If you haven’t already run out and bought one of Saranac’s wonderful 12 Beers holiday packs yet, I’m going to give you another reason to do so. The reason is Saranac Chocolate Amber, a delicious dark roasty lager beer that is perfect for sipping on a cold winter’s evening. Of course, I wouldn’t at all mind sipping it on a warm spring night, a hot summer afternoon, or a chilly fall day either, but alas one can’t get it then, at least not presently.

I seem to recall this beer being sold in six-packs in the past, but Saranac has reduced its lineup of year-round brews in recent years. Unfortunately, Saranac Chocolate Amber was on of the casualties, and that’s a shame. Being limited to one bottle of this delicious beer out of a 12-pack is cruel punishment indeed.

Here’s how Saranac describes their Chocolate Amber:

There comes a time every year in the Adirondacks when a heavier, more malty brew complements the cold winter months. Saranac Chocolate Amber showcases a variety of dark roasted malts, producing a beer with a deep, rich, almost chocolaty flavor

Despite the name, there is no chocolate in Chocolate Amber. Rather, the reference is to chocolate malt which is used to brew the beer. Malt, like cocoa beans, can be roasted before using as an ingredient in food or drink. The flavors of the two are remarkably similar, which should come as no surprise since it is the roasting process which imparts the dark, somewhat bitter notes. Try a taste of unsweetened cocoa to see what I mean. Roasted malts can taste very similar.

Chocolate malt is made by roasting dried pale or pilsner malt with a steady increase in temperature until the desired level of color (dark brown) is achieved. It comes in various varieties, and you can obtain (and brewers use) chocolate malts from barley, wheat, and rye. Most chocolate malt is made from barley, however, and is used in bocks, dark lagers, porters, and stouts. You would be surprised how little is required in a batch of beer. A little bit goes a long way.

Saranac Chocolate Amber is not really an amber. The color is much deeper than the name implies. It’s much more of a dark lager, somewhere between a Munich Dunkles and a Schwarzbier. Interestingly, Saranac also includes a Munich Dunkles in this year’s collection. Compare the two side by side. You’ll see the differences in the softer flavors of the dunkles when tasted alongside the deeper, roastier flavors in the Chocolate Amber.

Saranac Chocolate Amber pours to a dark brown color with a slightly fizzy head formation and a hearty roasted nose. The palate is full of roasted chocolate flavors which seem to intensify on the tongue after sipping. In many ways this is like a stout, though it is lagered and a bit lighter in mouthfeel. The finish is very much like bittersweet cocoa, very deep, dark, and delicious. The bitterness is coffee like and of the variety that roasted malt imparts rather than being hop generated.

This is a wonderful beer. I wish it was still sold year-round. Occasionally, Saranac releases their limited beers in six-packs for a short time, so perhaps it will be again. Whatever you do, don’t miss your chance to enjoy it.