Bochkarev Krepkoe Osoboe (Extra)

Brewed by Bochkarev Brewery (Heineken)
Style: Malt Liquor
St. Petersburg, Russia

Serve in Lager glass, Paper Bag, Shaker

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7% version. Pale amber pour with a tight white head. The aroma is moderately sweet but it doesn’t have that fusely awfulness that I might have expected. Light malt and some very faint alcohol flavour. Not much in the way of hops but it’s not cloying either. Not a terrible strong lager, such as they are.

Bochkarev Brewery--Heineken Brewery LLC.--Russia--Bochkarev Extra Beer--2004 16.9 oz. Bottle. 8.00% ABV. 20 IBU’s? (4.5 / 5.0) Malt Liquor. Thin mild lace big white head. Clear thin straw color. Buttery floral hop front. Smooth clean rich Pils sweet creamy butterscotch body. Clean balanced mild hop end. Mild citrus fruit notes. Rich Russian. 3/11/2004.

My bottle (not the one pictured: see frankenkitty’s review) was entirely in Russian. My attempt to translate it using a Cyrillic alphabet and a Russian-English, English-Russian dictionary from 1961 (several pages missing throughout) follows: From Russia with loving! Much enjoyment to ensue from the drinking! Inferior ingredients have pleased to have been discouraged from useage. Decandent Western brewers use Noble hops...Proudly we are to use only most glorious former- Soviet Republic Chernobyl Hops! Nasdrovya! (A crude image of a bald man pounding what appears to be a shoe on a table, under which this apparent motto, "We will BURY you, one sip at a time!!!) The following appeared to be issued as a warning: NOT TO BE USING AS DIESEL ADDITIVE FOR TO MAKE WINTER TRUCK EASIER START-UP...UNLESS STAND WELL BACK!

Staying with my Russian theme for this Sunday evening, I gave this one a try and it was quite below average. Aroma was very metallic, some alcohol, but suprisingly (thankfully) no skunk. I couldn’t pick up much else because the metallic scent was really overpowering. Appearance was a lightl yellow in color, a little haze and decent ivory white head. Mouthfeel was light to medium bodied, and a little harsh with the alcohol. Flavor was metal (think licking a dirty penny), a little hoppy and some malty sweetness. But like the nose, the flavor of this beer was squahsed by the prominent metallic flavor going on. Overall, not a very good beer and since it came in a pint bottle pretty tough to drink the whole thing.

500 ml bottle poured a clear yellow with a small dissapating white head. Aromas of light graininess, grass and straw. Palate was light bodied and crisp. Flavors of white bread, grass and corn with a lingering sweet finish.

tap. As I recall it: Pours golden. Fresh, moderate hoppiness, some traces of fruit in taste and aroma. Also some traces of wet grass. Not 100% sure this is the one I had though, but I think so. Pardon me if not.

(bottle - 500 ml) Pale gold pour with a soapy white head. Aroma is oddly sweet. Lots of malts and not very much in the hop department. Taste is very sweet and malty with some metallic hints and tons of alcohol at the end. Very harsh, watery, and metallic.

Canned. pale yellow in colour. Rich fluffy white head, lacings. The aroma is hayish an metallic. It has a sweet flavour of malt and alcohol. It’s quite fruity and it has a dry aftertaste.

Canned (as: Bochkarev Krepkoe Osoboe) . Yellow colour, not much head. Aroma is alcohol and hay. Flavour is strong malty, with metallic hints. Some alcohol also noteable, but not very much. Sticky palate. Not all too bad.

Can 500ml (BB 04/2006)
Pale yellow, small, mostly vanishing white head. Papery malty aroma, not very strong nose. Malty, fruity, metallic, could be a bit maltier. Alcohol is not dominating so much here so proper style might be European strong lager instead of malt liquer. Fruity and slightly alcoholic aftertaste.