Baltika 4 Originalnoe (Original)

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

Dark amber in color with a thick creamy off white colored head that is totally retained. Having just had the Baltika 3, I was very pleasently surprised upon whiffing this ale. Aromas of dark chocolate and smoke make themselves known. The flavor is quite enjoyable with a very rich chocolate maltiness, some smoke and a parching dry finish. This beer is better than being in the 34th percentile, IMO.

This was not as good as 6.etter then 3. It was sour and dark. Nose had some roasted notes. Ok.

(bottle) Clear and dark ruby amber colour with a medium foamy slightly off-white head. Roasty sweet malty toffee aroma with raisins. Sweet flavour, medium body. Sweetmalty start with loads of caramel but with a thin bitterness and a slightly dry finish. This one is a bit too sweet for my taste, but is anyway well done and clean.

Pour is mildly cloudy ruby amber with a thin tan head...smell is caramel sweet with some sweet nuts behind it...quite bland and generic flavor...sweet caramel malty flavors followed by a chemical bitterness...

Bottle: Dark amber coloured; big firm brownish head; rich malty and fruity nose: (burnt) malts, caramel, dry fruits, tobacco(?), some traces of herbal hops; begins robust and sweet; moderate bitter-sweet flavour; medium bodied; dryeer bitter-sweet aftertaste (cacao); quite well balanced, quite well quaffable......

Not a bad offering. Hints of malt in the nose, with a bitter hops background. The flavor is caramel, molasses, and malt. Finishes slightly bitter, with a tangy nudge at the end. Not bad at all- very easy drinking beer for the style.

This is a bit course but I have to agree with those that are a bit sympathetic to this beer. Brown-amber in color (clear with edges of yellow and glimmers of red), its first aromas suggest an American brown ale, with a huge dose of caramel, some grape, and some grains. The front is sweet, which I like, and then it becomes mired in a bit of complexity, first a chemical edge, brought on by a somewhat agressive, large-form carbonated fizzle, and then a lingering bitterness that isn’t entirely what I expected. It goes down like a malty malt liquor, though there are notes reminiscent of a Christmas pudding. Intriguing and relatively drinkable; certainly better than the equivalent in a pale lager, because if nothing else you have the caramel sweetness to fall back on.

Bottle. Nice dark almandine pour with a very thin head. Nose is very, very sweet. Taste-notes of honey, caramel, light fruits, peaty, and raisin. Actually, this is very nice. Slight bitter finish. Quite enjoyable. I could drink more of this.