With the school year coming to a close, seniors are signing their names on the walls of Chuck’s and getting ready to walk across the stage in the Carrier Dome.

But Syracuse University isn’t the only thing seniors should be graduating from. They should also leave behind beers like Natural Light and Miller Lite. Saranac’s Immortality Imperial Amber Ale, a part of the High Peaks Collection, is a great example of a great beer with true flavors that the Keystones of the world lack.

Once senior week has ended, crack open this amber ale, and right away you’ll understand what a good beer should smell like. Immediately, scents of malt flow from the bottle with a hint of caramel. When poured into a glass, this beer has a beautiful golden, amber color as the label suggests.

The first sip surprised me a little bit. I didn’t really expect this beer to be so flavorful. The first thing you notice is the full texture of the beer. It’s thick and creamy, and fills every corner of your mouth.

The taste is bold and really packs a powerful punch. It has a strong malt flavor with hints of caramel up front and then in moves into a nice roasted coffee-like taste. But the finish is bright and citrusy, driving home the complexity in the flavor. It has the strong, hoppy taste of an IPA combined with the earthy flavors of amber ale.

If you want to have a meal alongside this beer, it has to be something that can either match the strong flavors or compliment them in a way that might dull them a bit. I’d recommend a nice juicy burger with a side of french fries or a steak fresh off the grill.

This is an extremely hefty beer that packs a major punch, so the transition from the light beers of college might be a bit of a shock. But the Immortality Imperial Amber Ale is the type of beer you can really enjoy and something you can impress your future co-workers with.