Before-After - Rinkuškiai Alaus Darykloje

Nerudamann

Oregon

4.22/5  rDev +72.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a bottle into a Pilsner glass.

Look - light amber color, clear, with good carbonation and about half a finger's worth of foam that dissipates somewhat slowly.

Smell - wow, a very sweet and biscuity aroma!

Taste - very interesting taste sensation. It's sweet at the beginning, and takes on a musky malty presence in the middle, but in the finish, it morphs into having a strong (from the abv) barley quality.

Mouthfeel - the texture is pretty well balanced, not leaning more toward the watery side or the creamy side.

Overall - not a bad brew at all. Very interesting taste.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2011 03:32:36 | More by Nerudamann

abriggs1

Connecticut

4/5  rDev +63.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

What a surprise! This tasted boosey, but not as much as I would think being 12%. Very refreshing for such a powerful brew. A nice profile of caramel and skunky hops. I expected this beer to be terrible, but for less than $3 I was very happy. It went down way too fast for how strong it was. Probably why I'm feeling it so much today. Will seek out more.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2011 20:56:22 | More by abriggs1

brewdlyhooked13

Ohio

3.73/5  rDev +52.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Nifty label, like the Founders Double Trouble. The 'before' shot (upside down bottle) is some bow-tied homer, the 'after' shot (right-side up) is a lady with much hair.

Appearance - a honey-amber pour, a thin head of foam struggles for coverage, yet manages a few lace legs. This still had a few patches of cover despite some extended minutes of sippage.

Aroma - a heavyish grain aroma, a note of sweetness but a pretty tight nose for the most part.

Taste - pure malt-driven as any uber-bock should be. The sweetness is interesting, brown sugar-like, maybe licorice, maybe it's just the grain showing a touch of roast. The abv is clean, complementary, not really hot like I thought it'd be. Swallows very warm, and the finish is neat with a slight drying and hop bite. It's a doppel on steroids and a little off balance at 12%, but it's pretty tasty.

Mouthfeel - smooth, not too heavy for the style, well done!

Drinkability - a thumbs-up for this Lithuanian surprise. Pretty nice value too at just $3 a half-liter. I'll have to set one of these down for posterity to see how it ages.

Serving type: bottle

06-12-2010 06:04:58 | More by brewdlyhooked13

Mitchster

Michigan

3.73/5  rDev +52.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

$2.79 for a single @ Merchants. Opens with a very mild "Psssht", pouring out to a limpid golden-orange, not really forming a head. The aroma is of port, mead, and bananas foster. The mouthfeel is syrupy with a very dense body. The taste is a combination of port and mead sitting on top of a lightly boozy huge pale malt middle, with a mild bitterness, richly sweet, and a grainy finish. This is like liquid bananas foster...sweet, syrupy, rich, thick, gooey. 1 bottle is plenty to share. I feel warmth down the gullet. Interesting.

I was a little scared of this beer. I thought it would be a hot adjunct laden mess, but it's actually quite tasty when you're in the mood for something like this. Try it out. It's worth the $3 for sure.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2011 02:05:48 | More by Mitchster

TheSupremeAJ

Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev +46.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Very cool bottle... the whole reason I bought it. Very thin head which immediately dissipated. Clear with bubbles rising. Smell is of rich full caramel malt and well straw actually. The taste is of fruity esters in a rich caramel brew... alcohol flavor is not prevalent despite 12%ABV. Mouthfeel is cheap and expected @ 2.75 per 16.9oz bottle. Overall definitely worth the experience and a hella cool bottle.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2011 21:41:13 | More by TheSupremeAJ

rhoadsrage

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev +44.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

(Served in a dimple mug)

A- This beer has a slightly hazy slightly dense deep orange body with a thin bubbly head that breaks up soon and is supported by a strong carbonation of big bubbles.

S- The soft sweet malt aroma as a melanoidin quality and a touch of honey but is otherwise pretty clean.

T- The slight taste of butter blends with pot caramel and a light melanoidin note to the dry finish. There is some honey notes and a caramel banana ester note that comes through as the beer warms. As it warms the malt takes on a pale malt jolly rancher flavor.

M- The medium-light mouthfeel has an alcohol heat that is gentle in the beginning but grows to a full burn in the back of the throat.

O- The clean lagered beer has some nice malt notes with some ester character but this beer is a bit thin for the big alcohol that soon dominates.

