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Saranac Black Forest Black Beer
Matt Brewing Company / Saranac Brewery


- From:
- Matt Brewing Company / Saranac Brewery
- New York, United States
- Style:
- Schwarzbier
Ranked #107 - ABV:
- 5.5%
- Score:
- 84
Ranked #23,183 - Avg:
- 3.73 | pDev: 13.14%
- Reviews:
- 586
- Ratings:
- 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.
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
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, 2023Reviewed 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
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, 2023Rated by TCgenny from New York
4.34/5 rDev +16.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
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, 2021Reviewed by moodenba from New York
3.79/5 rDev +1.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 4
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, 2020Reviewed by dkoehler42 from New York
4.06/5 rDev +8.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
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, 2020Reviewed by Lucular from Maryland
3.74/5 rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
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, 2020Reviewed 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
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, 2019Aroma 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.
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
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, 2019Taste follows, picking up more caramel. Medium mouthfeel and sweet aftertaste, lighter than what I'd expect from a bavarian black beer. Like it alot
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
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, 2019S: 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.
Saranac Black Forest Black Beer from Matt Brewing Company / Saranac Brewery
Beer rating:
84 out of
100 with
1176 ratings
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