Uinta Baba

Uinta is a brewery from Salt Lake City, Utah that I haven’t talked about in a long time. My first experiences with them impressed their dedication to quality on me and also made me aware of the fact that their brewery is a 100% wind powered. They’re an interesting group of guys and the other night when I saw the Baba on tap I decided to give it a go. I will say, because I made this mistake on a cold winter night, it is Baba as in Baba Black Sheep not Baba Yaga and this is a schwarzbier not a russian imperial.

As you are probably aware, I’m a big fan of schwarzbier and so was reasonably excited when the beer poured a characteristic black color with red hues and a light fluffy brown head. The nose though was the first thing that seemed off to me, as it smelled strongly of biscuity malt with none of the sweeter caramel or toffee scents mixed with hints of roasted malt. Then I took my first sip and found the beer to be exceedingly light bodied with a watery mouthfeel that was fairly off putting.

That biscuity malt flavor formed the core of the Baba, and while certainly not unpleasant it was so strikingly at odds with my expectations that it was hard to adjust to. Then came the barest hint of traditional roasted malt flavor with a strong burnt coffee taste that did not mingle well with the biscuitiness. Finally, a sharp hop bite threw the entire beer off kilter and pretty much ended my hopes of enjoying it.

Even as a generic ‘black lager’ I wouldn’t recommend the Baba if you want a taste of Uinta beer. They definitely produce far better brews that you might want to check out instead.

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