These are some of my beer
reviews, my experiences with Russian beer while we were living in Belarus. Some of these are taken from our
Newsletters, some reviews were written just for this page. If you have a favorite beer and you would like to send a review, please e-mail
your review to us.
Was enjoying a beer last night after we got all finished with work. I bought a new beer to try, called "Black Prince." This is a dark beer made here in Belarus, tried one bottle. This stuff is OK, amazing it has 15% alcohol. I have never had a beer with that much alcohol to my knowledge. Interesting taste, I would go very easy with this stuff. Cost is reasonable at about 47 cents per 1/2 liter bottle. The weather has turned much colder, nasty wind yesterday and so far today. We here hope to get back to that more mild weather. We walk to a small indoor "Kiosk" I would call it, a very small store about a 5 minute walk from here. This is where I get my interesting beer, and a few other things we need. This place is basically our "convenience store." It is run by Olga and her husband, some very nice people. Olga speaks English, it is great to stop in and say hello. She has an employee who is married but who has a sister who wants to join our agency. Olga knows the family and tells us they are good people, so she will soon come over for her first interview. It is nice to speak some English with Olga, her husband does not speak English, but Nina likes him as well. Very hard working, good people. We will take some photos of this place and post those in the Newsletter.
Speaking
about the Super Bowl and beer, since I got here I have found one of the best
tasting dark beers ever. It is made in Russia, and the name is "Baltika."
They have different numbers, I prefer the dark #6. Great stuff. I shall stock
up and enjoy while following the Super Bowl on this damn computer. Alex turned
me onto this beer when we got to Minsk last month. He bought me a "mini
keg", which we hauled on the train from Minsk to Vitebsk. THANK YOU
BUDDY!!! I'm sure we turned a few heads as we went past people with the
keg.
This is the
label on the keg, which contains #7 only, a light beer. >>>
Perhaps I should add a category to the rating system for our Russian women. It would go something like this. "Her attitude and acceptance of her future husband to be able to have a few "Baltikas", watch a good football game, scream at the TV, and not be angry about that". Any rating over a 10, or average, in this category would simply REQUIRE any guy with any common sense at all to drop everything at once, get over here and PROPOSE to this Russian woman AT ONCE! :-)
You know when you just want to sit back, relax, have a beer and enjoy yourself the big question all us guys face is, which beer? This was the challenge facing me last night. Nina and I took a walk down to see our friends at our little convenience store, actually Nina and all the other Russian people were walking, I was sliding. The people watching me try to walk on the ice must be thinking to themselves, "there goes that idiot American again, trying to find his footing." At least they are kind and keep those thoughts to themselves. Anyway, we go to the store, Olga and Viktor and the gang are all there, and the dilemma hits me in the face. Which beer?
"Baltika
#6 label>>>>>
Now anyone following this newsletter knows that Alex turned me on to "Baltika" beer, #6 is my favorite, the very dark beer. (Thank you Alex!) The problem last night was Olga and Viktor only had one "Baltika" #6, so the dilemma began. Viktor suggested "Yaroslavl Beer", so I got a few. Interesting that Nina was born in Yaroslavl Russia, a town about 150 miles north of Moscow, this is where this beer is made, hence the name. On the cans, the wording on the name is a Russian letter "YA", then a Russian letter "R", which looks like our "P", and then "Pero", or beer. So the name has the first two letters of Yaroslavl, then beer, meaning Yaroslavl Beer.
This beer is also a dark beer, but only say 50% as dark as the "Baltika" #6. It is a lighter beer, not as rich or full flavored as the "Baltika", but it is quite good.
Had a nice and relaxing evening, Nina and I had a nice discussion about life in the USA verses life in Belarus. We have had many discussions comparing life in the two countries. Most of these discussions start out by talking about the differences between the two places. Most of these conversations end up with the both of us realizing how similar life is between the two countries. Interesting small differences, some cultural slight differences of course, but in general people live, work, raise families, and so on just like people do around the world.
Another
review: Coming soon, "Afanassy", and "Fat" beers.
"Afanassey" beer.
