Gubernija Baltiskoe Pivo Svetloe (Zhiguly Ale)

Aroma: 3 | Appearance: 3 | Mouthfeel: 4 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 2

A strange bottle, for a strange beer. Picked this up from a Russian deli in La Mesa CA...., but I tend to think that not even the large East European locals there would be hitting this one too often.

The brown bottle, which looks a lot like a German Model 43 Stielhandgranate grenade, is apparently the exception rather than the norm for this beer, since most reviews talk about this coming in a green bottle. So, less skunking for this beer, at least.

But really? The bottle is the best thing this beer has going for it. Looks nasty, with very little head/carbonation, and lots of bits of proteins(?) or yeast(?) floating around the murky orange body.

Very "hot"/alcoholic in the nose. Reminds me of some really cheap, charcoal-filtered vodka, than anything fermented.

The flavor profile is not wholly and truly awful, surprisingly enough. Some very basic hints of malt in the body, with a hop profile that kinda reminds me of a poorly made Australian "Bitter".

The 8.2%ABV is not really noticeable in the beer itself, but this does seem to have some phenolic aftereffects in the mouthfeel and finish. Type of beer that is bound and determined to give you a headache, it seems to me.

Unfinishable. Just plain bad, even by Gubernija's already low standards.

Music: Atheist's "Unquestionable Presence".
//TB

Aroma: 4 | Appearance: 4 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 3

Sampled from bottle. Pours faintly cloudy pale gold with a collared white head. Aroma is a bit sour with a hint of spicy hops. Flavor is fairly balanced with subtle hops, alcohol and adjunct-laden malt. Medium-bodied, well-carbonated and warming. Not too bad for the style, but still not a good beer.

Aroma: 4 | Appearance: 4 | Mouthfeel: 4 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 4

Pours light golden with almost no head and tons of floating beer debris. The aroma is pungent with skunky hops overall, yet also distinctly grainy. The flavor reminds me a lot of Sapporo or Kingfisher (except not as drinkable as them): sharp, unbalanced acidity and bitterness. The alcohol content goes strangely un-noticed in the aroma, flavor, and especially mouthfeel as there is no warming effect. Light-bodied with strong carbonation. Not a good beer by any means, but doubtlessly less disgusting than the Zigulinis.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 4 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 5

Light gold color, medium head. A light bodied lager. Fairly hoppy and malty for a lager. Full flavor, slightly fruity. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly bitter