Saku Originaal

Brewed by Saku Õlletehas (Baltic Beverages Holding - Carlsberg )
Style: Pale Lager
Saku, Estonia

I think this beer is getting a rough ride here. I have to admit I was a tad biased after being burned out by the flood of east block welfair pilsners on the shelves...most of them either bland or with whacky off tastes that defy description...so, I thought, another slovack pilsner here...well I have to say I was prejudiced and almost missed a decent beer. I’m a Pilsner fancier and this beer is certainly a Bohemian styled lager...just has the saaz hopping is toned back... this exposes the sweet grainy malts . The body is substantial for a pils and there is ample malt as the gold color and great lacing attest to...for those wanting the dry bitter "bite" of Urquell...you won’t find it here...this beer is sweet, grainy and cidery with a sweet finish...almost like a Salzburg lager. At any rate I liked it..it was all malt and had a nice mellow decernment with just a tickle of hops that leave a cider impression....I think it has quality and is in the same class a Budvar.

Pours a pale straw colour with a small head. Aroma of grass and grains with some hop presence. Light body and a corn malt taste. Too highly carbonated

bottle. pale light golden with a small white head. apple, grain, grass, and a slight sourness. watery grainy body with no discernable flavours. although I didn’t find it nearly as bad as Tim did, it certainly didn’t have any substance. oh well, a new country at least.

Pale straw color, incredibly pale, fizzy white head. Rediculously empty on all fronts, lightly sweetish, somewhat harsh and I don’t think it could get any more bland. Ugh.

More eurolager at the LCBO. Golden alger with a thin creamy white head, collapsed. Grainy malt in aroma with strawy notes. Some wet dog. Crisp corny malt, with mineral notes, a bit sweet, and metallic (sounds like Doug’s no?). A decent body for a lager.

Aroma of malt and corn, straw, pours a fair sized white head. Flavour is corn with a metalic, mineral quality. Thin, grainy. Poor.

Re-rate for February 29/08- LCBO bottle purchase- Fluffy and uneven clouds sit on top of sparkling gold liquid. Grains and grass run a muck in the nose, and are stopped by a solid malt aroma. Mouth is full sweet grains, hay, with a decent hops bitterness backbone. Smooth mouth feel, with a mildly pleasant hops aftertaste. Pretty good by Euro Lager standards. And with the low ABV, it becomes more appealing as a session drink. Glad the LCBO got this one in. Original score 2.7.

Bottle (500ml). Poured almost clear pale gold with a big foamy white head. Aroma’s moderately nasty - corn, chemical, bit of skunky malt - cheap EuroLager. Taste isn’t bad - somewhat sweet malt, wet cardboard, mild grain and cleanly free of most adjuncts - gets a tad harsh on warming. Mouthfeel a bit oily and flat. I’ve had Eurolagers way worse than this rated a lot higher.