Baltika 8 Pshenichnoe (Wheat)

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

(bottle) Hazy, pale golden colour with a fluffy and dense foamy white head. Dusty, mouldy aroma, slightly sweet, slightly sour and citrus-fruity, restrained wheaty with a touch of spicy phenols. Light-sweet flavour, light bodied with a fizzy carbonation on the palate. Moderately wheaty taste, slightly citrus-fruity; malty, fizzy and slightly tart finish. At least, it is not too sweet.

Split into two pint glasses, it originally poured a deep yellow - very clear - with a good three inches of thick fluffy foam. Then when I got down to near the bottom of the bottle, I stirred up the yeast and poured that into one of the pint glasses. Now it is a hazy straw color. Light clove and banana in the aroma. The first sip started out great. Lots of yeasty bready wheat beer. Lots of clove and banana. Unfortunately, those tastes were fleeting. I caught them being prominent at first, and then slipping into near-nothing. A hint of lemon in the aftertaste, but not much. Good soft carbonation, but the mouthfeel was a little on the thin side.

Light, cloudy. Lots of white head. Smells a little sweet. Tastes like a plain ale, but with a sweet aftertaste. Lots of crap floating around in the beer, which probably throws this tasting off.

Bottle from Wilbur’s in Ft Collins poured into weizen - Pours medium cloudy gold with a 3 finger foamy white head; Malt, light citrus, and banana to the nose; Slightly sour citrus (bad lemons?), lots of malt (to cover the bad lemons?), and a little banana on the initial taste; Bready yeast and more of the sour citrus backtaste; Medium palate; Lively carbonation; Not too bad except the sour taste that shouldn’t be there at all. Many better examples of the style out there.

Bottle. Hazy golden colour with a nice big head. Aroma of wheat, yeast and a little sourness. Flavour is dominated by the wheat, little yeasty, little lemon and hoppiness.

Bottle. Has a bit of a composty kick to it, countered by notes of citrus bubblegum. Yet another wheat beer I can safely rate as somewhere between acceptable and tasty.

The aroma is approaching a Hefe but it’s not quite there. It’s got some bananas, coriander, and malt but it’s light and it’s got a funkiness to it. The appearance is slightly hazy gold with a decent foamy head. The flavor is sour with wheat and coriander. The palate is watery. This should be called a Hefe light.

I have had many wheat beers, and I simply enjoyed this one the most. The taste, sweetness, and color/body are all excellently balanced. Having enjoyed Baltika 6 Porter and the unusually strong Number 9, the wheat beer is a welcome respite from the alcohol/heaviness. (#6 is brilliant, but #9 seems like it’s spiked with grain alcohol) Get this wheat beer! One fellow wrote that it’s the best Baltika he tried-- I concur wholeheartedly. No ’too strong’ banana notes or grassiness, also it’s not limp but rather does fill you up appropriately (unlike cheap, burpy corn beers). I found this beer to be an excellent companion for the crabcake meal I was enjoying at the same time--light but not fluffy.