Dark bottle with a green label (some with red label as shown below) with the picture of a smiling farmer type guy on the label. The name of the beer is actually an old Russian name, not used much anymore according to Nina. The top smaller label has a small picture of a ship that is difficult to see. When the beer is cooled down to about +12 degrees Celcius, the little ship becomes dark and much more easy to see. Your beer is now ready to drink. This is a slightly dark beer, but much lighter than "Baltika" #6. Nice flavor, just a tad sweet, very nice and light. Alcohol content is 4.8%, the density listed on the bottle is 14%. The beer is made in Tver, Russia. Nice beer, I will need to do a follow up test as soon as possible.
The ship which turns color when the beer is cold enough is in the small circle in the small top label. It does not scan, sorry.
"Fat Man."
The name on the bottle sounds like "tolstayrk." The literal meaning is of course "Fat Man". Made in Perm and Saransk, the label is light brown with the picture of a happy fat guy, holding a mug of beer. Alcohol content is 6.1%, density is 14%. Nice tasting beer, the label says " in the company of friends, in a good mood guaranteed", to the best of our translation abilities. Similar to "Afanasey" above, a good lighter beer if you want to enjoy a few. Slightly higher alcohol content, but not offensive to the taste.
"Yaroslavl Beer" Original.
The "original" is a light beer. See above for the darker beer of the same name. Green can, says "original" in English. Alcohol content is 4.7%, density is 11%. This is a good light beer with some rich flavor. Not at all like the American light beers which basically taste like watered down beer. To me, all the big name light beers in the USA taste like watered down beer. Bud light, Miller light, and so on down the list. This beer has a full flavor, nice light density, good all around beer. Comes in 1/2 liter cans, tastes as good to me as bottled beer. I would recommend this beer, having a few does not cause any problems the day after.
"Baltika" #5.
This #5 is also a light beer, not at all like the #6, which is my favorite sipping beer. Density is at 13%, alcohol content is 6%. Sold in 1/2 liter bottles. This beer is a little heavier than the "Yaroslavl Original" above, with a bit more richness in the flavor. It is not nearly as rich as the "Baltika #6", a good light beer again. Somehow this beer has a rich flavor without being dark. It has been my experience in the Ohio area, especially the Northeast part, that the best beer there tends to be from the micro-breweries. These beers are the closest to what I am experiencing here in bottles and cans. Too bad the large companies can't make a good canned and bottled beer in the USA. I think they are more concerned with marketing than the quality of their product, and I for one will not buy into that garbage.
Testing beer at night, interviewing ladies, our Russian women members who will
be future Russian brides that look this great during the day.
Not a bad life, do you agree??
"Baltika" #4
Tried the #4 variety last night, this is also a dark beer. The bottle and label look exactly like the #6, but this dark beer is a bit lighter than the #6. Good flavor, really about the same as #6, just a bit more light. Density is 15%, alcohol content is 5.6%. Higher density than #5, which is at 13%, with just a bit less alcohol content. You remember #5 is a light beer. I generally prefer the dark varieties, more rich flavor. This particular flavor is made in St. Pete.
"Baltika" #3
This is a very light beer. Same dark bottle, blue labels. Alcohol content is at 4.8%, the density is at 12%. I tend to like the darker, more "full" beer with higher densities. This beer does not have so much flavor, it almost reminds me of the light American type beers, but it is not quite that bad. Probably OK for light beer drinkers. Not that much flavor, but also not as filling. I'll take the #6.
"Botchkarev"
As far as I know, there are at least 3 different flavors of this beer. I have the dark bottle with green labels. Alcohol content is 5.5%, density is 12%. This is a light beer, but much better tasting than "Baltika" #3 above. Good beer flavor, not too bitter. This variety is made in St. Pete. As a bonus guys, there is a love story printed on the back of the bottle. The love story translates into something like this.
"A man meets a woman, she tells him she likes him. He decides to ask her out on a date, she agrees and he is to call in a few days. Our guy is so excited, he goes to the local pub to tell his friends about his new girl friend. He of course buys two "Botchkalevs", and his friend and he have a beer together." I don't know if this is a continuing story or not, I will buy some more later to see how the story turns out. The beer is good enough to take the chance. Label below.
