Uinta Brewing Baba Black Lager
Though there are only two documented black lagers (Schwarzbier) on this site, I’ve had a few of them in my time. Two of my favorites that have have been readily available for quite some time now were always Sam Adams Black Lager and Saranac’s Black Forest. It’s a style of beer that is look forward to enjoying as the temperature begins to drop and the leaves commence their seasonal flamboyance.
The style is one reason I picked up this bottle of Baba Black Lager from Uinta Brewing, but the name also drew me in. This brew has a great little roast to it that is ideal on a crisp cool evening. I don’t know if it will challenge my favorites in this genre, but it poses a serious threat. I’ll need to pick up a few more bottles of Baba in order to fully gauge it’s impact. But as of right now, it’s a darn tasty brew.
Appearance
Baba pours a dark, dark brown with a ruby edge when held up to a light. A tan head fell slowly to sticky lace and patchy surface cover.
Aroma
A distant roasty char, chocolate, light malt sweetness, grains and subtle grassy hops arrive on the nose at the same time for a balanced aroma.
Taste
I love the smooth roast that permeates the palate when sipping this beer. It’s not smokey at all, but has a nice dark roast character that suits a cool evening wonderfully. There’s a touch of chocolate in the mix, but it fades relatively quickly through earthy grains and into a dry finish that carries a low level of hop bitterness to balance out the light malt sweetness the beer has. At 4% ABV this sessionable beer is surprisingly robust and full flavored.
Overall
Uinta brewing is a company that I’ve had a hit or miss relationship with. Some of their beers have been great while others, not so much. This schwarzbier is a hit. It’s a great example of the style in a low alcohol package which means when I get the fire pit cranked up at some point in the next week or so for some smores, a couple of bottles of Baba will work out just fine.
Rating: 3.75/5
