Afanasiy Temnoe (Afanasy Tver Beer Dark)

Brewed by OAO Brau Servis (Tver Brewing)
Style: Dunkel
Tver, Russia

Serve in Dimpled mug, Lager glass, Stein

send corrections   |   shelftag   |   edit barcodes   |   add pic

I personally enjoyed this one. Smelled like molasses and hops to me. The odd shaped bottle and size (11.2 oz) with a thermal decal letting you know it was the right temp to drink were neat. I had a similar Russian beer in Kyrgyzstan and was looking to duplicate that. I was not dissappointed

It pours a deep milky brown in the glass, with a touch of yeast sediment in the bottom of the quirky octagon bottle. A soft pale brown head clings to the glass nicely, but the nose explodes with caramel and malt before you can even get your lips to the rim. Sweet and creamy, the flavors roll over the palate and open up tremendously as the glass warms, with huge notes of caramel, along with banana, almond, raisin and a light bitter bite in the back of the tongue. Time has improved it tremendously from my recollection as the high octane burn has dissipated and the flavors have blended into a more subtle blend of softer notes, rather than the "bull in an antique market" experience of several years ago. On the negative, it did have a bit of earthy oxidation, probably a result of the beneficial aging. Obviously, this is a difficult find, but it’s certainly an interesting pour after a half dozen or more years. On my first few tries, I’d have probably given it a lower score score, but this aged sample was at least enough to recommend it. Nostrovia!

Pours dark reddish brown color with tan head. Aromas of dark fruits and caramel. Similar flavors but not all that good. Totally flat, zero carbonation. Medium body. Meh. At least the bottle I came in was kind of cool looking (different than the one pictured here).

clear light brown with a medium sized head. very malty with notes of chocolate. caramel, and nuts. aroma is similar. a pretty good dunkel.

Name: Afanasiy Temnoe (Afanasy Tver Beer Dark)
Date: 12/26/2003
Mode: Bottle
Source: Beverage Resort

muddy brown with a nice tan head, slightly fruity rich sweet malt aroma, lots of rich carmel malt flavor, like a cross between a bock and a barleywine, almost cloying but balanced without being hoppy

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 5/10; Overall: 13/20
Rating: 3.2/5.0
Score: **+/4
-------- /> The score was calculated based upon the notes and an old scoring system.

Murky brown with a very fleeting head and no lacing. Strong and very sweet aroma of malts and honey. Malty taste with rather prominent alcohol and honey and a mild coffee finish. An odd beverage but not at all unpleasant -- a nice curiosity if nothing else.

Bottle. Pours a brown copper with off-white head. There is a strong aroma of burnt sugar, along with some raisins and a ton of malt. The palate is a bit thin, but conveys flavors of burnt sugar, some leaves, malt, banana-tasting yeast. Not much in the way of hops. Ok.

a little yeasty. Slightly thick. But it’s smooth going down and has an inoffensive aftertaste.

Pours a nice dark brown color. Aromas of caramel malt and grains. Smells like it has more than 5% alcohol. Flavor has a nice sweet, caramel malt flavor and finishes with an almost peanut brittle like taste.

(Bottle) Pours a murky amber body with a small white head. Aroma of caramel, brown sugar, and malt. Sweet malt flavor.