Baba Black Lager - Uinta Brewing Company

Jason

Massachusetts

3.9/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz brown bottle with a freshness date.

LOOK: Nearly full on black, impressive lacing

SMELL: Soft charcoal, milk chocolate, faint oil hop, herbal, toasted bread, dried hay

TASTE: Mild roastiness, smooth, medium bodied, clean, balanced hopping, herbal, faintly salty, brown malt, toasted grapenuts, mildly roasty drying finish

A very sessionable brew, perfect for the winter and is a great substitute if you love Porters. Organic and all if you are into that, and all around great beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2013 02:30:41 | More by Jason

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

4.23/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Uinta Brewing Company
Baba Black Lager
Style: Schwarzbier
ABV: 4.00 %

LOOK: Stubby bottle, USDA certified Organic. Pours a dark brown, just about black. Clear, with a soapy off white froth. Leaves plenty of lace on the glass.

SMELL: Chocolate like malty aroma, bringing back memories of malt chocolate Ovaltine.

TASTE: Roasted, dark malt flavor with some smoke and bakers chocolate. Mild tea like hop with a complimentary bitterness.

FEEL: Medium bodied, well carbonated, smooth, full of flavor.

OVERALL: A nice dark lager, really easy drinking. One of the better session ales Ive had. I could recommend this to anyone.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2013 22:17:51 | More by Stinkypuss

philbe311

Pennsylvania

3.63/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - A finger's worth of fairly thick moderately dense light brown colored foam... Modest at best retention gives way to a full web of lacing and a fairly thick foam collar... It may be deemed a black lager, but this one is really a deep rich chocolatey brown color that allows a slight bit of light to leak in around the edges of the glass... Some quick paced carbonation streaks can be seen rising towards the top of the glass under close examination...

S - Fairly subdued and rather muted, but still quite enjoyable... Lightly roasted malts... A hint of coffee... A hint of chocolate... Perhaps some dark bread notes... Not much else... A little more umph in the category would have gone a long way...

T - Just about what I expected... Lightly roasted malts... Some faint hints of coffee and chocolate... Perhaps a bit nutty as well... The finish has a slightly burnt or charred character to it...

M - Light bodied... Light carbonation... Goes down smooth... Starts sleek and turn a slight bit chalky at the finish...

D - Quaffable and rather enjoyable... It depends how you're viewing this beer... If you look at it compared to all of beerdom, it's a fairly pedestrian average at best offering... If you look at it solely as a session brew, it's a very nice offering from Uinta... Lots of flavor and pretty decent character for a 4% ABV offering, especially for one of such dark coloring... I'm quite happy with and would seriously consider pick-up a sixer when I'm looking for an enjoyable session beer...

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2013 01:50:37 | More by philbe311

mvanaskie13

Pennsylvania

4.28/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a tall pint glass, color is dark brown to near black, amber hues on the edge; head is light tan, presenting dense, about 1/2" thick.

Smell is light roast, clean malt, light grass.

Taste is great, very pleasant, solid roast flavor, hint of mild malt sweetness.

Mouthfeel is very full, nicely carbonated and great lingering flavor; flavors bounce and fill the mouth.

Overall, very easy drinking, great tasting brew, great flavor and mouthfeel from such a low strength brew.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2012 00:16:25 | More by mvanaskie13

Zraly

Virginia

3.75/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours an almost opaque black -- tinges of dark brown and amber decorate the sides of my stein. Upfront notes of roasted malts. Decent two-finger, mocha head.

Roasted notes predominate more than typical for style; bitterness comes less from the hops and more from the roasted grain flavors. Coffee and chocolate notes in the middle, with a slight, but crisp, bite in the end. Medium-light in body and very easy to drink. A hint of cream and citrus linger in the mouth after all is said and done.

Great session beer and would seem to go great with a meat pizza or a nicely charred black n' blue burger. As for a schwarzbier, it strikes me as a bit non-traditional but seems to capture enough of the categorical essence. And it is Baba (Black Sheep) -- so I guess that name fits!

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2012 22:14:04 | More by Zraly

matjack85

Illinois

4.03/5  rDev +8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I picked this up as part of a build-your-own six pack for $9.99 at the Binny's store in Bloomingdale, IL, making it $1.67 for a single 12oz bottle. No freshness date.

