500 mL bottle. Pretty much as expected. Pour is a slightly viscous, dark golden orange body. Head and lace are 100% missing. Nose gives a strong alcoholic whiff and a nasty solvent aroma. Taste is all alcohol and incredibly sweet and cloying. I suspect that the role of this beer in Eastern Europe was/is as strictly an alcohol delivery vehicle, and this is all it is. In that respect it's a great success. In every other possible way it's an complete failure. Mild afterburn in the chest and a...
Notes on beers in the style
Euro Strong Lager
Lobster Lovers Beer
Turned up as a single, 500 mL bottle at Smyrna World of Beverage for $2.09. A separate label hangs on the neck, which in impossibly big characters, advertises the beer as a 9.5% brew! Obviously a BIG selling point for the beer. Pours an deep orange gold body with a high light head that lasts for about 30 seconds. Looks slightly viscous in the glass. Slight alcohol in the nose. Taste has that typical, high alcohol, syrupy slightly malted citrus note. The beer is not the worst of its type that I...
Baltika #9 Extra (Strong)
500 mL bottle with repackaged labelling for a new assault on the US market I guess. Arbor Place, Douglasville, GA, USA, approx. $2.99. Clean pour, aroma and look, with, as expected, some initial strong lacing and head that fades to nothing very quickly. A lot of corny alcohol in the nose with (happily) no skunk. Alcohol is definitely the main player in the taste too. Cloying sweetness that is close to too much, but is bearable as long as you don't mind really sweet beers. Drinkability is not...
Elephant Beer
I have a soft spot for Elephant since nearly twenty years ago I used to think of this as something special. As a poor student who knew better, but would often have to drink low quality macro's at 4-5% ABV, the opportunity to quaff something nearly twice the ABV was always an enjoyable one. Also enjoyed rinking Giraffe at the time too! I seem to remember an earlier incarnation of this beer being sold in England in the late '80's as being higher than the now advertised 7.2 ABV. Anyone know?...