Sarnanac offers a wide variety of malt beverages and Black Forest is one of its better brews
Matt Brewing, Inc., is a large craft brewing operation known for its Saranac line of malt beverages. Located in Utica, New York, Saranac has a very large variety of beers that rivals the largest in the business and one of its many tasty brews is Saranac Black Forest, a beer brewed in the German “Black Beer” tradition.
Beer Bio:
Style: German Schwarzbier
Alcohol Level: 5.5% by Volume
Calories: 173 per 12 oz. serving
Carbs: Unknown
Black Forest pours to a dark brown color with a hint of reddish hues that become more evident when the beer is held up to a light source. This dark brew offers a nice- size head of foam with a roasty and sweet aroma that is very enticing.
The flavor of this beer emphasizes the sweet, roasted malt. Behind the roasted malt, one can detect traces of caramel, molasses, and chocolate, but very little hop taste. This is good for those who prefer the sweet taste of malt over the flavor of bitter hops. The body of the beer is, like other Saranac products, medium in fullness and it finishes a little on the watery side, although not excessively so. The overall flavor profile of this beer is very good and it even manages to produce a pleasant aftertaste. The lingering aftertaste is a combination of roasted malt with a hint of vanilla. I found this very pleasant. Not only does it taste good, but it also whets the appetite for another sip.
If there is anything bad to be said about this beer, it would have to be the finish. For those of us who love hops, the finish is a little too watery and too lacking in hop goodness. However, the wateriness is minimal and not enough to influence me to lower my rating. Actually, it’s fairly close to what I would expect in this style.
Saranac beer products are generally good overall and Black Forest is certainly a beer worth trying. Pleasant- tasting, smooth, and easy to drink with a good amount of complexity and sweet malt flavor, Saranac Black Forest is definitely worth a try if you happen to come across a bottle or two.
Rating: 8 Cheers out of 10
Leave a Reply