10/27/11 Big Moose Ale by Saranac

Well for lunch today I had 2 Greek wraps and a Big Moose Ale brewed by Saranac. Big Moose Ale is one of beers in the 12 Beers of Winter variety pack. The Box gives this information about the beer. This full flavored ale is triple dry hopped with specialty citra. Centennial and cascade hops to give you a vibrant citrusy hop aroma. The bold hop character is balanced by malt sweetness from English pale and caramel malts. The beer first made its debuted back in 2009 and is a limited quantity beer available from October through January. I paired the beer with a Greek wrap made with a whole red pepper, 3 garlic cloves, half a white onion, lots of feta cheese, spinach, 6 white button mushrooms, 3 baby bellas, on a whole wheat wrap with some balsamic and red wine vinegar. Oh my god was this the best pairing of beer and food I have ever had. I don't know how I got so lucky but wholly crap is all I can say. This beer when paired with this wrap brought out all the flavor in the food. The red pepper and red wine vinegar took over and perfectly balanced the beer. In made the beer have a light citrusy  taste mixed with a slightly bitter full bodied of my god good everything. The only bad things I can say is that the temperature started out at around 38.1 degrees which was really surprising considering I had it in the freezer for about 45 minutes and in the fridge for another hour and then I put it back in the freezer for around 5 minutes and I poured it into an icy pilsner that had been in the fridge for almost a week and then when I finished this ale it came in around 47.3 degrees which is surprising for less than 15 minutes. The other bad thing was without the peppers and red wine and balsamic vinegar to balance the beer it had a stronger, more bitter taste after the meal. All the finer points of the ale were a large 5 inch head which was very frothy and light brown and dissipated slowly. It had fantastic lacing and some lively carbonation. It is definitely a darker beer and had a beautiful amber color with a citrus taste close to that of Blue Moon but with some bite on it. With something to balance it it had a light flavor and by itself it had a more moderate to heavy flavor. It had a taste that stuck with you for a good while after finishing and I will say that even as I am writing this I still have a pleasant taste in my mouth. I haven't found out the alcohol content on this one yet but it has to be higher than average because writing this is harder than usual and I am having much more spelling mistakes. Overall I would say this is an excellent beer to have with the proper meal and a little heavy and too bitter for my taste to sit back and have a few while doing something else. I would rate it an A+ with the proper pairing and a C by itself so overall I would say a solid B. If you didn't get to read my post before this one the case on beer was $27.49 at Brewers' Outlet in Pottsville, PA. Thanks for reading and please drink responsibly. 

Additional information that just got posted on the Saranac website in the last week.

Big Moose Ale

Availability: 12 Beers of Winter 2011, 12 packs, 6 packs, Draught

Brewers Notes:

Saranac Big Moose Ale is an American Pale Ale with a kick.  The medium-bodied malt sweetness is balanced by a nice crisp bitterness from hand selected centennial and cascade hops.  Look for a vibrant citrusy hop aroma that will leave you craving another swig!

Beer Style: American Pale Ale
Malt Selections: Pale, Caramel
Hop Selections: Centennial, Amarillo
Color: Amber
Mouthfeel / Body: Medium
Food Companions: Roast Beef, Lamb
Alcohol By Volume: 5.3%
Original Gravity: 13.5