An Amateur Beer Snob's Guide to Beer: The S Beers, Part 2

What you will find here

The listings below will include the name of the beer, my numerical ranking based upon my own scale of 0.1 to 10.0, and a little of my personal thoughts about each beer. Here and there I’ll also throw in a few funny or interesting quotes about beer from famous folks. And if you’re curious about my ranking systems, let’s just say that a 5.0 is a decent beer, a 1.0 is an awful beer and a 10.0 is a fantastic beer.

S Beers, part 2

Saranac Hefeweizen

8.0

Smooth and sweet on the tongue at first, almost like a white ale, but as you swallow a fruity bitterness builds and then glides away. Light enough that you can enjoy several of these over a period of time. Don't bother the cloudiness of the drink, or even if there's some sediment on the bottom; unlike some beers, hefeweizens are supposed to be that way. This is another limited release from Saranac, which is too bad because as of Dec. 31, 2002, this is the highest rank I've given to one of their beers.

Saranac India Pale Ale

4.7

Skip this beer and go straight to Saranac Pale Ale if you want a decent pale ale. This doesn't taste much like a pale ale and the soapy aftertaste some Saranac beers have is strongest here. This would be a good beer with burgers, mainly because the burger would kill most of the beer's taste.

Saranac Light

6.8

Every brewer has to have a light beer, so this is the one from Saranac. This is one of my favorite light beers. Surprisingly little carbonation for a light beer. Has a smooth, crisp taste that is good enough for a true beer connoisseur to enjoy regularly as well as more typical beer drinkers. By the way, I've reported here before that Saranac beers I've tried in the past sometimes suffered from a slight soapy taste. As of this writing in late 2002, I have not noticed the mentioned soapy taste in Saranac beers in quite some time. Maybe they fixed the problem or maybe I just got a bad batch of Saranacs in the past or maybe my taste buds have changed. Who knows? Anyway, you can do a lot worse than drinking Saranac brews.

Saranac Maple Porter

7.0

A surprisingly good, harsh beer. Medium-level beer snobs could appreciate this brew as they work their way up to more stout material.

Saranac Mountain Berry Ale

6.9

The berry taste is not too strong and not too sweet, just right. Probably one of the better berry beers. This would be a good dessert beer for after a heavy meal or a good beer for a Christmas party.

Saranac Nut Brown Ale

5.4

A weak-tasting beer that's flavor grows the more you drink, but even then the taste leaves your mouth quick. A little sweet going down. Would make a good ballpark or baseball party beer.

Saranac Pale Ale

6.5

A decent pale ale, but then again I've never had a pale ale I didn't like. It doesn't have quite the taste or stamina of better pale ales, but it is hardy enough to be a good pale ale for a beginner. A little too watery. Unless this is on sale, I'll stick with Bass.

Saranac Single Malt Ale

7.0

This brew is made from Scottish Maris Otter malt, according to the bottle's label. The label also boasts that this beer has a flavor distinctive from any other beer; I don't know if I'd go that far, but it definitely is different from the rest of the Saranac beers. Goes down very smooth and wet with a bitterness that hits the tongue quickly but dies out on the way down to the stomach. The bitterness grows stronger the more you drink, but leaves your mouth soon except for a slight dull taste left in the mouth.

Saranac Stout

7.7

You should not be able to pour a stout into a clear glass and then see light through the glass. Here I can see light, but very little. This is a good stout for a beginning stout drinker. The taste is sweet at first, then turns bitter on the way down. If you can't tell, I'm a stout person.

Saranac Winter Wassail

5.0

Yet another holiday brew with nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, etc. This one also includes orange. The flavor here is not too sweet or overpowering, the way some special holiday beers are. Still, I've never cared for the taste of these winter drinks - if I want all those spices I'll go drink apple cider. By the way, "Wassail" means "Be well!" in some language.

Schaefer

1.2

The label has the word "beer" on it, but I'm still skeptical. There is little taste here except for a cheap American flavor that vaguely floats around the back of your mouth. There is a lot of fizz for you burping fans. Don't drink this.

Schaefer Light

0.8

I know it's hard to believe, but there is less taste in this drink than there is in the non-light version, and more carbonation. I've tasted better used ashtrays. The F&M Schaefer Brewing Company of Detroit, Michigan, dares to distribute this liquid.

Schell Pils

3.0

Very light and sweet. Comes from New Ulm, Minnesotta. A good beer for true beer drinkers (though not necessarily a beer snobs beer).

