Sunday Night Suds - Saranac Black & Tan

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Saranac Black & Tan.

Originally I had another beer which I was going to review this evening, but when my cousin and her husband had the good sense to bring cold Saranac to our Father's Day BBQ, I quickly shelved the other brew and broke out the Saranac Black & Tan.

Ok, in fairness Black & Tan is not one beer, even if it comes "pre-mixed" in a bottle. It is my understanding from my personal beer guru Charlie H that Black & Tan began in the UK with a mixture of Guinness and Bass Ale. As instructed by Charlie, one begins the mixture by filling a glass halfway with an ale. The next step is to pour the stout over an inverted spoon so that it does not splash and the layers don't mix. If mixed properly, the finished product allows for a taste of both beers in the same swallow.

I have tried on many a Purim to fashion my own black and tan, either with Guinness and Bass or Guiness and Smithwicks (pronounced "Smiddicks") and more recently with Saranac Irish Red and Irish Stout. Unfortunately, I cannot get it just right.

The Saranac Black & Tan is not the first domestic Black & Tan in a bottle that I have tried, as in my early beer days I used to buy sixers of Yuenging Black & Tan. While I find the Saranac superior to the Yuengling, I just can't shake the feeling that this is not what a Black & Tan is supposed to taste like.

So what does the Saranac Black & Tan taste like? Since it mixes lager with a stout, the beer picks up the coffee-like flavor of the stout but also has some dryness to it. My aishes chayil Mrs KB was really liking the flavor, its a shame that the Adirondack Trail Mix pack only has one of these in the pack.

Saranac Black & Tan is under the Kosher Supervision of the Va'ad of Detroit, as is every other brew produced by Saranac. To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about Saranac Black & Tan, please follow this link http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/99/906.

As always, please remember to drink responsibly and to never waste good beer unless there is no designated driver.

If you've tried this beer or any others which have been reviewed on the kosher beers site, please feel free to post your comments (anonymous comments are acceptable).

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