Svyturys Ekstra

500 ml bottle. Very pale golden, slightly hazy beer with a thick sticky white head. Aroma of lean pale malts, light minerally sulphurous aroma and a lovely hop aroma as wel. I suspect the hops would have been fresher a while ago, but they are still here showing light floral noble character. Soft malty body with a trace of light floral hops in back. Surprisingly tasty and quite refreshing. A deal at a buck and a half per bottle.

Aroma is lemon, with skunky hops and lightly lager malts. Taste is very typical european lager, with some grassy/hay hop character, but near no bitterness at the end.

500ml bottle, 5.2% a/v Pours a golden colour with a tight white head. The smell consisting of honey and grains as well as a small amount of malt. The taste is much the same, with a very sweet (not malt) taste. The aftertaste is by far the best characterstic of this beer, very sweet and beautiful on the tongue. Lord Beamish is right, this IS a phantom beer!

bottle: Thank you Lithuania!!! Very nice. I call this one a phantom beer because it’s so good it just magically disappears. I don’t even think my lips touched the glass before this lovely beer crossed the void and sailed down my throat. Pours a light gold colour with a thick white head. Some lacing is evident. The aroma is crazy. Sort of bready with honey almost the odour of Honeynut Cheerios without the milk. I actually caught myself sniffing the glass when I was done. The taste is crisp with malty sweetness. Finishes sweet as well with just a hint of hoppy bitterness. A well balanced and well crafted beer. Like the King, I am confounded by the low ratiings. This is among the best beers I’ve ever had. I have re-rated this beer because the last few times I have had it, it has not lived up to its original billing. Sometimes stale and cloudy out of the bottle.

bottle: Oh my god, what a great beer. I don’t understand the low ratings?! As a dortmunder, it leans towards malty sweetness: this is the taste people are decrying as "metalic" (it is supposed to this grainy presence). The malts must be high quality. You can taste lively, genuine flavour coating your mouth & throat on the finish. Even the empty glasses are coated in it. Yes, I spotted LordBeamish numerous times clutching his empty pint glass trying to drink in the aromatic honey smell. I swear our lips did not touch the glass: the beer just magically filled the void. We may have been speaking Lithuanian at one point. Totally reminds me of Headstrong Munich Lager another great example of this style. If you dont’ like Pale Lagers for their (apparent) lack of body, then try these 2 premium lagers. The LCBO purchaser behind this deserves a medal.

500ml Bottle: This was shared with me by a friend who claimed it was his favourite, continuously noting it cost only $2, which I guess is good. Sadly, I don’t drink beer based on price or how quickly it’ll load me, which means it fails. Pours average with excessive carbonation. Smells unpleasant. Tastes lame with an essence of a sweet grain and malt, hops near the back end, but nothing remarkable. Doesn’t make me want another one, but not so bad it makes me want to punch kittens either.

Pours a three finger white head that fades quickly to a thin layer leaving some lace. Cloudy light amber color. Medium carbonation and medium bodied. Slight wheat nose even though this is a lager. Starts sweet but hops take over that leaves a metallic after taste. Amazing that it won a gold medal. $2.69 for a 500ml bottle from John’s Market Tigard, Or.

Bottled(500ml). -Sweet malty aroma with notes of hop and rice. All beers that I’ve tried in Lithuania were (a bit) too sweet, so I think that this kind of sweetness is typical for all Lithuanian lagers.