Biržiečiu
Rinkuškiai

BiržiečiuBiržiečiu
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From:
Rinkuškiai
 
Lithuania
Style:
European Strong Lager
ABV:
8%
Score:
75
Avg:
2.95 | pDev: 12.54%
Reviews:
17
Ratings:
18
Status:
Active
Rated:
Dec 29, 2015
Added:
Sep 20, 2005
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
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Photo of stevoj
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho

2.65/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.25 | overall: 2.5
Bottle from Tres Bonne Cuisine. Dull, lifeless pour, looks like an iced tea. Deep caramel aroma, with a definite musty character. Caramel is also the dominant flavor, not much else to this, but the malt. On target for the style, but not a good example.
Dec 29, 2015
 
Rated: 2.75 by Noelito76 from New York

Nov 19, 2013
Photo of crossovert
Reviewed by crossovert from Illinois

2.67/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2
My bottle says "Bierjue". 500ml brown bottle.

Pours an amber gold with a weak head.

Smell is kinda good actually, like a nutty cinnamon roll with a maraschino cherry on top.

The taste is sweet, and unforgettable, some of the cinnamon roll flavor comes though, but it isn't all that great.
Aug 16, 2010
Photo of emerge077
Reviewed by emerge077 from Illinois

2.33/5  rDev -21%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
This is a strange beer. It pours with a decent finger of foam, then fades to zero in a minute. The smell is sweet cooked grain, and caramelized sugars. Color is a nice deep reddish amber. Nearly flat, saccharine taste just like the dusty stick of gum from a pack of baseball cards. Very sweet and grainy like a German Bock, but without the smoothness. The taste, smell, and feel are unpleasant, leading me to drainpour this and rinse immediately. Gross. Not recommended.
Jan 05, 2010
Photo of atis
Reviewed by atis from Finland

2.73/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
Pours clear copper with off-white bubbly head that very slowly fades, patchy slowly downsliding lacing. Aroma is caramel malt with significant amount of alcohol.

Taste is quite sweet, bready with some caramel and considerable, slightly spicy booze. Mouthfeel is medium with moderate carbonation.

Not a very bad one, but I did not enjoy it too much, there are better strong beers made by the same brewery.
Nov 30, 2009
Photo of BMoney575
Reviewed by BMoney575 from Texas

2.82/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
Sampled on 7-10-09

Pours a cloudy deep orange color, with no head, no lacing, and the thickness of robust alcohol.

Smell is sweet malt, but with a caramel quality that adds a little enjoyment. The booze is there, and it's really just malt liquor in the end.

Taste is extremely sweet, and lame. Feels good though.

Mouthfeel is thin, yet thick with alcohol. Like a good prostitute.

Drinkability is good, if this is what you really want.

Overall, another fun Lithuanian beer. At least it only cost $2.29.
Jul 11, 2009
Photo of barefootbrewer
Reviewed by barefootbrewer from Mississippi

3.28/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
A: This beer poured a clear brown color with a big tan rocky head.

S: The aroma is initially strong of caramel. It is sweet and some cereal notes can be picked up. There isn't much in the way of hops noticeable.

T: The taste is very sweet and reminds me a lot of toffee. It also has some bitterness after the initial punch. The finish has a cloying sweetness and is perhaps a bit acrid.

M: This beer is medium bodied with both an alcohol and carbonation burn.

D: I didn't know what to think about this when I opened it. I was better than I thought it would be - definitely has more flavor than most American style malt liquors.
Nov 06, 2008
Photo of Vancer
Reviewed by Vancer from Illinois

2.96/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5
Label says dark beer, but she pours a amber mahogany brown, with a danty lil' ivory head that peters out fairly quick.

Caramel malt aroma, smells sweet. But the taste does not lend itself to this, comes across straight-forward as a plain weak malt beverage.