The beer poured black, of course, and made a 2-finger mocha colored head that lasted quite awhile. It also left quite a bit of nice lacing on the sides of the glass.

Coffee and dark chocolate smell along with lots of roasted malts.

Wow is this beer thin! Roasted malt and coffee dominate the taste with a touch of dark chocolate in the background. Only a mild hop bitterness, which is surprising considering it has a 32 IBU rating.

It tastes good and goes down easy but has the consistency of water with fairly high carbonation. A very light beer both in body and in alcohol content. It has a lingering coffee flavored aftertaste.

If you like light beers, this is a good one with more flavor than most.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2012 09:07:53 | More by matjack85

IronLover

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Black on color with a reddish-brown hue when held up to a bright light. Poured with a huge bubbly beige foam that drapes the glass with sticky lacings. Earthy dark roasted and burnt malt aromas with hints of coffee and dark chocolate in the background. Medium bodied and smooth through the middle despite the lively, aggressive carbonation up front. Bitter burnt malt flavor up front that that tapers through the middle to dark roasted malt and coffee flavors to the end. Finishes with a slightly bitter dark roasted malt aftertaste.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2012 01:38:10 | More by IronLover

brihenry

District of Columbia

3.63/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Very black with off-white head, lacy, sticking to glass. Smell is roasted grain. It's a dry, clean at the outset with a very strong roasted, almost burnt flavor. So dry there's not much sweetness, but a toasty, bready taste that is superlight. Ends with a faint bitterness, and a slight tartness. Pretty light carbonation.

Overall, very refreshing for such a dark, roasty beer. Not much malt character.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2012 22:14:43 | More by brihenry

Minkybut

Virginia

2.68/5  rDev -28.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

I poured this weak brew into my tumbler at 45 degrees. The beer was black as specified and poured a very chocolaty head. The beer also had good lacing. I thought this beer was going to be a hit, but like with other organic brews it was not. The beer was pretty tasteless and watery. It had a weak smokey character but without any ass end it just could not make the cut. I will not buy again.

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2012 22:56:12 | More by Minkybut

CHickman

New York

4/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Review from 7/11/12: pours pitch black color with a creamy 2 finger tan head that was full of bubbles and faded slowly leaving great spotty foamy lacing and foamy rings as it went down.

Smells of rich roasted malts, chocolate, light vanilla, coffee, lemon zest, citrus hops, herbs, charcoal, piney hops and hints of flowers; roasted malts and hoppy notes work very well together, adding a fine bitterness that trails off on the sweet side.

Tastes like it smells, with roasted malts, chocolate, light vanilla, coffee, lemon zest, herbs, charcoal, piney hops, caramel, molasses, toasted grains and hints of flowers; complex and very tasty, getting better as it warms and letting the roasted malts synch up with the hops for a sweet and bitter finish that trails off like burnt coffee.

Mouthfeel is creamy and slick, with very light carbonation, a medium body and a chewy feel that runs off bitter. Overall a very tasty black lager that I'd definitely recommend.

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2012 03:29:24 | More by CHickman

alexgash

Connecticut

4.03/5  rDev +8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle. Bottled on 08/14/12. As usual, great looking Uinta bottle/label.

Dark root beer brown body. Some light gets through the edges, revealing a clear beer. Good inch of dense, pillowy, cappuccino brown head. Nice lacing. Earthy, roasted malt aromas. Tobacco, dark chocolate, and a hint of licorice as well.

Roasted barley and coffee notes up front. Slight cardboard flavor as well. Singed caramel and more roasted malts fill up the palate. Tobacco and earthy, peaty notes into the finish. Roasted coffee bitterness in the end, with lingering semi-sweet chocolate. Moderate body, with medium carbonation. A nice session beer with good flavor and complexity.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2012 23:30:28 | More by alexgash

superspak

Michigan

3.9/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12 ounce bottle into pilsener glass, bottled on 5/7/2012. Pours crystal clear dark reddish brown color with a nice 2 finger dense tan head with great retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Some good soapy lacing clings to the glass. Aromas of dark chocolate, coffee, toast, char, caramel, roasted malt, and light earthiness. Very nice and well balanced aromas with good strength. Taste of dark chocolate, char, roasted malt, coffee, caramel, toast, herbal, and earthiness. Lingering notes of roasted malt, coffee, dark chocolate, herbal, and earth on the finish for a short bit. Nice balance and robustness of flavors. Fairly dry on the finish with no cloying at all. Medium carbonation and light-medium bodied; with a lightly creamy and crisp mouthfeel that is good. Alcohol is well hidden with zero warming as expected of 4%. Overall this is a very nice schwarzbier. Very nice balanced and robust flavors for a 4% beer; very smooth to drink. Very enjoyable stuff. If I could get this around here, this would definitely be a nice session beer choice.

