3.5 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20
Nearly black beer; brown head, reasonably stable. Dark, roasted malts & grains, oatmeal porridge, brown candig sugar and sweetbread in the nose. Roasted malts and grains make a bitterish surrounding for a rather sweet beer. Speculoos and a bit smokey flavours. Finish is quite long and mainly bitterish/roasted. Slight burning, there is some alcohol detectable. Aftertaste ends chocolatey. Has several characteristics of a (rather good) Doppelbock. Nice beer, really. Has even some esters, though it is bottom-fermenting.
3.4 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 13/20
Creamy sharp licorice aroma, with a soft and creamy palate and a milk smoky milk flavor. Heavy smoke and wood finish.
3.6 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
Aroma is heavy chocolate with some roasted malts and light hops with some nutmeg, brown sugar and a dash of soy sauce. Pours with a large brown head that covers an extremely dark brown body (practically black). Taste is for the choclate lovers, it is extremely sweet throughout with lots ’o chocolate! There is a pretty decent alcohol presence. Creamy body and lively carbonation round out this suprisingly good Russian brew.
3.5 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
At last a good Russian beer. This is dark with a cappucino coloured head. Good sweetened black coffee flavours . Nice roast malts. Recommended.
3 AROMA 5/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 12/20
Black color, Roasted malt, coffee aroma and tastre, medium body, light sweet finish. Medium stout.
4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
Pours dark brwon with a tan head. Smells of raisins, some chocolate, touches of pepper. Tastes slightly bitter with chocolate winning out over coffee. Hints of dark fruit and toffee emerge as the beer warms. Mouthfeel is oily with some tingly earthy sensations. Finish is sweet. One of the better Russian beers I’ve had.
3.9 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
UPDATED: MAR 31, 2008 Blind tasting with Tranquility. 500ml bottle. Tight creamy and dark head, stays for ever. Aroma chocolatey. (On another bottle, I got gravy - meat and yeast.) Tastes like a hefty stout, some alcohol due to the 7%, full maltiness, not oppressingly burnt. As it gets warmer, there will be even bacon in the taste! Well rounded, make this the last 2 beers of the evening...
2.7 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 2/5 TASTE 5/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 11/20
I finally got around to picking a bottle of the highest rated Russian beer. I can’t say I was too awed. The crystal clear, albeit dark brown poor lost its head within 20 seconds. Underneath, a brown sugar dominance provide no backing earthiness/smokiness/bitterness and roast from its dark malts was barely noticeable, perhaps a hint of cocoa here and there. Immensely sweet, like sugar cereals with its breadiness. Never chewy, relatively light-bodied and not without watery edges. I hoped for more fruity depth.
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