8% is well hidden in such a weak tasting brew, nice to try but I'll pass on another one. (unless you're buying).
Sep 04, 2008
Photo of kinger
Reviewed by kinger from Ohio

3.12/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Another strong Lithuanian brew, this is not a stout as stated. I believe the usage of the word stout refers to "sturdy" or "strong" as in high abv. Pours a rich copper/amber with a constant thin head and medium lacing. Candy sweet aroma pleasant but stings the nose. Decent feel on the palate middle of the road, finish is interesting. Flavor is solid, this is my third Lithuanian beer and they have all had the candy like sweetness. Caramel malt is well hidden. This isn't going to work for most people and I'm still undecided if I really like it or not, either way it's a unique drink.
Aug 26, 2008
Photo of Drew966
Reviewed by Drew966 from Florida

3.26/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Birzieciu pours a surprisingly dark copper color with an off white head from a brown half liter bottle. Sweet caramel malts dominate the nose. Sweet caramel malt dominates the flavor, there is a bit of a twang that I can't quite describe. The alcohol comes through just a bit, but it's not pervasive. Better than your typical Eastern European brew.
Jun 19, 2007
Photo of BuckeyeNation
Reviewed by BuckeyeNation from Iowa

3.35/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Ripe pumpkin with a light dusting of yeast. Apparently, a small amount of caramel malt results in a darker hue than one typically sees in a Euro strong lager. The beige cap is surprisingly attractive and surprisingly persistent given the country of origin and the ABV. It's even sticky enough to a provide a small amount of lace. This is one of the nicer looking ESLs that I've seen.

Ditto for the nose. I don't know whether it's the caramel malt or a more inspired use of hops, but Birzieciu doesn't smell anything like most beer of this style. Of course, the brewery calls it a 'stout'. I assume they're referring to the beer's robustness, not its resemblance to an actual stout. The nose is bruised fruity and musky and could even be considered semi-pleasant.

Will wonders ever cease? Against all expectations, the flavor profile follows along in the nose's... uh... noseprints... and is much better than most strong beer from this area of the globe. Birzieciu reminds me of a bock more than a ESL. It's malt-dominant and has a toasted grain, caramel malt, woody flavor that is sweeter than it is bitter. They've done a decent job of alcohol masking as well.

The mouthfeel is somewhere between medium and full, probably favoring the latter due to a lack of enlivening carbonation. I wouldn't want beer like this to be overly fizzy, but some amount of perkiness would help. There are just enough bubbles to keep things from feeling leaden.

I couldn't be more surprised. After drinking the typically lackluster Baro Tradicinis, I thought Birzieciu would be nothing more than a higher-ABV version of the same thing. While I have no desire to bring home another bottle, at least I know that Lithuanians have some decent beer to warm them during those long, cold winters.
Mar 23, 2007
Photo of jwc215
Reviewed by jwc215 from Arizona

3.44/5  rDev +16.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Pours cloudy dark orange with a thick bubbly head that vanishes to a thin patch then almost nothing

The smell is of caramel, pepper and orange peel.

The taste is of sweet caramel. As drink progresses a citric lemony/orangy bitterness keeps the sweetness in check, but sweetness returns. The alcohol gives it a peppery taste.
Finishes sweet with drying alcohol.

The body almost falls apart, but hangs on to a low end of medium. It could use more body and texture to fit style and taste. The tastes don't hang around as long as they could.

A slow-sipper. Not bad - decent even - but sweetness and alcohol become a bit too much. I was able to finish it, but if I were to get it again, which I probably will not, I would share it.
Dec 26, 2006
Photo of Foxman
Reviewed by Foxman from New Jersey

3.57/5  rDev +21%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
It pours a slightly hazy amber. A finger of white head disappears promptly to vestigial traces. Little tails of lacing wag the inside of the glass.

The aroma is first toasted malt, baked and crusty, like hard pretzels, and with a peripheral light fruit note. A small point of peppery hops punctuates a rill of alcohol.

Upon tasting, there's an intial toasted malt pressure, barely sweet but bready and earthy. Caramel and berry blink on and off as hops dry and bitter their environment, aided by a brisk splash of alcohol. The finish is very dry and crisp, and surprisingly touched by citrus. It's got a unique way about it, in a nice enough way.

