This special beer has been brewed in the year 2000 according to an old Russian porter recipe with brown malt, Russian kwas, hops and water from BALIK's own source at Ebersol. It then matured during one year in old oak butts and received individual care up to its maturity. Its has been brewed and bottled in limited quantities at the brewery Locher at Appenzell. This very demanding procedure gives the BALIK BEER its noble and characteristic sherry taste and its amber colouring. But this sparkling BALIK BEER may reserve you some surprise. With 11 %vol. of alcohol, it compares much more with a wine than with traditional beer. We recommend to drink BALIK BEER cool, at a temperature of 12° C. BALIK BEER should be stored in a dark place. When stored, the quality of the beer will improve yearly and its taste will become more and more harmonious.
Beer Ratings and Reviews:
[1] Review by Bov from Bienne, Switzerland who has tried this beer once. (6/3/2005 6:56:38 AM)
"bright red-amber colour, almost no foam, complex and strange aroma of cherries and perfume, bubblegum-like, smokey notes, overcarbonated, sweet and oily followed by an explosion of alcohol in a very long and dry bitter finish - a strange experiment and a very free interpretation of a porter"
Aroma:
7/10
Appearance:
8/10
Mouthfeel:
7/10
Flavor:
6/10
Overall:
7/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(3.5)
Sampled: Bottle
Value of this beer for its style: Not Sure
[2] Review by Sigmund from Hafrsfjord, Norway who has tried this beer once. (5/31/2005 6:42:22 PM)
"Allegedly brewed according to an old Russian porter recipe, with kvas/kwas as one of the ingredients! Contract brewed by Brauerei Locher "im Auftrag der BALIK Räucherei im Toggenberg AG", website www.balik.com . The Räucherei even supplied the smoked salmon I had with this beer (330 ml bottle) at the Seafood Bar at Stansted Airport, London (Norwegian salmon, smoked in Switzerland, sold in England, eaten by a Norwegian - a well travelled fish!) According to the BALIK website the beer should be served cool at 12 degrees C, but I got it served fridge cold. While the coldness must have taken away some of the flavour details, it probably made the beer more drinkable with seafood, taking the edge off the heavy sweetness. The beer has a brown colour with a slight haziness, low head. Aroma and flavour are more like a port wine than a "normal" beer. Very sweet, warming mouthfeel (no surprise at 11% ABV!), spicy, a bit alcoholic, but interesting. Decent hops in the finish."
Aroma:
9/10
Appearance:
8/10
Mouthfeel:
8/10
Flavor:
8/10
Overall:
8/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(4.1)
Sampled: Bottle
Value of this beer for its style: Not Sure
Do you want to see the rest of the reviews? Sign In or Register FREE! = BeerPals Only
Review this Beer:
You must be a member to write a review. Please sign up or log in.
(3.5)
