Saranac Chocolate Amber
There comes a time every year in the Adirondacks when a heavier, more malty brew complements the cold winter months. Saranac Chocolate amber showcases a variety of dark roasted malts, producing a beer with a deep, rich, almost chocolaty flavor that’s perfect to celebrate this special time of the year. We hope you enjoy this hearty brew.
3
264 reviews
Utica, United States
Community reviews
Nice! It’s aroma was very nice, with some definite dark roasted malts. It’s color and appearance were beautiful, with a dark brown color and fluffy white head. It’s flavor was malty, dark chocolate, and some alcohol. It’s smooth. Very good.
Grass and chocolate malt aroma, not strong. Black pour with a thin tan head, somelacing. Prominently smokybark flavor with currants underneath. Charcoal lingers on the palate. I was worried about tasting this right after St. Bernardus 12, which I loved, but this beer held its own.
Another specialty brew from Saranac. It pours a very dark brown color. Not a whole lot to the aroma but there’s a faint roasted malt scent. Roasted malty flavor, coffee and a little bit of chocolate. The flavors are a bit weak but this was pretty nice.
Pours dark brown with a small tan head. Aroma is roasted malt. Flavor is malty with a hint of chocolate. A bit on the watery side but not a bad beer.
very dark brown, but clear, with rusty highlights. thick tan head that leaves nice lace. rather nutty aromas, like peanut shells, with hints of coffee and of course cocoa. nice malt character, lightly balanced, with a sweet peanut buttercup finish. again, more of a "once in a while" brew than a session beer, but not bad as such.
As dark as a porter with a small beige head and very good lacing. Subtle, semi sweet chocolate aroma. Roasted malt taste, with cocoa powder, tobacco and mixed nuts. Understated hop presence. Medium bodied; delicate palate; short lived finish.
Dark brown in color. Tan head. Aroma: chocolate, caramel, some dusty malt. Taste is chocolate, with light hints of roast and caramel. Light to medium body. Not too bad.
28FEB08. .12oz bottle from a Winter Sampler 12pk. Interesting name. Pours clear black, light tan colored fizzy head. Aroma of a dark lager, caramelized sugar aroma. Flavor of chocolate malt, roasted barley, cereal. Finishes with flavors of bittersweet cocoa. Surprisingly pleasant.
Surprisingly good, this brew is lighter than you would expect with a thinner more drinkable body. It dissipates quickly leaving a nice chocolatey flavor before finishing clean. All day drinkable, though not in the middle of summer.
bottle poured a dark cola with chestnut red color when held to the light and a fairly thick almost two finger head toning back to a nice tan layer. aroma has cocoa, chocolate malt, some background hops spice, and a touch of candy sugar. texture is enjoyable, coating but silky, carbination on the light side but a nice mouth feel. flavor has a pretty good dose of malts, dark chocolate, and finishes with some bitterness and a surprise appearance from the hops. i think this is one of saranac’s better brews. it has some chewiness and a fairly hefty hit of malt compared to many of there others.
Dark--too dark?--black lager with creamy head that traces nicely in the glass (quite attractive)...thick brown half-inch head...malt/hops are nondescript--chocolate? not so much... slight effervescent... textures on the tongue feigns a porter more than a dunkel... soft toasted malts add a weight to the experience--smooth and swift with hints of corn... a dark lager that has little dunkel quality--pleasantly toasty for the colder evenings.. Saranac seems to have a circle of winter beers that run together in taste, and this is certainly one of them...
Loved it. Got it out of a winter pack. 12 ounce bottle. Pours black. Great smell of roasted malts. Nice mouth feel, smooth, nice and thick. Goes nice with the winter weather.
Dark brown, almost black pour. Small head with ti ny frothy bubbles. Nose of caramel, malt, molasses, and bitter chocolate. Flavour was very roasty, with notes of chocolate and burnt malt. Not too complex... very dry finish
Bottle; Saranac might not nake the best beers, but for less than a dollar per bottle, they are a pretty good bargain. Poured a very dark brown, with a small light brown head. Aroma was very roasted, with coffee and chocolate. Flavor was better than expected. Palate was on the thin side. Some good chocolate and nuts in the flavor. A decent amount of hops in the finish.
