Saranac Black Forest Black Beer
Matt Brewing Company / Saranac Brewery

Saranac Black Forest Black BeerSaranac Black Forest Black Beer
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From:
Matt Brewing Company / Saranac Brewery
 
New York, United States
Style:
Schwarzbier
Ranked #105
ABV:
5.5%
Score:
84
Ranked #22,491
Avg:
3.73 | pDev: 13.14%
Reviews:
586
Ratings:
1,176
Status:
Active
Rated:
Nov 05, 2023
Added:
Oct 15, 2001
Wants:
  52
Gots:
  154
A Bavarian Black beer with distinctive caramel malt sweetness and a rich creamy trademark head. Flavorful, yet smooth…very drinkable!
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by sethmeister:
Photo of sethmeister
Reviewed by sethmeister from New Hampshire

3.03/5  rDev -18.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
12 oz bottle from winter sampler 12 pack into pint glass

Near black dark brown with ruby highlights. One finger fuzzy cream colored head which recedes quickly to an oily film leaving no lace.

Scent is hard for me to distinguish. Grassy, earthy with hint of dark fruit? I almost think I smell prunes.

Nutty malt sweetness which then switches to a light citrus flavor which moves about on the tongue for a while. Something a bit sweet in the finish. There is something lightly tannic which detracts from the taste.

Light bodied but thankfully lacking the distinctly watery ending that many of saranacs beers suffer from.

One of the better beers in the sampler but still not great. I enjoyed it but don't think i would go in search of more.
Mar 14, 2007
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.14 by Norseman_Jd from Pennsylvania

Nov 05, 2023
Photo of dank203
Reviewed by dank203 from New Jersey

3.93/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Pours a dark brown to black, amber hue in the light. Notes of licorice, dried sugared dark fruits, roasted malt, a slight char. Smooth and clean drinkability
Sep 09, 2023
Photo of izraelc
Reviewed by izraelc from New York

3.25/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
Pours a deep amber. Tan foam. Malty aroma. Bland malt body. Not much character. Light sweetness. Not terrible but pretty boring. I might fall asleep half way through it.
Jan 16, 2023
 
Rated: 3.56 by ummswimmin from New Jersey

Oct 30, 2022
Photo of TCgenny
Rated by TCgenny from New York

4.34/5  rDev +16.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Excellent for its robust look, easy drink ability , roasty toast malt and caramel, nice carbonation, just a real pleasure!
Oct 15, 2021
 
Rated: 3.19 by Jsalz21 from New Jersey

Aug 30, 2021
 
Rated: 3.76 by NastyNorseman from New York

Jul 24, 2021
Photo of moodenba
Reviewed by moodenba from New York

3.79/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 4
Saranac Black Forest Black Beer 12 oz. bottle at refrigerator temperature poured into a shaker glass in Nov., 2020. The initial pour yielded a very dark body with a tan creamy head. Interestingly, the foam that started so promising disappeared quickly. The initial flavor gives a fairly mild dark beer impression. The carbonation seemed a little too aggressive. After the swallow, the pleasant aftertaste features the malt with just a hint of hops. All in all, this is a solid dark lager that isn't extremely heavy. I'm guessing this isn't available in summer, where the lighter body might be better appreciated.
Nov 17, 2020
Photo of dkoehler42
Reviewed by dkoehler42 from New York

4.06/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
This is beer looks the part of a schwarzbier. It has a pleasant roasted malt aroma which carries over into the flavor. As it sits on your tongue, You continue to taste the roasted malt long after the liquid is gone. This is enjoyable and I would enjoy drinking this more often than part of Fall.
Oct 28, 2020
Photo of Lucular
Reviewed by Lucular from Maryland

3.74/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
12 oz bottle poured into a tulip pint glass. A dark brown, roasty schwarzbier with a hint of pine/grapefruit hops. Mouthfeel is a little bit thin but otherwise everything is solid.
Sep 13, 2020
 
Rated: 3.83 by GoBearsWalter34 from Illinois

Apr 11, 2020
Photo of Peach63
Reviewed by Peach63 from New York

3.75/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Pours deep copper with 1/4 inch tan head which quickly dissipates. Very little lacing.

Aroma is toffee, malty, slight citrus, roast malts.

Tastes is toffee, malty, slight smokiness. Moderately bitter.

Light bodied, semi-dry mouthfeel. Lightly carbonated.

This is a decent entry from Saranac.
Dec 02, 2019
Photo of Buckeye55
Reviewed by Buckeye55 from North Carolina

3.87/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Pours a clear dark amber with foamy head that subsided quickly. Smells sweet and malty, kinda boozy also.
Taste follows, picking up more caramel. Medium mouthfeel and sweet aftertaste, lighter than what I'd expect from a bavarian black beer. Like it alot
Oct 05, 2019
Photo of officerbill
Reviewed by officerbill from New York

3.51/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
L: deep dark ruby black with a tall dark tan head that quickly dissolves to a ring
S: can't tell due to stuffy nose
T: oddly sweet with some caramel & licorice. No noticable hops or bitterness
F: smooth & light. Minimal carbonation. Easy over the tongue with a mild burnt sugar aftertaste
O: not what I was expecting. Saranac bills this as a “Bavarian black beer”, but it's not. It's not a bad beer, but it is very
“light”, malt forward with little hop backbone. I had fond memories of this when it was one of Saranac's regular offerings. Now it's part of their fall “German roots” variety pack and, compared to köstritzer, it's a bit of a disappointment.
Sep 22, 2019
 
Rated: 3.62 by Klister from Maine

Sep 20, 2019
 
Rated: 3.75 by Arg914 from New York

Sep 20, 2019
 
Rated: 3.88 by ccryder from New York

Sep 17, 2019
 
Rated: 2.8 by JimboSlyce from Virginia

Aug 31, 2019
 
Rated: 2.75 by NeckBootHeadAss from Virginia

Aug 31, 2019
Saranac Black Forest Black Beer from Matt Brewing Company / Saranac Brewery
Beer rating: 84 out of 100 with 1176 ratings