One New York Life

Saranac Black & Tan

Brewed By: Matt Brewing Company
Brewed In: Utica, NY
ABV: 5.1%
Type: Black & Tan (Stout/Lager)

What They Say: Saranac Black & Tan is a judicious melding of our classic Irish stout with an all-malt German-style amber lager. The result is a brew that is hearty, pleasantly bitter, and full of flavor, yet can be enjoyed bottle after bottle. Our unique black & tan has multiple flavor notes… you may enjoy counting them. Enjoy!

Why I picked it: Beer number three in the Adirondack Trail Mix series. I think Saranac Black & Tan might have been the first bottle of craft beer I ever consumed. It was either the Black & Tan or the Black Forest, which will come next week.

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Presentation (5): Pretty generic bottle, like most of Saranac’s. The lovely watercolor on this bottle doesn’t stand out for any particular reason so just the generic score that all of Saranac’s bottles get. 3

Originality (5): I know the concept of a black & tan has always existed. According to my dad, one of his friends used to order the Guinness/Budweiser Black & Tan at pubs in Saratoga going back to the late 70s. On the other hand, this beer has been around for most of my drinking life. Do I have to give them points for being the first to actually try and bottle a black and tan? I think I do unless I hear otherwise. 5

Body (10): It pours very dark with an extremely thick head. The head dies shortly in to the beer’s life. The body of this beer is extremely confusing because of the style. It’s very rare that a beer can act as its own palette-cleanser, but this one manages. It has all the indications of a thick, dark stout but part of the flavor is the quick hit of German lager. As such, there’s the standard, heavy stout flavor that’s happily wiped away with a hint of citrusy lager. However they pulled this off, it’s very good. 7

Taste (10): I’ve always been a fan of the black & tan concept, even if I’ve never really been impressed with them on draught. I have friends that swear by the Guinness/Harp, others with the Gunness/Bass, some with Guinness/Bud, and even some with Guinness/Cider Jack. The best I remember having is The Big Show’s Young’s Double Chocolate Stout/some other microbrew ale I don’t recall. I digress. I don’t usually like these when they’re bottled up because they usually wind up just tasting like a watery stout. This is a little different. It pours very much like a stout and very much hits the mouth like a stout. But, as it sits on the tongue it honestly separates in to both distinct flavors. Both the heavy bitterness of the stout AND the citrusy, stereotypically German flavor are readily apparent. Both are noticeable. The best way to describe it is like an Oreo. The thick stout flavor wraps around the German lager flavor. Once you bust through the stout, you get a whole new flavor. Whether or not tasting both of those things at the same time is good or bad is left to the reader, but it works very well for me. 8

Efficiency (10): Stouts with low ABVs come in at the low end of the SES (that’s Snob Efficiency Scale). There are two distinct and obvious flavors here. Both the stout bitterness and German tinniness are both consumption regulators. I can’t decide whether the two limitations stack, but either one individually does the job. The low ABV does nothing to counteract this so you’re left with a pretty inefficient beer. 4

Versatility (10): Even with the beer acting as its own palette-cleanser, spending an afternoon with these would be a bit much for anyone to handle. The extra flavor doesn’t counteract the loaf-of-bread feeling that usually accompanies stouts, nor do the lager notes have quite enough carbonation to get you to, uh, make room in the belly. I think one or two of these in a sampler pack would be enough for just about anyone as I can’t imagine sitting around slugging these. 5

Final Grade: 32 out of 50 – Good beer.

Related posts:

• Saranac Adirondack Trail Mix Series – Brown Ale
• Friday Beer Snob: Saranac Adirondack Trail Mix Series – Adirondack Lager
• Friday Beer Snob: Saranac Adirondack Trail Mix Series – Black Forest
• Friday Beer Snob – Saranac Adirondack Trail Mix Series: India Pale Ale
• Friday Beer Snob – Saranac Adirondack Trail Mix Series: Pale Ale