This is best classified as a pale lager. I'm guessing by the look, really, as the whole label is in Lithuanian. Is Lithuania known for their beer? According to the brewery info, they claim to be in a part of Lithuania known as "beer country," so I guess they at least want it to be famous for the beer. From now on, the area around my house is known as "The Bat Cave." Really, it's only known as that by me, but I can claim that it is known as it.
The pour is a cloudy copper/straw with a head that dissipates in time to a thin, partial layer of foam. The aroma is very lager - lots of malt. I might almost mistake the smell for that of a domestic lager. And by that, I mean one of the mass-produced ones like MGD.
It's a bit sweet and tart at the same time. There is also a metallic taste around the edges, and that doesn't help the beer overall. The lingering taste is decidedly one of increased alcoholic content. This one has 9.5%, and that is pretty damn high. I got this as a gift from a friend who does not drink, and I wonder if he blindly got this and the Golden Monkey or if he asked for the beers with the most alcohol.
The mouthfeel is a bit odd. It doesn't have very much carbonation to it. As a result, it feels very heavy in the mouth and I even have a bit of an illusion of it filling me up faster. It puts me in mind of why monks used to brew beer - for sustenance. You see, while they were fasting, monks could not eat anything, but they could drink. Unlike straight water, beer offered calories that the body could burn; and you could drink enough so god would talk back to you.
I've tried sipping and then I tried bigger gulps. It's not improving with warmth, either. It's too simple a beer to be too complex, and it's too complex to be too simple, but it's just not right either way. I can think of many beers I'd rather be drinking.
1.5/5
Rinkuskiai Aiko Stiprus
Wednesday, May 01, 2013