Medium bodied, it has a pleasant but fleeting presence on the palate, ebbing too soon.

It has a surprising character and enjoyable personality, and I'll admit that my expectations were not especially high at the outset. The ABV is serviceable and warms and warns, but overall it's a decent quaff. Here's to a taste of my homeland...maybe a visit wouldn't be so bad, beer-wise.
Oct 03, 2006
Photo of karst
Reviewed by karst from Missouri

2.78/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5
Pick up the 0.5 L bottle from Lucas Liquors after planning a lager recipe - thought I would try a mixed sixer of lagers ( Uosto, Klaister, Beerjue Dark, Baltika Pale #9 and Biržiečiu). The Klaister being best by far!

Pours a dark clear copper with off white 2 and half fingers of head that does not sustaine well. A cap hangs on from lots of beading and provides a ring and some lace inspite of the high abv. Served on chilly side in a 0.5 L SOHM Erdinger weissbrau glass even the slender mid section of the glass does not lighten the color. Little of the harsh boozey nature make its way into the aroma. Flavor of C-60 Crystal malt is cut by the fusel alcohols. With warming caramel makes its way to the nose and drinkability improves as malt character becomes more dominate. Dextrinous for a Euro Strong Lager - the medium body helps but does not totally rescue this brew. Alcohol flavor suggests cheap vodka. Sharp grain tanins combine with hop bitterness in the finish.

Unless your exploring the style suggest passing on this one.
Jul 18, 2006
Photo of jdhilt
Reviewed by jdhilt from New Hampshire

3.13/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 2 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
Pours a four finger white head that fades quickly leaving no lace. Almost clear amber color. Very light carbonation and medium bodied. Malty nose. Starts sweet not cloying more like a sweet/sour apple cider, hops and high ABV are in background. $2.99 for a 500ml bottle from John's Market Place Tigard, Or.
Jul 05, 2006
Photo of feloniousmonk
Reviewed by feloniousmonk from Minnesota

3.32/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
"Tamsusis Alus Dark Beer Tamsusis Alus Dark Beer Tamsusis Alus Dark"
This is your mantra...

Clear bronze coloration, with no head to be seen.

Aroma of blistering hot malt, stinging grain. sweet caramel, and then....dry and fierce...

Taste: sweet, malty, then hot, again, ending fruity. Not bad, but far from mellow. A tasty Lithuanian malt liquor. Rather big booze quotient for such a medium-bodied lager, but nice and inoffensive. 'Cept I'm getting a little buzzed here...aw, but thas alride, iddn't id? Nowha' ah mean?

Zzzz....

What? Wuh? Ha! Who wansa pieca me, eh?
Jun 21, 2006
Photo of RoyalT
Reviewed by RoyalT from Michigan

2.63/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5
Appearance – This is a dingy orange in color with a decent head that went down rather quickly.

Smell – This is very light malty grain with a bit of booze.

Taste – The sugary Pixie Stix shows the drinker no mercy whatsoever. Chase that with a shot of cheap Russian vodka and there you go.

Mouthfeel – I like the body on this lager. It’s big if not quite medium-bodied and heavy but creamy in between the cheeks.

Sinkability – If this was like a three ounce bottle I might be able to make it, but half a liter seems like a lifetime with this crap.
May 21, 2006
Photo of TastyTaste
Reviewed by TastyTaste from Minnesota

2.28/5  rDev -22.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2
Very dark copper colored body compared to the other beers from this brewery. Head is still very large, maybe the biggest of the three I have had. Not much to the smell, slightly malty and sweet, but not a whole lot. Taste is actually not bad, despite how metallic this beer tastes. Alcohol is very noticeable, acting negatively to the flavor in this case. OK, but I definitely like the Baro from this unpronouncable brewery better.
Sep 20, 2005
Biržiečiu from Rinkuškiai
Beer rating: 75 out of 100 with 18 ratings