Have ye any wool?

Brewery: Uinta Brewing Co.
Location: SLC, UT
Name: Baba
Type: Black Lager
ABV: 4.0%
Purchased from: Grape & Gourmet, Va Beach
Price: $1.69




I've had a few Uinta beers in the past, but only a few. At least I think that's the case. I can't actually recall but I'm fairly certain I've had at least one prior to Baba. In any case, I grabbed this beer because of its name and it's label. There was something homespun about it. No flashy colors or slick paper. Just to the point as if to say "Take it or leave it, this is what I am." So I took it. And then I consumed it. Baba lives up to its nomenclature by being as dark brown something can be before it could be classified as black. There's also a slight crimson accent to it when you hold it up to the light. The head was pretty tight and tan colored which made the lacing look pretty along the sides of my glass. The nose is a mixture of bitter roasted coffee, prune, and a smoky kind of sweetness. Not at all surprising but still very fragrant and it did a pretty good job making my mouth water. The body is unquestionably light and ripe with carbonation. With a minuscule amount of alcohol I didn't expect anything heavy; so far, expectations have been met. To me this is coming off as a bit of a "one note" beer. The roasted malts are doing really well to give that great taste of bitter coffee but I'm struggling to pick up much after that. Sure there's a bit of bread present and a shy amount of dark caramel sweetness towards the middle...but that's about it. I felt like there was a bit of a watered down nature to this beer that swelled up towards the end of the flavor profile. The aftertaste was delightfully smokey and thick with roasted bitterness. There is a nice amount of flavor to this beer but I was left wanting a little more complexity to it. Maybe a heavier hand with the sweetness of the malt or a splash of chocolatey goodness would have been nice. I don't think that I'm being overly critical...I'm just feeling a little let down. Black lagers and black IPAs are hit or miss with me. Baba is a wonderful alternative to any other "light" beer you will come across. More flavorful than the platinums, selects, 55s, and ultras will ever hope to be. While bold in it's roasted bitterness, Baba bleats borderline boring.

Hard not to feel sheepish here.