Baltika 9 Krepkoe (Strong)

Brewed by Baltika Brewery (Baltic Beverages Holding - Carlsberg)
Style: Strong Pale Lager/Imperial Pils
St. Petersburg, Russia

Serve in Lager glass

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This is a great beer - one of the best combos of great flavor and ass-kickin’ power around; it’s one of my regular brews. Although it bears some resemblance to Steel Reserve (which is pretty good), Baltika #9 has a rounded, balanced smoothness that sets it apart. The guys panning it must be a) teetotalers; b)lobotomy victims; or c) white zinfandel drinkers.

I hope this is the same beer as my bottle said pale beer. If it is I cannot understand the rating. While I am unfamilier with malt liquer this to me did taste like a mild pale ale. I thought Malt liquer was supposed to be sweet? This had only a undertone of it. Kind of similer to bass with its mild sour and sweet flavor. While not something I would buy a case of. This was very good.

Looks like I will be one of the few that likes this one. But this style, what I call a Strong Continental Lager is my guilty pleasure. This was yummy in all the wrong ways!!

Baltika Brewery--Baltika Extra Pale Beer--#9--2002 16.9 oz. Bottle. 8.00% ABV. (4.0 / 5.0) Malt Liquor. Clear thin light straw golden color. Mild lacy head. Clean mild floral adjunct hop front. Crisp tangy clean dry sweet rich tasty pilsner body. Clean balanced rich mild hop end. Adjunct Pilsner flavor. Rich. Sampled 1/2/2003. Baltika Brewery--#9 Extra Lager--2006 16.9 oz. Bottle. 8.00% ABV. 25 IBU’s? (4.25 / 5.0) Pale Lager--Imperial. 2 @ $2.09 Each. Mild head. Clear bright rich yellow gold color. Mild hop front. Smooth mild creamy crisp big Pilsner Pale Lager rich mild sweet butterscotch Maltose syrup adjunct amped body. Smooth mild hop citrus clean balanced rich end. Aged well. Sampled 3/23/2008. Baltika Brewery--#9 Extra Lager--2008 16.9 oz. Bottle. 8.00% ABV. 25 IBU’s? (4.5 / 5.0) Pale Lager--Imperial. Thin foamy mild head. Clear bright thin yellow gold color. Mild zesty hop front. Crisp mild creamy tangy Pilsner Pale Lager dry sweet adjunct maltose syrup amped body. Smooth zesty fresh mild hop citrus clean balanced rich end. Better Fresh! Sampled 3/23/2008. $2.49 Each.

$2.49 for a 16 oz. bottle at Blu Max, recommended by a guy who works there. Wow, had low expectations after reading these comments but really tasted like a fuller, more potent version of Bell’s Winter Ale. Very soothing, creamy, malty and inviting. Different wrapper than what’s featured in the ratebeer photo, will definitely try again.

Hazy straw pour with a lathery white head reminiscent of sea foam. The head lingers long, laces well, and never fades completely away. Aroma of sour green apples. Cereal malt taste up front just slightly overtaking the bittering hops. Very crisp and clean for the high ABV. There’s a slight booziness that lingers on the palate. Very drinkable (which is scary!). Tasty and full bodied. This beer came highly recommended and it has really grown on me. I like it despite the low marks from other raters. Worth trying and enjoying while camping on a cool evening or with an appetizer course during a nice meal.

I totally agree with the "commercial descrition": sweetish, soft malt flavour, very pleasant and easy to drink. very light flavour for its 8 ABV. Golden colour with barely no foam. Light-medium body, pleasantly long finish. Indeed a worth-to-be-tried beer. Althought be careful: this is the first time I rate a beer here, so I’m not confident about the grades I gave..

lucent gold, thin white head, sticky medium body, very high co2.

aroma: sherry, bit of herbal hops, adjunct notes.

taste:
T1= bright fruit, carbonic acid, hint of sherry.
T2= flash of lambic acidity, flat cardboardy malt, fairly strong sherry note through the back, lots of co2 on the tongue with some carbonic acid harshness, faint herbal hop note.
T3= sticky adjunct (corn oil), alcohol warmth, hints of sherry.
Tf= a lot fruitier, a bit more herbal hop presence, a subtler sherry note.

sherry notes make me wonder about oxidation, but this bottle is only 10 months old, and is still 2 months before it’s best by date. the carbonation is rather harsh at first, but as the co2 mellows out, many subtle flavors start to emerge. the flavors to me, while not fantastic when drinking this beer by itself, offer great pairing possibilities with some rich and roasty foods. the high co2 and alcohol give this a lot of palatal impact and cutting power. alcohol remains the prominent flavor contributer throughout, but this beer certainly gets better and better as it warms, and releases a lot of subtle complexity and nuances.

This grew out of a partnership between Efes and Baltika. So this is similar to Efes Extra, a very good strong lager. Pours pale yellow like a good pils. Great foamy white head, fades slowly with some nice lace. Aromas of alcohol, apple, yeast. Tastes of apple, light hops, sweet fruit and malt. Good all-around lager (by the way, it’s bottom fermented). I’d have it for a daily drinker -- beats hell out of Bud and Miller.