Saranac Black Forest Black Beer | Matt Brewing Company / Saranac Brewery
Brewed by:
Matt Brewing Company / Saranac Brewery
New York, United States
saranac.com
Style: German Schwarzbier
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 5.50%
Availability: Rotating
Notes / Commercial Description:
A Bavarian Black beer with distinctive caramel malt sweetness and a rich creamy trademark head. Flavorful, yet smooth…very drinkable!
Added by BeerAdvocate on 10-15-2001
HISTOGRAM
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Ratings: 1,154 | Reviews: 576
3.56/5 rDev -4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
3.31/5 rDev -11.3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
3.71/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Poured into a narrow pint glass: color is near black at the top and dark amber at the bottom, head is light tan with fine bubbles, initially presenting about 1/2 inch thick.
Smell is light roast, stronger caramel, light bread, hint of grassy hops.
Taste is light caramel, maybe some toffee, some bread; flavor reminds be of a light bock as the roast is a bit less than some other schwarzbier.
Mouthfeel is light carbonation and light lingering sweetness.
Overall a good darker lager with characteristics of schwarzbier and bock with the lighter roast and moderate caramel.
579 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Poured into a narrow pint glass: color is near black at the top and dark amber at the bottom, head is light tan with fine bubbles, initially presenting about 1/2 inch thick.
Smell is light roast, stronger caramel, light bread, hint of grassy hops.
Taste is light caramel, maybe some toffee, some bread; flavor reminds be of a light bock as the roast is a bit less than some other schwarzbier.
Mouthfeel is light carbonation and light lingering sweetness.
Overall a good darker lager with characteristics of schwarzbier and bock with the lighter roast and moderate caramel.
579 characters
3.49/5 rDev -6.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
4/5 rDev +7.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
4.13/5 rDev +10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
3.96/5 rDev +6.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Dark fruits, raisins, chocolate...delicious. Light and easy to drink like a lager but flavorful and fun too. I miss this beer! Is it still in production?
153 characters
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Dark fruits, raisins, chocolate...delicious. Light and easy to drink like a lager but flavorful and fun too. I miss this beer! Is it still in production?
153 characters
3.66/5 rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75
A Dark beer, tan head, looks deep and dark, smells of mutated lemons, grapefruit, bitter caramel, hay, toffee, cotton candy.
On the tongue it is very sweet and malty, love the malt, there is however the usual American fascination with hops which put this slightly into the bitter category on the back end, but overall a nice balanced beer, slightly bitter, but passable.
370 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75
A Dark beer, tan head, looks deep and dark, smells of mutated lemons, grapefruit, bitter caramel, hay, toffee, cotton candy.
On the tongue it is very sweet and malty, love the malt, there is however the usual American fascination with hops which put this slightly into the bitter category on the back end, but overall a nice balanced beer, slightly bitter, but passable.
370 characters
3.97/5 rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
3.68/5 rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
12oz bottle into Perfect Pint glass
BB 12/31/17
L- pours a dark brown/black, with a huge creamy tan head, and lacing
S- some sweet malt
T- slight toffee, followed by some coffee notes, and a smooth finish
F- clean crisp and smooth
Overall this a typical schwarzbier, light and easy drinking, with the bare minimum of roastiness
327 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
12oz bottle into Perfect Pint glass
BB 12/31/17
L- pours a dark brown/black, with a huge creamy tan head, and lacing
S- some sweet malt
T- slight toffee, followed by some coffee notes, and a smooth finish
F- clean crisp and smooth
Overall this a typical schwarzbier, light and easy drinking, with the bare minimum of roastiness
327 characters
3.5/5 rDev -6.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
4.45/5 rDev +19.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
look: 5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
3.9/5 rDev +4.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
This beer pours a crystal clear color that looks brown until it is held up to the light revealing a lovely shade of deep ruby garnett. The head is two fingers, creamy and tan.
Smell is sweet caramel malts with a touch of roastiness.
Taste is similar with a bit of green vegetal hop flavor that provides a moderately bitter finish.
Feel is light and smooth. There is a nice tingle from the bitterness on the finish.
Overall this is a very good beer. Very flavorful yet easy drinking. Happy Saranac brought this back so that I could finally review it as this is an old favorite of mine.
588 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
This beer pours a crystal clear color that looks brown until it is held up to the light revealing a lovely shade of deep ruby garnett. The head is two fingers, creamy and tan.
Smell is sweet caramel malts with a touch of roastiness.
Taste is similar with a bit of green vegetal hop flavor that provides a moderately bitter finish.
Feel is light and smooth. There is a nice tingle from the bitterness on the finish.
Overall this is a very good beer. Very flavorful yet easy drinking. Happy Saranac brought this back so that I could finally review it as this is an old favorite of mine.
588 characters
3.56/5 rDev -4.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.5/5 rDev -6.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
The appearance has a dark, almost purplish-brown body with a small creamy colored head and had a slightly reddish beige color of the head with very small lacing. The smell has black cherries, some light malt, some berry aromas, and subdued chocolate. The taste is basically the same as the previously mentioned flavors through a decent bittersweetness. The palate is about a medium; comes across slightly creamy; with a quick clean finish, berry/chocolate aftertaste, slightly sessionable. Overall, this is good for the style and good for me.
542 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
The appearance has a dark, almost purplish-brown body with a small creamy colored head and had a slightly reddish beige color of the head with very small lacing. The smell has black cherries, some light malt, some berry aromas, and subdued chocolate. The taste is basically the same as the previously mentioned flavors through a decent bittersweetness. The palate is about a medium; comes across slightly creamy; with a quick clean finish, berry/chocolate aftertaste, slightly sessionable. Overall, this is good for the style and good for me.
542 characters
4.18/5 rDev +12.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Poured from bottle into tulip, little under a finger of tan colored head, recedes after a minute so so lacing. Dark ruby brown in the glass, little light filters thru. Smells of roasted malt, some caramel peeking thru. Taste is pretty complex for a schwarzbier, initial caramel sweetness, roasted malt taking a backseat here, more predominant on the nose than the palate. There is some dark fruit in the middle there, reminiscent of what you pick up in quads, but very muted. Finishes up with a very mild bitterness. This is a really nice Schwarzbier, perhaps beating out my old favorite Reasonably Corrupt (which I have to give a real review one day)
657 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Poured from bottle into tulip, little under a finger of tan colored head, recedes after a minute so so lacing. Dark ruby brown in the glass, little light filters thru. Smells of roasted malt, some caramel peeking thru. Taste is pretty complex for a schwarzbier, initial caramel sweetness, roasted malt taking a backseat here, more predominant on the nose than the palate. There is some dark fruit in the middle there, reminiscent of what you pick up in quads, but very muted. Finishes up with a very mild bitterness. This is a really nice Schwarzbier, perhaps beating out my old favorite Reasonably Corrupt (which I have to give a real review one day)
657 characters
3.98/5 rDev +6.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
4.01/5 rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
3.76/5 rDev +0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.4/5 rDev -8.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5
Pours opaque, dark brown in color with 1/4inch head, Taste is fresh malt, grain, and light chocolate..Light bodied, sweet, with moderate carbonation..Very clean..Makes for a solid, average schwarzbier...Worth a shot if you like the style..
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look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5
Pours opaque, dark brown in color with 1/4inch head, Taste is fresh malt, grain, and light chocolate..Light bodied, sweet, with moderate carbonation..Very clean..Makes for a solid, average schwarzbier...Worth a shot if you like the style..
241 characters
Saranac Black Forest Black Beer from Matt Brewing Company / Saranac Brewery
Beer rating:
3.73 out of
5 with
1,154 ratings
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