Schlenkerla Rauchbier

5.5

This German "smoked beer" suffers from the tiniest bit of flatness, but it has a cool burnt quality that's the equivalent of one of the weaker porters. Worth drinking. Even makes a good sipping beer while you're on the computer for long hours.

Schlitz

1.5

How is anyone still alive in Milwaukee since all this bad beer comes from there? Stay away from this beer. It's weak and has a little carbonation. Not enough flavor to be worth anything except if you are wanting a cheap drunk.

Schlitz Malt Liquor

0.7

Well, it's wet ... and that's about the only good thing that can be said about it (okay, it'll get you drunk, too, if that's what you're looking for). Hardly any taste here at all except a little sweetness on the way down. Not a lot of fizz, though. Makes you feel kind of silly drinking out of a can with a big blue bull on the front of it.

Schneider Weisse

5.7

This German ale says on the bottle it is the "original" hefe-weizen; that's too bad, because I've had better. This drink is extremely sweet with some carbonation. I wouldn't want to drink this on a regular basis, but it's not bad.

Sea Dog Riverdriver Hazelnut Porter

6.2

The fine folks at Sea Dog Brewing Co. of Bangor, Maine brew and bottle this stuff. This beer has a very strong coffee/hazelnut taste with just a tad bit of maple included. Tastes a little like burnt caramel popcorn. Frothy and very thick for a porter - almost stout level; definitely not for beer snob beginners. Too bitter - would score higher if the bitterness were under control.

Shiner Bock

6.8

This Spoetzl Brewery beer is fairly heavy with a touch of maple and some fizz. I normally don't like fizzy beer, but this one seems to work. Not the best beer on the planet, but the taste is complicated enough to give some enjoyment to beer tasters. Obviously brewed in Shiner, Texas.

Shiner Hefeweizen

7.1

Smooth with a light bitterness and a fruity aftertaste. A fantastic drink served cold almost to the point of freezing. Apparently contains clover honey and lemon peel. I could drink this stuff all day long. Even the foam tastes good!

Shiner Kolsch

5.2

While I don't rank this drink as high as other Shiner brews, it is still a good solid staple beer any beer snob could be proud to drink on a regular basis. Strong, but not too strong. Carbonated, but not too fizzy. The flavor could best be described as "good, and not weak."

Shock Top

4.7

This is Anheuser-Busch'sversion of a Belgian white ale, basically a light wheat ale with citrus and spice flavors added. This is actually one of the better brews from Anheuser-Busch. It's not the best Belgian white around, but it's pretty decent for something that has been mass brewed. Worth drinking with lighter foods, like fish or baked chicken and lighter pastas.

Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale

3.0

Sierra Nevada's holiday/winter beer. There's a strong, bitter cinnamon/spices taste here. I just flat out don't like these spicy holiday drinks.

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

7.3

Strong for a pale ale, but wet and worth drinking. This would go good with roast beef.

Sierra Nevada Porter

7.6

A strong maple taste, but not too much of a burnt taste. Dry in the mouth. Would go well with bar food or a steak. Very heavy, almost like a stout. The sweetness is strong, but not quite overpowering. According to Bob Klein in "The Beer Lover's Rating Guide," the beer called "porter" was originally called "entire." Apparently London porters of the 18th century preferred this type of heavy beer over others, so the beer came to be called a porter.

Sierra Nevada Stout

7.2

A very strong maple taste. Strong but not as heavy as many stouts. Not for beginners. Very bitter.

Singha

1.2

This malt liquor is made by the Boon Rawd Brewery Co., Ltd., of Bangkok, Thailand. Tons of carbonation here with an awful bitter flavor that tastes like a bottle of cologne was dumped in the beer batch. You can do better with turpentine.

Skullsplitter Orkney Ale

6.2

Made by Orkney Brewery in Scotland. Orkney is a group of islands on the north side of Scotland. This brew is pretty smooth and frothy, but too sweet for my taste. A Scottish ale in fact and flavor.

Slo Brewing Co. Blueberry Ale

6.0

Smells like blueberry Eggo waffles, but believe it or not, this is not a sweet beer. In fact, I was surprised how well this went down. Not overly bitter and definitely has a strong lager feel to it. Did not taste overly fruity to me, but it did smell that way.

