Baltika 3 Klassicheskoe (Classic)

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

Pours a clear, PALE yellow. Aroma is of some grass and flower, though very muted. My first experience with a Russian beer - not bowled over, but this is a solid enough beer. Some slight cardboard under a watery palate, almost no hops, but again with the flowery taste. A subtle beer, which is its failing. Just too watery for my taste, especially since I don’t much care for single pint bottles. Overall, this is average.

Robe blonde très claire surmontée d’une mousse blanche épaisse en dentelle qui s’estompe. Arômes légers de malt. Saveurs de malt sucré, de fruits et de houblon herbacé.

500 ml bottle; nice! The bottle itself is distinctive, with the gold champagne bottle-style foil (which is mysteriously *glued* to the bottle, WTF?) and the slightly race-car-like label (speeding Baltika label with the inset 3). Pours pale gold with a *huge* beige head, which lasts almost five minutes. Aroma is of straw laid in a stable. The flavour is where this beer falls short; it is mildly hoppy, with a slight soapy aftertaste. Odd. Not much bite in the palate despite the heavy carbonation, but it is pleasantly full in the mouth. Overall, it is an average beer. I’d drink it in a Russian bar if there was nothing better on tap, but probably would not buy it again.

Bottle. Pours a golden colour. Bit sweet frutish and hoppy aroma. Flavour of hops, bit fruty with some sweetness and maltiness.

Bottle. Pours golden yellow with a moderate white head. Somewhat fruity aroma, with a bit of yeast and floral hops. Small amount of malt in the taste, with a little of the floral hops. Thin and a little watery. Not horrible, but rather bland.

Bottle. Poured straw yellow, little head, and no lacing. Nose is fruity barley with just a hint of hops. Mouthfeel weak. Flavor very mild. Very short and light finish. A very mild lager and actually drinkable, but certainly unremarkable.

Bottle. Fluffy high white and lasting head. Clear golden body. Mild and fruity barley malt aroma with lemon notes. Relatively bitter barely malt flavor with low carbonation and a short aftertaste. Pretty anonymous and boring.

Bottle. While it tastes like just about any other pale lager you can come across, it actually was pretty decent. A little weak, but (for what you should expect) it has a nice malt and hop flavor. It’s pretty smooth, and did not feel overcarbonated like so many domestics.