water. Citric acid plays a part as taste ambiguously rises out of natural and artificial flavors. Also present are the preservative sodium benzoate as well as caramel color. The entire bottle counts for 160 calories.
The liquid appears as pale gold, devoid of sediment. Its rich carbonation materializes as a thick blanket of foam floating near the rim of the glass. There’s a sharp ginger on the nose with unexpected floral undertones.
Sweetness emerges in a gradual crescendo joined quickly by a shy ginger which never reaches an equilibrium. The texture surprises with a cottony creaminess and vanilla graces the finish. Heat is absent.
It’s best described as a ginger cream soda rather than a ginger beer, a bold direction that could burrow a successful niche with just some tuning. The creaminess is pleasant but can be off-putting to some palettes while the ample fizz is welcome. Unfortunately the problems are significant. The ginger refuses to come forward and since heat is eschewed it would make for a poor choice of mixer and ultimately stands as a below average example of a ginger beer.
Final Decision: Fourth Tier – Passable
Purchased online at: Beverages Direct | Available locally at: Total Wine | Also available online at: Soda4U, Soda Emporium, Specialty Sodas
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