One of the things I like the most about the Saranac line of beers (brewed in Utica, New York by the Matt Brewing Company) is the great diversity of beers in their line. Stout, pale ale, Belgian Wit, IPA, Pilsner are just some of the beers they’ve brewed. Some of them are only produced in winter; some are no longer brewed at all. Still, each is usually a good representation of its style.

One of the better sellers in the Saranac line is their Black Forest lager. Black Forest is a Schwarzbier by style. Literally, Schwarzbier means “black beer”, and is German in origin. It is a dark, slightly roasty beer like a porter, but is a bottom fermented lager rather than an ale. The beer was first introduced several years ago as a draft-only selection, but was very popular and expanded to bottled distribution.

Interestingly, Schwarzbiers are an under-represented style among American craft brews. Latrobe Brewing, makers of Rolling Rock, brewed an excellent one several years ago called Latrobe Bavarian Black. Samuel Adams sold one under their Longshot brand; it was based on a homebrew recipe. Milwaukee’s Sprecher produces a truly exceptional Bavarian Black. Beyond this, you won’t see too many Schwarzbiers on your store shelves, though you may find two excellent imported ones. Kostritzer Schwarzbier is the classic example of the style and is imported from Kostriz, Germany. Sapporo of Japan also brews Sapporo Black Beer, another excellent brew.

Saranac Black Forest is very dark brown to light black in color, thick creamy tan head, slightly roasty nose. Smooth and malty palate is slightly roasty and somewhat chewy but clean of esters. Finish is slightly creamy, balanced, not much hop bitterness but a very subtle roasty bitterness. Alcohol is 5.5% by volume. This is just what a Schwarzbier should be like.


Try this with roast pork and mashed potatoes.

Update January 22, 2005: Once again, Saranac Back Forest was included in the annual holiday 12-pack release. It's often seen in Saranac's Mix-Pack six-pack sampler, too. This year I found the body to be slightly thinner and less creamy than in the past. That might take it down a half a peg, but all in all, this is still a great beer with a good amount of roastiness, too.

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