Pours dark as expected with a brown head. Aroma is roasted malt with some chocolate and coffee. Mouthfeel is a bit thin, but not watery. Flavor has nice roasted malt, a hint of chocolate and just enough hop bitterness to balance it out. Not a super flavorful beer, but what it there is pretty good.
IT HAS A MILD CHOCOLATE TASTE. A LITTLE AVERAGE. IF YOU WANT A REAL CHOCOLATE BEER I RECOMMEND BROOKLYN CHOCOLATE.
Poured from 12 ounce bottle into Sam Adam’s Tasting Glass. Nice dark color with dark tan head that leaves behind decent lacing. The aroma is faint malt. The flavor is entirely chocolate malt and roast barley, but very restrained with decent balance.The aftertaste is mild roasted barley. The palate is thin and silky. This is probably my favorite beer from the Saranac Holiday/Variety 12-pack.
Not surprisingly, its a dark beer. Not really as chocolatey as one would think. Its tasty, but I was expecting more.
I was hoping with chocolate in the name that this was going to be a little more entertaining but alas I was thwarted. Should have stuck with the truffles I got for christmas dropped in a bud light ’cause that might have been better. Well probably not. Either way this one had that crystal sugar candy, bitter flavor. The color was nice too. Could have a lot more body and there was a faint bittersweet chocolate flavor.
Bottle 12 oz. from Winter mix 12 pack. Very dark brown almost black in color. Tannish color and small head. Smells of bitter chocolate. Hints of coffee and chocolate thorughout. It is not too heavy and easy to drink. Overall enjoyable beer.
Bottle. Appearance: Dark brown, not quite black, tan creamy head. Aroma: Bittersweet chocolates, hint of roasted coffee, some sweet hop scent as well. Palate: Medium/full. Flavor: Mostly nutty malts, light chocolate, and a hint of coffee. Overall: Not anything impressive, but a pretty good beer and easy to drink, which is pretty typical of saranac brews.
12 oz bottle, 5.7% a/v
Pours an opaque oily black with a decent tan head. The nose detects nuts, roasted malt, bitter chocolate and a very small note of coffee. The taste is very rich and bitter, with lots of nuts, coffee, and dark roasted malts. Very good mouthfeel and a nice long bitter aftertaste.
Touch of malt and carmel in the aroma. Malty flavor with a touch of chocolate. Well balanced. Medium body, rich flavor
Kazzow!!!! and the lord said let there be choclate amber beer!!! and there was choclate amber beer. and I drank it. and I liked it.
Pours a dark brown with a dense, creamy beige head that laces nicely. On the nose are cocoa and a faint coffee; muted but pretty nice, especially for a lager. It opens up quite nicely as it warms. Light to medium-bodied, with creamy-soft carbonation, the palate finishes fairly crisp and lightly dry. Light chocolate malt and coffee notes with a hint of toffee and earthy hops. I wasn’t expecting a whole lot from this one, but it’s a fairly nice brew.
Overall I was disappointed in this beer as I guess I expected more. It poured a brown with red highlights. Had a roasted aroma which was slightly smokey. Had a more bitter flavor than I expected with hints of chocolate and toasted malts.
an interesting experimental, this beer indeed looks nice in the glass. dark, dark brown with pleasant hints in the light. the aroma is chocolate in beer. the flavor is as the aroma and there is a slight roasty and licorice type spiciness with perhaps a dash of pepper. the palate is moderate with a full carbonation that i found a touch fizzy. somewhat refreshing this is a better than decent niche beer.
12oz bottle. Pours a very dark brown - nearly black - with garnet highlights and an attractive, soft, even, medium-sized, tan head. The aroma is malty and rich with notes of chocolate, caramel, and dark toast. The flavor starts malty and sweet with subtle roasted flavors perceptible around the sides of the mouth. The middle of the tongue picks up more dark roasted malt flavors with some chocolate and caramel malt flavor, too. The finish is slightly dry and with a balancing level of earthy, subtle hops. The mouthfeel is light-to-medium in body with big suds making it feel slightly creamy. The carbonation level is perfect.
This brew boasts a rich chocolate flavor and it delivers. Aside from the malt, it was unimpressive on the whole. Not a bad beer by any stretch; not the best in the Twelve Beers of Winter, either
Bottle. Pours a dark brown with a beige head. The aroma is light chocolate. The taste is also light; hints of chocolate and a burnt malt. A easy beer to drink- the kind you can drink a lot of. Not too complex or amazing, but good.