Serving type: bottle

10-03-2012 03:28:16 | More by superspak

StonedTrippin

Colorado

3.6/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

this is a heavy duty beer for a lager. pours midnight black and dense as anything, with a one inch light brown head. the nose is roasty dark malts and bready yeast. It so far is much more of a porter than a black lager i think. the flavor is very robust. burnt malt dominates the mouth, while some bitterness rises u in the finish, more from the darkness of the malt then from the hops. mouthfeel is pretty heavy again for a lager, lots of body in this one, and good carbonation. a nice bitter roasted flavor is left in the mouth for awhile, which is nice this time of year. overall a good fall session beer. super low abv makes it an all day beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2012 17:41:11 | More by StonedTrippin

lackenhauser

Maryland

4/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Deep black in color with a nice sized coffee colored head on top. Very nice roasted and grainy aroma. Trace of malty sweetness. Mellow roasted and dark grain flavors. Touch of burnt caramel going on. Quick hop bite at the end. Nice mouthfeel-higher level of CO2 gives it a slight zing on the tongue. A lot of flavor for such a low abv. Very sessionable and enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2012 01:33:17 | More by lackenhauser

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Beer #18 in my great Utah Brew Hunt.

Not a lot of schwarzbiers out there.

Again, I find myself appreciating this beer more as it warms. Nice malty roasted tone to it, but not so heavy or thorough that it's out of the style range. Fairly easy to drink. Oddly, more easy to drink than the lager I had just a bit earlier than this.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2012 02:50:10 | More by RblWthACoz

AEArider

Arizona

3.9/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured black, with a relatively thin tan head and good lacing. Smell is chocolatey and earthy. Taste is malt focused, with roasted coffee/chocolate notes which are pretty damn tasty. I feel like the taste is a lot like porters or even brown ales that focus on the roasted notes. . . the fact that this is a lager comes out most dominantly by the thinner mouthfeel, which makes for a much more drinkable brew, so I can dig it.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2012 03:32:18 | More by AEArider

bum732

Maryland

3.53/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

S: Whole coffee beans, some figs, some raisin bread

L: Black, light tan head that dissipates, little lacing.

T: Roasty edge up front with slight bready sweetness, quite bold. Medium bitterness leading to a very clean dryness. Finishes with a roasty edge, but quite clean.

M: Clean, medium light body, medium carbonation.

Not bad, a decent clean black lager.

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2012 02:08:19 | More by bum732

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

3.83/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Picked this up at the house of 1,000 for 3 bucks.

A - Pretty black for a dark lager. Almost pitch except for a haze of clarity ruby in color at the base of the glass. Head is opaque in color.

S - Smell is mild yet has some char roast and a touch of chocolate.

T - Mighty tasty stuff I really enjoy a black lager with a light grain profile. Plenty of mild smoke and roast mix with mild chocolate taste.

M - Light in body with a great flavor.

Overall one of the better black lagers I had. In fact I believe this beer might have the most flavor I seen in a black lager with an equally lower ABV perfect for session ability. Recommended!

Serving type: bottle

08-24-2012 03:59:06 | More by DrDemento456

wac9

Pennsylvania

4.15/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

wow what can i say about this beer its year round and its black its organic and its say for best taste pour in a glass its has a great after taste pours great in a glass its a must drink beer. finally some
good beers have arrived drink it tonight drink it pour it enjoy it

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2012 01:00:02 | More by wac9

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle into a pint glass.

The pour initially looks black but is actually a deep clear ruby in the glass, topped with 2 fingers of rich mocha colored head. This retains with a sturdy ½ finger of creamy froth, which leaves back a sticky latticework of lacing down the sides of the glass. The aroma smells leafy and citric up front, with a push up from underneath of cocoa, toffee, and roast. The hops here have an earthy ripeness to them that nicely compliments the sweetness of the malts.

