Uinta Brewing Company: Baba Black Lager

Tonight I turn from the hoppy Hoptimum over to a black lager:

Uinta Brewing's Baba Black Lager

Uinta is a small brewery out in Salt Lake Utah that has been steadily growing their business over the past few years. There is not much else out there about the company other than they brew beers and name them after Utah's icons. You can read their full story here on their website. Something interesting I found out on their website is they were the first company in Utah to be 100% powered by wind in 2001. In 2011 they installed solar panels on the roof to generate 15% of their power, making them powered by 85% wind and 15% solar. They created their own brown glass recycling center and donate spent grain to local ranchers to use for feed cattle sheep and pigs.

This is the story behind the beer that I like to know before pouring it in the glass. I like to know about the company and what they are doing and how this beer got to my little ol' fridge here in Farmville. I think it just makes the drink that much more enjoyable.

The Baba Black Lager is a 4% ABV Schwarzbier. It is part of Uinta's Organic Line of beers, certified organic by the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food. Here is a link to frequently asked questions about organic food and regulations according to Utah. Being organic basically means it was made without any synthetic materials.

Lets get to drinking (finally)

So over the past few months I have had a few different dark beers, most of which I didn't like. Maybe it was because I didn't like how heavy they were, or because I tend to enjoy my beer sitting outside, normally in the sun, and they were just too much. As general guideline I've been telling myself that I don't like dark.

I poured this beer out and thought to myself: "Well crap, it's a 'black lager' so I'm not gonna enjoy this one." Boy, I made that assumption a little too quick. Yes, it pours almost black out the bottle, there was a little red in it when I held it up to a light, but a very dark ruby red, if anything. I smelled it and started to be intrigued. Coffee hit me first (I like coffee), then chocolate (I like chocolate), then a malty, smokey, burnt smell. "Ok, now we are getting into the stout type smells again, lets hope it goes better than what I'm expecting." First sip, let it slide over my tongue and down the hatch. I pulled the glass away to make sure it was the same thing I had just poured. It was light, much lighter than I expected. It had kind of a fizzy, crisp taste that I enjoyed. I tasted chocolate, coffee a light earthy taste, and maybe a little bit of a fruity hop taste that was balancing out any bitterness. (Baba Black Lager Beer Advocate Review)

This beer was surprisingly good. I'm happy to have my expectations shattered and really enjoyed this beer. It is quite different from the hop heavy drinks I've been drinking recently. I will happily keep my eyes out for more black lagers to compare to this drink, maybe this will be a gateway into the darker beers that get more popular after summer as the temperatures drop.

Have you had a black lager? What is your opinion? Any recommendations? Do you like dark beers generally? Let me know in the comments.

I'll pour me one more tomorrow and let you know how it is, until then- Cheers.