Yarpivo Temnoe (Dark)

In the 500 mL bottle from Gomer’s. Pours a light brown color with amber highlights. Decent head of a beige yellow ochre color. Fairy good malty aroma, but does have a bit of that adjunct cheap malt liquor aroma. Flavor is nice in that it has a big malty sweetness and an interesting nutty taste. Fairly good I’d say.

Another random Russian beer I picked up at Lukas Liquor in Kansas City. This is a medium to dark brown bodied beer with garnet high lights. The head is frothy with a very light khaki color. The aroma has some light toffee with some old apples. The taste is mild and light cherries with some Oreo cookie filling. There is also a little bit of weak coffee. This is actually a decent dunkel.

According to their website, this brew has been made since 1997. Without freshness dating, I have no guarantees that it hasn’t been sitting around since then. Has the roasted malt thing going in the nose, but it’s unpolished. I don’t remember this brewery when I was in Russia. Must be a new brewer. Smells somewhat German. Dark amber, slightly hazy. Small, light tan head that is mostly diminishing to the point of virtually no head. This apparently is their highest rated brew. Took awhile for my palate to get used to it. Didn’t taste very good at first. Not a match for Baltika 6, but has to be one of the better beers made in Russia right now. I would take Stepan Razin Porter above it as well. Not bad, though.

Reddish brown lager with a thin off white head. Faint aroma of caramel and chalk. In mouth, rather bland sweet malt with no hops, light to medium bodied, boring beer, bought about 6 months ago.

Bottle: Poured an amber red with just a thin head. A hint of brown sugar in the aroma. The flavor is starkly cooked malt, brown sugar, candied malt. More oktoberfesty than dunkel-like.

Light Brown to Brown Red Coloring with a Light Sandy Skin. Sweet Malt, Almost Fruity Acidity Taste to It. Light Dry Wheat Ending. Certainly an Interesting Brew. If you Said Dunkel, I don’t Think I Would Have Believed it.

Dark brown color with a thin head. Nice aroma of malt and maple syrup. Pretty much the same story in the taste, but the maple turns dry. Not bad at all.

Much more of an American dark than a dunkel, even though I’m sure the brewer has no conception of such a beer. Good appearance, like a brown ale. Brown with a large, tan, long lasting head. Flavor of an ordinary, pale lager. Thin. Reminds me of a malt liquor.