Aldaris Zelta

Brewed by Aldaris (Baltic Beverages Holding - Carlsberg)
Style: Pale Lager
Riga, Latvia

I really liked this. It has a unique taste--sweet and lingering (as one reviewer wrote). It has an acquired taste. Being proud of my Baltic heritage I excitedly tried this Latvian beer and I was not disappointed. Yes, it has traits that purists may find disconcerting-- an almost complete lack of hopping, pretty sweet, but no hint of wheatiness--but it is fun to drink. I was deeply saddened when my local beer distributor quit carrying it. To tell you the truth, if you like a fruity beer,get this. It does lace well, and it tempers well, from the coolness of a fridge to drinking it slightly warm, I didn’t find it skunky at all.

I know it’s just a pale lager, but the low rating is deceptive. I had this after a long day at work, and WOW was it ever good. I need not explain aroma and taste, as you can probably assume what they were (typical mild hops and some malts, nice golden colour, etc.). But, this was a particularly flavourful pale lager, with a tad more emphasis on the malts (bready, biscuity), and it has a great oily mouth-feel, with an almost heavier body than a typical pale lager . It hit the spot perfectly. I guess maybe I was just in the ideal situation for a helles like this. I think certain raters see the low rating and their minds develop a prejudice, especially considering that typically this beer seems like yet another member of a long line-up of generic Euro lagers. But, if served properly, a true lager-lover should be able to appreciate this fine brew. Nicely done Latvia! Edit: Almost every time I have this it’s a little different. Maybe it’s all dependant on freshness. But sometimes it’s better than others, but fresh it seems to have a lot more straw character to it which is quite tasty. A dry hoppy quality in the finish. Other times toffee-like maltyness comes through. I wish I could have an endless supply of this stuff!

liked this one, pouring into a darkish gold colour with a short-lived foamy white head and very little lacing. Aroma was "hop over malt", and the taste seemed to offer even more malt. Smooth and refreshing. FYI, the back label says mine was produced in 26 October 2004, and I bought it 17 June 2005 in Toronto.

One of most popular beer in our country. Resonable price, good taste - thats what we expect in beer witch we use in usual party.

Zelta means gold in Latvian. The golden brew is all I wanted to get on tap while I was in Riga(Latvia’s capitol). It’s a good conversational beer.

Batch 10072128, if that means anything to anyone. No date on the bottle, though. I'm guessing mine is quite different from some of the others listed. While this is far from excellent, IMO, it's not bad at all, and certainly not as bad as I was expecting. Pours a *really* pale yellow, as in almost white color with a tinge of yellow. Decent head that did okay and there was some decent lacing left down the glass. Smell isn't very strong, but malt with a touch of hops. Taste is also very mild. Definately has malt going on but it's not exactly complex. A bit of a malt aftertaste, albeit a small bit. Mouthfeel is quite full and thick, much more than I was expecting. Drinkability is definately good as I may grab a few more of these next time I'm at the store. I know I have a good source (for the time being), but after reading the other scores, I think if a future bottle had any dust on it I might skip it.

amber colour, fruity aroma, well structured, bitter but a little bit simple flavor

Malts dominate leaving a pleasant aftertaste. The label shows that this beer has won a few medals in the past and I could see why. Nice appearance with a slightly toasted taste. Quite a strong gravity which you are soon aware off. Recommended.