Saranac Discontinues Black Forest

The problem is Black Forest falls outside the brewery’s top 5 sellers, making it hard to get shelf space in stores or taps in bars, Matt said. Still, he said, the beer is quite popular in that part of Saranac’s market that includes Utica, Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo.

The solution might be that Saranac builds a new smaller brewhouse as part of an expansion across from its existing one (which is in a complex that dates to 1888). The new brewhouse, if built, would have a kettle that makes 100-barrel batches, to accommodate niche beers, or non-best sellers, like Black Forest. The main brewery has two 500-barrel brew kettles — too large for all but the biggest brews.

"Black Forest is a good beer, with a loyal following, and we don’t like trimming anything," Matt said. "At the same time, the market is always looking for new things."