Rinkuškiai Baro Tradicinis

Brewed by Rinkuškiai
Style: European Strong Lager
Biržu raj., Lithuania

Interestingly non-offensive - something that can’t be said for many brews of this style that I’ve had. Golden with a creamy white head that rapidly changes into a ring, it has a fresh dough aroma with a bit of grain and some grassy hopping. Pretty darned sweet to drink with a slight metallic tinge, is has a doughy, caramel-like taste that’s lightly touched with honey. It finishes on a sweet grassy note with just a bit of an alcohol feel left in the mouth. And yes, I’d drink it again... another thing that can’t be said about many of this style that I’ve tried.

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Killearn Liquors, Tallahassee, Fl. - 500 ml bottle. Pours a slightly murky, dark golden with a tinge of orange. Light, slightly creamy white head. Yeasty, doughy aroma, with hints of citrus. Flavor has some raw cake mix qualities to it with some yeasty notes. Faint trace of caramel sweetness in there as well. Mouthfeel is surprisingly thick for the style. Finishes slightly boozy though. Surprised to say the least.

Aroma is marzen-ish. Smells like a darker lager - sweetish caramel over a parched lager. Clean label and bottle. Lightly tinged gold. Flavor does a Sybil thing -- sometimes it’s astringent, sometimes it’s sweet, sometimes it’s metallic, sometimes it’s boozy. Caramel-doughy notes try to hold it together, but it’s like a mediocre brewpub Oktoberfest. Medium body, tangy finish with some honey and straw.

What possesses me to buy all these Eastern European lagers? Is some part of me convinced that one day I’ll find something good? Or at least a 3? Pale golden, good head, some floaties. Normally don’t mind floaties, but pretty darn sure they aren’t supposed to be in this beer. Semi sweet honey nose with a good dose of hay, a bit of sourness, but rather pleasant actually. Flavor was honey sweet malt, and actually a good bit of grassy hop notes to my surprise. A slightly sour acidic not predominated. Touch of graininess as well. Not as horrible as feared, but still not good. I would say nothing to write home about, but I just spent a paragraph describing the beer.

Gold Coloring with White Ring. Sweet Malt Aroma and a Sweet Stale Malt Taste. Dry Ending. But Not Much to Love.

Yellow color with no head. Slight hop aroma. Not much in the taste other than bitter alcohol. Watery body.

Head is initially small, frothy, white, mostly diminishing. Body is clear medium yellow. Aroma is lightly malty (grain, bread), lightly hoppy (flowers). Flavor is moderately sweet, lightly acidic. Finish is lightly sweet, lightly acidic, lightly bitter, slightly husky. Medium body, watery texture, lively carbonation, lightly alcoholic. Quite sweet, a little grainy, but overall not much character of any kind.

Bottled. Bronze colour, creamy head. Sweetish and medium bodied with soft mouthfeel and notes of toffee. Lightly grassy finish.