Aldaris Stiprais

Brewed by Aldaris (Carlsberg)
Style: Strong Pale Lager/Imperial Pils
Riga, Latvia

Serve in Lager glass

Pours medium to light gold with massive foamy head that practically sprints back down into the beer. There really is something trying to come through in the nose. There’s a pleasant astringency and grassiness and maybe I’m digging, but perhaps rubber? Clean and pleasant taste of corn and very light malts. Some hops are present but not enough that you’d give a passing glance if your mind were anywhere else. Not terrible, still better than half of the American premiums. Totally hides the 6.5% abv, unlike certain ’ice’ beers.

Drinks like a (slightly skunky) svitle/svetloe, kicks like a mitsne/krepkoe! Vaguely exotic find (I barely had Latvian beer in freakin’ Latvia, but here ’twas), and interesting in its sparseness (lemongrass, as someone noted; with far less sweet-syrup malt used, and not necessarily for the worse). Overall, not outstanding but not bad, and "not bad" in a different way than the usual ECE brew.

Bottle. Hazy amber brew. Aroma of spoiled apple and stale seaport water. Flavor of Robitussin. Horrible brew. Maybe bottle was not fresh. But I’m suspicious of the beer the front label of which says “Lager”, while back one says “all malt ale”.

50cl bottle, Alko. Pours clear honey color with a frothy, white head, lasting nice lacing. Aroma is malt and slightly metal in nose. Flavour is sweet malt and bready notes with some alcohol, slighly bitter finish.

Lemongrass nose. Clear yellow average vanishing white head. Malty, tart lemon flavor, bitter lemon grass finish. Decent balance. Not overly sweet like I have come to expect from foreign lagers. Alcohol well concealed.

Orange-coloured beer with a medium head. Fruity smell with syrupy malt, and hints of alcohol. The taste is really watery, and extremely sweetly malty, with hints of grassy hops. The mouthfeel is also quite watery.

Bottle 50cl.
[ Trade by oh6gdx ]. Clear light to medium yellow orange color with a large, frothy to creamy, good lacing, fully lasting, off-white head. Aroma is moderate malty, grain, straw, sweet malt, light to moderate hoppy. Flavor is moderate sweet and light bitter with a average duration. Body is medium to light, texture is watery to oily, carbonation is soft. [20090625]

It poured a clear golden liquid with a small foam that left some lacing. It didn’t have any odor at all and tasted very watery and bland.