Saranac Black Forest
Review Date
One of the things
I like the most about the Saranac line of beers (brewed in Utica, New York
by the Matt Brewing Company) is the great diversity of beers in their line.
Stout, pale ale, Belgian Wit, IPA, Pilsner are just some of the beers
they’ve brewed. Some of them are only produced in winter; some are no longer
brewed at all. Still, each is usually a good representation of its style.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
Also From This Brewery
One of the better sellers in the Saranac line is their Black Forest lager.
Black Forest is a Schwarzbier by style. Literally, Schwarzbier means
“black beer”, and is German in origin. It is a dark, slightly roasty beer
like a porter, but is a bottom fermented lager rather than an ale. The beer
was first introduced several years ago as a draft-only selection, but was
very popular and expanded to bottled distribution.
Interestingly, Schwarzbiers are an under-represented style among American
craft brews. Latrobe Brewing, makers of Rolling Rock, brewed an excellent
one several years ago called Latrobe Bavarian Black. Samuel Adams sold one
under their Longshot brand; it was based on a homebrew recipe. Milwaukee’s
Sprecher produces a truly exceptional Bavarian Black. Beyond this, you won’t
see too many Schwarzbiers on your store shelves, though you may find two
excellent imported ones.
Kostritzer
Schwarzbier is the classic example of the style and is imported from
Kostriz, Germany. Sapporo of Japan also brews Sapporo Black Beer, another
excellent brew.
Saranac Black Forest is very dark brown to light black in color, thick
creamy tan head, slightly roasty nose. Smooth and malty palate is slightly
roasty and somewhat chewy but clean of esters. Finish is slightly creamy,
balanced, not much hop bitterness but a very subtle roasty bitterness.
Alcohol is 5.5% by volume. This is just what a Schwarzbier should be like.
Try this with roast pork and mashed potatoes.
Update January 22, 2005: Once again, Saranac Back Forest was included
in the annual holiday 12-pack release. It's often seen in Saranac's Mix-Pack
six-pack sampler, too. This year I found the body to be slightly thinner and
less creamy than in the past. That might take it down a half a peg, but all
in all, this is still a great beer with a good amount of roastiness, too.
