Baltika 8 Pshenichnoe (Wheat)

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

Pour is hazy golden with strange sediment and a thin bright white ehad...smell is banana and light yeast...taste is creamy ad banana...strange bitter finish though...

Clearly color lightly hazy, medium fizz. Bulky and fine foam, creamy and of good persistence. Crisp and pleasant scent, notes of corn, lemon and orange’s peel. Sweetens taste, lively and little bitter. Light mildew and grapes notes. Medium and fresh end.

(500 ml bottle: $1.79 at BevMo in San Diego/Carmel Mountain, CA) Quite a lot of banana in the nose of this Russian Wheat Ale, but also a lot of funk and citric sourness. The beer starts out with the expected flavor of banana esters, and wheat malt seems pretty light intially. But as the banana fades off the palate, the wheat becomes more obvious and a moderate citrusy sourness also joins in for a finish that is just too sour and acidic for my taste. Not really picking up much in the way of spice/clove at any point along the way. Light-medium body with a very slick and oily mouthfeel. Pale yellow and somewhat cloudy, with large flakes of yeast the size of some breakfast cereals quickly falling to the bottom of the glass. The tall, white head gradually diminishes to a thin, but measurable layer, and holds that level for the duration of the session. Lose the sourness in the finish and this would be pretty good. But as it is, this might not even reach "average" status.

Bottle. Slightly hazed beer with a large, white head. The colour is pale yellow, and the aroma is citrus and banana. The mouthfeel is not as carbonated as the head might indicate. The taste is citric, a little grainy, with a pleasant light bitterness in the end. Although it is a good beer, it’s not in the same class as the best bavarian weissbiers. (050912)

Spin the roulette wheel, which Baltika will you end up with this time!? Hey, it’s an 8 - haven’t had this one yet! A nice wheat beer - my favorite part of this one was the contrast of the full soft carbonation versus the lemony zing of flavor - I liked it a bunch!

Bottle. Pale straw color with a big white head. Wheat aroma with a slight citrus tone. Earthy wheat flavors. Medium body. Some playdough in the aftertaste.

The beer disembogues the 500ml brown bottle a beclouded golden amber color with large bright white creamy head that dissipates slowly leaving a thick and sticky coating of lace to conceal the glass. Nose has sweet malt aroma, backed by a fresh citrus-like crispness, hints of wheat also present, start is sweet with a nice grain presence, top is light to moderate in feel. Finish has a biting acidity with the hops mellow but appealing to the palate, quite dry and a nice drinkable beer on a hot Arizona Day.

Bottle... Hazy yellow ale with a mid-sized, creamy, white head. Good retention. Lots of goodies in the nose... Light smoke, lye soap, banana, bubblegum and citrus fruit. Good balance. Lemon and underripe banana. Medium-bodied and creamy with fizzy carbonation. Short, crisp, clean finish.