The little story is on the back label, with the yellow background.
"Alivaria"
Nice light beer made in Minsk. Alcohol is at 5.1%, the density is at 12%. Nice full flavor for a light beer, better than many other light beers in my opinion. Guess what. Priced at about 26 cents for a 1/2 liter, this beer costs about half as much as Baltika! What a deal, right?
Here is a scan of the bottle labels, so you know what to buy when you get here.
"Bochka"
Bochka is the Russian word for "barrel." If you see a fat woman walking on the street, you can call her a bochka, and run for your life.
This is a nice dark beer full of flavor. Made in Kaluga Russia, about 100 KM from Moscow, has been made since 1875. Alcohol content is 5%, density is 12%. This beer has won many awards, not surprising as it has a full, rich flavor and is not too heavy. Priced about the same as the Baltica products, this is a fine beer worth a try. Label below.
"Windmill" Beer
This is a light beer, alcohol content is at 4.6%. Density is at 11%. Nice flavor, not as rich as some of the other light beers here, but a nice flavor. Perhaps I will have a few tonight, and see if I can pronounce the name of this stuff. See scan below.
"Ovolone" Beer
This is a great Ukranian beer, dark, full of flavor. This beer rivals my favorite "Baltika #6". Alcohol content at 5%, density is at 14%. This beer has a great flavor, very rich. If you like dark beer, do give this product a try. Priced about the same as the "Baltika" products, very nice. See scan of label below.
Back home in Ohio now.....
"Yuengling" Beer.
It's been a while since I've done a beer review....but here goes:
Our good friend & member Don brought us some Yuengling Beer... pronounced "Yingling"...to help us bring in '04.....We had a New Year's Eve party together here in Akron. Don lives in Eastern PA, and he brought us this wonderful surprise. Yuengling Beer isn't sold in this area, unfortunately.....only in the Eastern PA area.
As of 2011, we now have Yuengling Beer here in Northeast Ohio! How about that!
Here we all are doing our official beer "testing", and making fun of Nina for not wearing her party hat. It's a tuff job.........well, you know.
Here's my take on this beer.....It's every bit as good as my favorite, which happens to be Baltika #6. It's tasty, not too heavy, just an excellent beer in my opinion. Established in 1829, made in Pottsville PA, they say they're America's oldest brewery.
The next time you're in the Eastern PA area, give it a try. Here's a photo of the bottle to help you remember.
And BTW.....Thanks Don! We can't wait till your beautiful future Belarus bride gets over here Bud!
"Leinenkugel" Beer.
This is an interesting lager brewed in Chippewa Falls Wisconsin. Nice taste, not too heavy, I like this stuff. Well, who wouldn't like a beer called "BigButt-Doppelbock?" I have no idea what the alcohol content is, but according to the bottle, this beer is brewed by "73 people who care"....brewed since 1867.
Works for me. Here's a photo, give this stuff a try:
Vodka choice....
This isn't a "beer review" here...It's Winter, my beautiful Russian bride Nina is over in Vitebsk meeting with our Russian women members, and she sends me this photo. She will bring home a bottle, she knows I like to have cool Russian bottles behind our bar at home, even tho I'm not a Vodka drinker.....and she asks me which one I would like. I tell her I like the "Red-Star" bottle. Do you agree?
"Krusovice" Beer.
We have a soon-to-be new member, Eric, who sent us his review on Krusovice Beer. We haven't tried it yet, but we will be checking out our local exotic beer store to see if we can find this beer. Thanks Eric!
While looking around there I saw Greg had a 'beer review' page. He had some beers that I had tried and a few I will now be looking for. I thought he might be interested in a recommendation. While in Russia this year over the holidays I discovered and tried a new beer. It is called Krusovice. They make a number of different types but the one I tried and really liked was the Cerne Imperial (Dark) variety. So as I really enjoyed it, I did some calling and digging to see if I could get it here. I am able to and I got myself a case. I bet you could get it out in your area also.
Anyway, I just thought I'd toss my .02 into the ring. Hope all is well,
Eric
REMEMBER.....Have fun......But not TOO much fun! :-)
