Kupiškio Keptinis

Brewed by Kupiškio Alus
Style: Traditional Ale
Kupiškis, Lithuania

Serve in Dimpled mug, English pint, Stein, Yard

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Bottle best by August 2013, had at Bambalyne in Vilnius. Dark reddish-brown body, small off-white ring of a head, forced to stand for 10 seconds before dying. First whiff is malt / grain-focused with some strange fruity esters: gamey apples, red plum, coffee. Minimal aroma hops, instead the phenols and acids and esters give it a strange spiced apple cider and tea character, and there’s just a hint of smoke (for me, at least. my friends got more smoke) and some wet animal air and basement must. Very bready / grainy flavor, still rather raw but not as raw compared to what passes as normal beer in Lithuania. Lightly sweet body, watery texture, medium-low acid, medium to low bitterness. Musty yeast character similar to some Zoilgbier of Oberpfalz (not always a good comparison, as some Zoigl out there can be pretty dirty and game-y). Somewhat soft and creamy body with low carbonation, more effervescent than most Lithuanian country beer. Smooth malt texture as well, also better than most. In summary, an interesting beer that seems in good shape, and lacks any overt brewing flaws seen across most country beers here. This was the first beer opened in Lithuania, so our first impression was rather good, there seemed to be something unique here. Sadly, almost every beer we had after this one was chock-full of flaws.

29th June 2012
Thanks to Keen Massey for this one. Cloudy amber beer. Few tan bubbles for head. Crispy palate, minerals. Semi sweet malt with a little caramel. Very mild smoke. Semi dry finish. Not sure there are any hops here at all!

Bottle sampled at Dan, thanks. Thick lasting beige head. Red color. Dry woody and lots of coffey aroma. Much coffey in the taste as well with a rough bitterness.

Bottle bought from Rasputin’s Food and Wine, Ipswich. Sold as ’live beer’. Poured quite flat with minimal head, but nice copper brown colour and quite clear. Aroma of caramel toffee with bitter sweet taste. Very drinkable.

In short: A sessionnable toasted copper ale with a wooden character. Nice
How: Bottle 1L swing-top, shared with friends at Bambalyne, Vilnius, Lithuania
The look: Partly cloudy copper body topped by a medium tan head
In long: Nose has plenty of toasted hay (a recurrent theme with Lithanian smaller breweries) and with a light farmhouse and a little burnt wood sensation. Taste has plenty of toasted cereals, dried wood flavor, a tiny bit of honey and caramel, toasted almonds, dry bread crust. Overall pretty dry with a wooden sensation from start to finish. Enjoyable beer. After that night at Bambalyne I crossed Lithuanian off my ‘white-list’, but that’s alright, there are still many countries I can go to without fear of being recognized and laughed at.

1 litre bottle, from an ethnic food store in Scunthorpe. Hazy red brown, thin shortlived white head and minimal but persistent natural condition. Pleasant sweet caramel, banana and yeast initially in the nose but a delicate hop floweriness comes out with warming, quite dry at first in the mouth with a touch of chalky yeast notes but with a building fruitiness that veers towards banana without actually hitting it, a peppery nuttiness develops as it warms and the yeast becomes more prevalent, as does a faintly earthy herbal note, a tingle of hop bitterness and natural condition lines the tongue as a prelude to the lingering yeasty fruitiness in the finish that has a nutty sweetness and gentle hop notes. Very reminiscent of an English real ale, it hides its strength well but some alcoholic retronasal aromas start to come in to play about halfway through the bottle.

Bouteille claire de 1 litre, avec bouchon de céramique, dégustée chez Bambalyne (Vilnius, Lituanie). Arôme: Odeur de céréales avec une pointe d’épices. Apparence: La couleur est cuivrée. Présence d’un mince col mousseux et d’une fine dentelle sur le verre. Saveur: Goût de céréales grillées avec une pointe d’épices. Durée moyenne de l’arrière goût. Palette: Le corps est moyen avec une texture légèrement huileuse. Moyenne effervescence en bouche. Légère présence de céréales en arrière goût. (Rating #4211)

My Bottom Line:
Elegant smoke and toast step into herbal hops and their levelled bitterness in this lean, polished recreation of a Keptinis.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A creamy head of foam tops the misty amber.
-Mouthfeel is lean and softly effervescent.
-Drinkability is quite high.
-Discreet fruitiness adds depth.
-Do not expect Rauchbier-like levels of smoke. This is earthier and much more subtle.
-This is not made in the same way Ramūno Čižo does his (original) Keptinis; the mash is not made into a bread and then broken into boiling water. However, this Kupiškio version is much more polished.

Bottles.

This is a unique beer, possibly the best beer I drank during my trip to Lithuania. I was told it was brewed with "baked malt". It tastes not like a porter, so I guess it was not a wrong translation or something. In fact, this beer tastes like baked malt. When I tasted it, there was baked malt on the table. It is full, aromatic and spicy. Cinnamon, nuts, bread... cookies! The second time I drank it, a ate some dried hop before (they served it, so why not?), so that I could experience how this would taste with more hops in it. Still wonderful, but not better, just a welcome variation. This really is a great beer.

UPDATED: NOV 18, 2012 cereal, herbs, basement aromas, ginger, skunky, clove, smoke, frothy, brown foam, brown foam, brown, medium sweetness, medium bitterness, umami, oily feel, average carbonation, bitter,