Beer of the Weekend #562: Baltika #7 Export
Though it took me two weeks to get around to it, I finally bought some Russian beer. Three different styles, to be exact, though they are all from the same brewery. They are Russian, nonetheless, and I thought I would feature two today. The first is Baltika #7 Export, brewed by Baltika Breweries of St. Petersburg, Russia.
Serving type: 500 ml can. Written on the side of the can is “BEST BEFORE: SEE BASE OF CAN.” “17.09.13” and “17.09.14” are printed on the bottom, so I assume (and hope) the first is the canning date and the second is the best by date.
Appearance: Poured into a nonick pint glass. The color is clean, clear, light gold. Two fingers of white, fluffy head dissipates lowly.
Smell: Light, crisp, and simple. Cereal and adjunct grains (probably rice), grassy/floral hops, apple sweetness, and lemon zest.
Taste: Much like the aroma, the flavor is light, crisp, and very simple. The mouthfeel is dry and it offers a crisp bitterness. Light cereal grains (a little like Cheerios), meadow grassiness from the hops, and lemon zest.
Drinkability: This is classic Export and very reminiscent of many other versions from Europe. Simple, unpretentious, and tasty, it is perfectly proletarian.
Fun facts about B#7E:
-Style: On BA it is classified as “Dortmunder / Export Lager.”
-Price: $11.99/sixer at Hartig Drug on Mormon Trek Boulevard in Iowa City.
-Alcohol content: “[N]ot less than 5.4% by volume” according to the beer’s webpage.
-The beer has its very own website in Russian. Good luck navigating it. The Cyrillic really threw me off, and I wonder if I accidentally answered “no” when, I assume, it asked if I was 18 or older.
-According to the beer’s Baltika webpage (in English), Baltika #7 Export was introduced in 1994 to coincide with the Goodwill Games in St. Petersburg.
-Baltika #7 Export sixers feature plastic wrapping and a convenient handle:
Quite sexist, no?
-This is a nerdy little detail I noticed. “DE” is included in the list of five cent redemption states written on the can. However, Delaware repealed its container deposit law in 2009 and consumers ceased paying deposits at the end of 2010; the last refunds were issued February 1, 2011. Delaware replaced its bottle bill with Universal Recycling.
The Quiet Man’s grade: C+.
Serving type: 500 ml can. Written on the side of the can is “BEST BEFORE: SEE BASE OF CAN.” “17.09.13” and “17.09.14” are printed on the bottom, so I assume (and hope) the first is the canning date and the second is the best by date.
Appearance: Poured into a nonick pint glass. The color is clean, clear, light gold. Two fingers of white, fluffy head dissipates lowly.
Smell: Light, crisp, and simple. Cereal and adjunct grains (probably rice), grassy/floral hops, apple sweetness, and lemon zest.
Taste: Much like the aroma, the flavor is light, crisp, and very simple. The mouthfeel is dry and it offers a crisp bitterness. Light cereal grains (a little like Cheerios), meadow grassiness from the hops, and lemon zest.
Drinkability: This is classic Export and very reminiscent of many other versions from Europe. Simple, unpretentious, and tasty, it is perfectly proletarian.
Fun facts about B#7E:
-Style: On BA it is classified as “Dortmunder / Export Lager.”
-Price: $11.99/sixer at Hartig Drug on Mormon Trek Boulevard in Iowa City.
-Alcohol content: “[N]ot less than 5.4% by volume” according to the beer’s webpage.
-The beer has its very own website in Russian. Good luck navigating it. The Cyrillic really threw me off, and I wonder if I accidentally answered “no” when, I assume, it asked if I was 18 or older.
-According to the beer’s Baltika webpage (in English), Baltika #7 Export was introduced in 1994 to coincide with the Goodwill Games in St. Petersburg.
-Baltika #7 Export sixers feature plastic wrapping and a convenient handle:
-This is a nerdy little detail I noticed. “DE” is included in the list of five cent redemption states written on the can. However, Delaware repealed its container deposit law in 2009 and consumers ceased paying deposits at the end of 2010; the last refunds were issued February 1, 2011. Delaware replaced its bottle bill with Universal Recycling.
The Quiet Man’s grade: C+.
