Could a grape jam company succeed at making fine ales? Toned down purple grape aroma and lime-embittered unripe grape dryness overwhelmed by withered hop fizz and bland soda sweetness, managing to be fairly unique but not overly peculiar. Brewery defunct: 2008.

Reddish-amber fruit ale converges blackberry-blueberry-raspberry sweetness with increasing hop-fizzed bitterness that mutes supposed honey nectar influence. Dank grains weaken unresolved, meek finish.

Pour slowly champagne cork-scented nickel-coppered apple blossom special. Dry-hopped seltzer fizz caresses vinous quince souring and sparkling cider essence to barley-wheat backdrop. Pacific mandarin orange, white peach and persimmons tartness stays distance. But dubious finish assumes pilsner-like blandness.

Pronounced fruity aroma, fizzy wheat foreground, robust grain assertion and invigorating citrus flow make this one of Saranac’s better ales.

Alarming $17 price tag for 22-ounce bottle justified by astonishing 18% alcohol volume. Deeply penetrating pureed raspberry fortification dissipates slightly to medicinal apricot-brandied cherry tang as accumulative perfumed waft brightens sinewy pink-glowed amber-pruned fruit ale. Sharp apple cider tartness underscores bitter hop bite. Sticky whiskey malting nips at the heels, securing tertiary naval orange, purple grape, peach, nectar, and clementine illusions.

Constrained 10th anniversary ale goofs on Jewish scripture with tinny 10% alcohol acridity, undetectable pomegranate juicing, and dank earthen grain bitterness. Dry fig-date conflux and funky prune drub grievously override syrupy medicinal cherry afterglow.

Heady mahogany ale with dry stout characteristics such as cocoa-powdered bitterness, dehydrated prune essence, and mild burgundy boozing. Billowy bubbles form sharp beige head for dirty-grained ‘raison’ (raisin) brew. Malt-lacquered  yeast-soured green raisin finish gain depth with each sip. On tap, pinpoint fruited malting increases beet sugared raisin-fig depth, bruised orange souring, and sarsaparilla tease.

Bright amber-garnet ale brings lusty pomegranate juicing to protracted lemony hop bitterness and grain-toasted dried fruiting. Fig-date-pecan admix and subtle peach-apricot tang tether raspberry-cranberry tartness to sugared almond-praline finish. Latent orange rind snip adds to subtle complexity.

Magnificent adjunct ‘Raison D’Etre’ illuminated by deeper mocha-malted penetration and loud bruised orange waft. Ripe raisin burst and overripe prune thickness of ‘bulbous brown flavored ale’ settles to sensational creamy cognac finish. Moreover, incredible brandy luster consumes deep alcohol-ridden backdrop while tempting candied butterscotch expanse increases density of ridiculously strong slow sipping majesty.

Harshly acrid Japanese-named ‘Hanami’ forfeits advertised cherry juice souring to extremely parched lemon juice tartness. But unlike, say, a fine dry Lambic, fizzy Seltzer-like hops diminish subsidiary unripe white grape, green apple, cranberry, and pomegranate dapple as well as frail wheat spine. Grassy herbal-floral illusions killed off by muddled oak-dried citric acidity.

Cloy soda-like stickiness may lower appeal of unfiltered ivory-headed hazy-yellowed ‘white beer.’ Cinnamon-spiced baked apple tartness overrides lemony pear-apricot trifle and almond-vanilla dab, but gummy confectionery malting severely undercuts capricious red-yellow-green apple blend. Serve to quirky quince quaffers.

Buoyant pineapple ale with surprisingly turbid red hue retains spicy citric tartness embellished by sinewy yeast. Tertiary berry, melon and quince illusions immerse fruit cocktail essence. Neither overbearing in its peculiarity nor too drab, but in need of fully-formed original identity. Serve with lemon wedge prior to summer. Brewery defunct: 2003.