The taste has a green citric bite the whole way through, which is softened by chalky chocolate character, some sweeter caramel flavor, and roast across the back. This finishes dry and bitter with a touch of lingering char. The mouthfeel is medium bodied and crisp on the tongue, with more of a crisp creaminess across the back. Some underlying oiliness really keeps this slick and smooth.

I really enjoyed this Schwarzbier, as it was nicely flavored, balanced, and mostly importantly, drinkable! I ripped through this glass a lot faster than I expected. This was another solid beer from these guys.

Serving type: bottle

08-10-2012 19:34:06 | More by Kegatron

AdamBear

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A-very dark brown with a nice tan head

S-creamy milky chocolate and a hint of dark roasted grains. Smells pretty awesome. 

T-comes in with a good taste of dark roasted grains, though it's slightly watery. It's definitely lageresque though could be confused with a brown ale. Matching after-taste.

M-low creamy carbonation with a semi dry finish. 

O-it's definitely an okay beer. It's easy drinking and tastes fine, though I wish it tasted more how it smelled. The flavors were a bit of a letdown. It'll be easy to finish though I don't see a need to get it again ever. It's forgettable.

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2012 00:11:43 | More by AdamBear

AnalogReigns

North Carolina

3.93/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours with a beautiful frothy head--as classic continental lagers should. The head itself is tan...with the beer being a solid black--you cannot see light through it.

Very little aroma other than some roast malt.

Taste is smooth, with a basic dark (but not at all bitter) malt flavor (Caraffa III?) --not sweet like a brown ale or some stouts. Hops are only enough to balance the malt, giving a crisp refreshing after taste.

Light mouthfeel, appropriate for a lager.

Overall, a VERY nice schwarzbier, not quite as good as as Heavy Seas/Devil's Backbone "Land Ho!" schwarz, or Köstritzer, but its getting there...

Certainly much better than Guinness' attempt at this style--and it warms my heart that Guinness, Sam Adams, Saranac, Full Sail, Heavy Seas, Duck Rabbit, Gordon Beirsch, Weeping Raddish--and a number of other craft-brewers are doing this classic German/Czech style.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2012 16:42:32 | More by AnalogReigns

Sjorge3442

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Pickeed up a loose single at the bottle shop. Been a huge fan of Uinta recently. This beer like their others is wonderful. The flavors combine to make a nice black lager.

A- dark. Slight reddish hue, almost non transparent

S - smells like a nice cup of coffee. Hints of vanilla and hazelnut. You can smell the roasted hops.

T - none of the flavors are overwelming,but like before mentioned, blend together perfectly. Its smooth and mellow but very drinkable

M - very light here. A few flavors lingure around, but nothing is over powering. Little to know carbonation

O - an exceptional black larger in my opinion. Well balanced wiith nice roasted malts and very little hop presence. Would certainly putrchase this again.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2012 21:19:46 | More by Sjorge3442

stampfler07

Georgia

3.73/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A- Pours a clear and dark amber-brown with a velvety brown head, light lacing clings to the glass

S- Cocoa and caramel tones, maybe a hint of roast

T- Nice roasted malt dominating, a little bit of brightness from the yeast, moderate bitterness rises in the middle then fades, finish has hints of cocoa

M- Low carbonation, moderate body, very smooth mouthfeel

O- Solid overall, pretty enjoyable

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2012 03:13:46 | More by stampfler07

bennetj17

Arizona

3.65/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle, packaged on 5/7/12. Mostly black appearance, with some light about the edges. Thin, light khaki foam, dissipating quickly. The beer has a fairly robust aroma of roasted malt and a splash of toffee.

The initial sip yields an intense, unexpectedly tangy sweet maltiness. It's a bit much on the tangy side at first, but it mellows after a few more sips, and considering the ABV you have to say it has a lot of flavor. There is moderate dryness with some light roasty grain character, coffee notes, and decent bitterness at the back. The mouthfeel is pretty nice, clean without being watery, with an appropriate amount of carbonation.

I cannot be sure if I like this beer or not, I certainly wasn't expecting a tartness to the roasted malts, but that sure makes it unique. Since it wasn't a boring, tasteless lager, I have to say it's worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2012 05:49:21 | More by bennetj17