Slo Brewing Co. Cole Porter

4.9

For those of you who like really strong, nutty-flavored beers, this is for you. Goes down smooth and frothy, but the almond taste was too strong for me (which is why the score isn't any higher than it is). This beer comes from the Slo Brewing Co., a brewery/restaurant in San Luis Obispo, California.

Slo Brewing Co. Extra Pale Ale

7.9

This one scared me at first because it had a bit of a malt liquor smell, but the taste is good with a little froth. Goes down bitter but leaves a mixed sweet/bitter taste in the mouth.

Solstice Winter Ale

5.6

This Wynkoop brewery beer is a bit on the sweet side, but then again it's supposed to be a winter brew. This beer is brewed in Denver, Colorado, and is worth checking out if you are in the area.

Southpaw Light

2.6

Yes, another weak, carbonated drink from Milwaukee. This one is from Plank Road Brewery. Just stop drinking any beers from Milwaukee and you have a pretty good chance of making it through life without tasting a bad beer. Remember, I'm talking about TASTING, not DRINKING; there actually are some beers that are worth drinking but not worth tasting. This isn't one of them.

Spanish Peaks Black Dog Ale

7.7

An amber lager with some kick. Wet and soothing going down the throat with a strong bitterness as it glides over the tongue. The first sip has a touch of sweet way in the back, but that disappears quickly.

Spanish PeaksBlack Dog Sweetwater Wheat Ale

7.0

Has a clean, sturdy bitterness and some carbonation. A good cigar beer. Hints of sweetness.

Spanish Peaks Honey Raspberry Ale

6.6

Too much carbonation, but otherwise has a nice berry taste that is not overly sweet. Some bitter here too.

Spanish Peaks Porter

7.1

Strong and bitter, almost to the level of a weaker stout. The burnt maple taste is here but not overpowering, as it is in some porters. Goes down fairly easy. One of the better porters I've had.

Spanish Peaks White

8.8

A light, slightly sweet beer with some texture and flavor reminiscent of a Belgian lambic. In other words, it feels and tastes something like a cider. The bottle says this fine ale is made with "orange peel, coriander & black pepper." Comes to us from the Spanish Peaks Brewing Co. of New Ulm, Minesotta, and Bozeman, Montana.

Steel Reserve

2.3

Wet with a very American flavor. A little hard to swallow at first but this eases up by the fourth drink or so. Nothing special about this beer. It's a product of the Steel Brewing Company of Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Steinlager

3.0

The bottle calls this New Zealand's finest. If that's true, then I wouldn't drink beer while in New Zealand. True, there are many beers worse than this one, but there's plenty that are a whole lot better. Has a cheap German-but-made-for-Americans flavor to it. It's beers like this that keep Budweiser drinkers from trying other foreign beers..

Stella Artois

3.7

The lager from Belgium is very smooth going down but has a somewhat American taste. A smooth, slightly bitter flavor. This brew has gained in popularity in recent years, and it is a decen beer, but I didn't think it wasall that.

Stone Imperial Russian Stout

6.5

One of the sweet stouts. Made in San Diego County, California. Has the strong, burnt caramel taste of a decent stout. The bottle says this brew is a limited release for the spring of 2006, but I'm drinking it in the early winter of 2007 and it still tastes fine to me. If you don't watch yourself, a strong brew like this can get you loopy very quickly.

Straub

5.4

Brewed by the Straub Brewery, Inc. of St. Mary's, Pennsylvania. Goes down extremely smooth, almost too smooth. The bottle says this stuff is made with mountain spring water and has no preservatives, no sugar and no salt; that's good because there's almost no taste. I'm not saying it tastes bad, just not much taste at all. People fond of water would like this beer.

Stroh's

2.5

Pretty much a weak, American beer. Still, not a bad bar beer. The Stroh Brewery Company of Detroit, Michigan, puts out this stuff.

Stroh's Light

1.9

Wet and weak with not as much carbonation as many light beers. The sourness in the aftertaste ruins this beer, but then what did you expect?

SudwerkHefe Weizen

5.7

The folks who make this beer make it in Davis, California, but they also have a "Sudwerk Brewery and Grill" in Sacramento, California. This beer is wet with a fairly strong bitterness. Enjoyable, but not a very special beer.

Related beers links

The Amateur Beer Snob's Guide to Beer: The T Beers

The Amateur Beer Snob's Guide to Beer: The U-Z Beers

The Amateur Beer Snob's Guide to Beer: The A Beers

Quote from Queen Victoria

Give my people plenty of beer, good beer, and cheap beer, and you will have no revolution among them.