Saranac Black Forest

The Matt Brewing Co. – Utica, N.Y.

Style: Schwarzbier

Serving temperature: 46Ë?F

Alcohol content: 5.3% abv

            With this dark, malty Schwarzbier (German for “black beer”), the storied F.X. Matt Brewery, established in 1888, has reached back to the very roots of its pioneering founder.

            Francis Xavier Matt already was on the road to success as a trainee at the famous Duke of Baden Brewery in the Black Forest region of Germany when, in 1885, he decided to move to America. His new start came at the Bierbaur Brewery in Utica, N.Y.. The quaint but burgeoning town, tucked into the leafy foothills of the Adirondack Mountains, surely must have reminded him of home.

            Over the years, the brewery – later renamed after Matt –  would grow, suffer through Prohibition, and grow again under the leadership of his sons, Walter and Frank.

            While it’s known among craft beer enthusiasts for so-called “contract” brews (it once brewed Dock Street’s beers), some would say that Matt brews the best for itself, under its own Saranac label. Among its more than 30 different ales and lagers is this superbly malty, engagingly refreshing black beer, named for its founder’s home.

Toasty malt aroma with a light touch of hops rises from an inviting dark brown body. Its medium body is well carbonated, filling the mouth with a pleasing balance of bready malt and earthy hops, finishing with a sweet molasses and chocolate.

- Joe Sixpack