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2011 20:33:27 | More by rhoadsrage

JayS2629

Alabama

3.5/5  rDev +42.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clear orange amber with a thin white head that fades fast and leaves no lace.

The smell is fruity, orange and fig with honey and caramel and some boozy smell.

The taste is clean with bitter orange, candied sugar, caramel and honey. Some woody, boozy notes.

Sort of thin but syrupy. Little boozy bite.

Not difficult to drink, and kinda tasty. Just nothing impressive and memoriable.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2011 00:28:01 | More by JayS2629

jlindros

Massachusetts

3.45/5  rDev +40.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Semi fizzy head fades semi quickly with no lacing and head is completely gone soon, over golden nectar orange color.

Nose plenty of wheat, reddish malts, a light syrupy molasses candy aroma, some dark fruit raisin, fig, dried apricot, little booze.

Taste very sweet, wheats, malts, reddish wheat and malt, syrupy candy, some booze, hot, candi sugar, dried fruits white raisin, dried fig apricot and date, chewy malts. Finishes still semi sweet, lingering sticky malts, bit of fruit too.

Mouth is a bit heavier bodied, low carbonation, hot booze.

Overall not bad, nice wheat and malt flavors, chewy malts, good fruits, but too sweet and not enough carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2011 02:15:49 | More by jlindros

jdhilt

New Hampshire

3.38/5  rDev +38%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a one, three-finger white head that vanishes leaving no lace. Crystal clear amber color. Light-medium carbonation and light-medium bodied (thinner than I expected). Light alcohol and caramel nose, flavor has hints of alcohol, caramel, hops are in background, not cloying. Not as bad as the ratings suggest. $4.50 for a 500ml bottle from Tully's Beer & Wine Wells, Me.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2011 23:22:37 | More by jdhilt

mariposafan

Wisconsin

3.18/5  rDev +29.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Was looking for a solo bottle that was relatively inexpensive. This one fills the bill.

Pours bright, bright orange with a pure soda-pop head. Very fizzy and the head dissipates almost immediately.

The aroma is interesting. It's very fruity - as much or moreso than some of the fruit beers I've tried. Sweet and malty with just a little alcohol peeking through.

The taste reminds me of bitter orange but it definitely has the sweetness of a high ABV dopplebock. The alcohol is very well masked for something with 12% ABV - it tastes more like 7%. As I drink more of it the maltiness starts to come forward but that odd orange flavor is still there. It's not bad, just odd.

The mouthfeel almost needs to be two different scores. The viscosity is almost perfect - not too thick, not too thin. The carbonation is overwhelming - more like soda than beer, very fizzy and coarse.

Overall I like it better than the scores would indicate, but it almost seems like a fruit beer instead of a dopplebock. The fruitiness just overwhelms the maltiness that I associate with dopplebocks.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2011 21:58:15 | More by mariposafan

Offa

California

3.08/5  rDev +25.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

I was not expecting much but was intrigued enough to try this "triple bock." After all, according to the label, "[t]his naturally fermented beer has the highest alcohol content in the Beer Country." The label defines "Beer Country" to be the Birzai region of Lithuania. Anyway, this is a decent, if strong, beer that actually does a good job of presenting a reasonably interesting, enjoyable beer for 12% abv. Overall, it is actually fairly reminiscent of another 12% abv beer, Bush/Scaldis de Noel, although I like this one a little better.

Orange-gold, it has a smallish off-white head immediately thinning to a very thin ring and leaving no lace.

Aroma is very malty - a meaty, syrupy raisiny character with light soapiness. It is very simple, very pungent, and not very pleasant. It is almost identical to the aroma of Bush/Scaldis de Noel and a lot like a really high abv, malty take on a malt liquor like, say, Steel Reserve 211.

Thankfully, taste and feel are a lot better. It is malty and overall like the aroma, but more pleasant. It has a spicey-sweet, faintly meaty, raisiny character with a hint of dough and rather like cheap, fortified wine with a hint of basic blended American whisky. It is one-dimensional, devoid of complexity, but nevertheless fairly pleasant. Alcohol is evident, but amazingly smooth, with a strong warming quality and not rough or unpleasant. It is surprisingly drinkable for all of this and for the high abv, but rather boring.

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2010 21:00:32 | More by Offa

therica

Maryland

3/5  rDev +22.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Thanks, David. Fun. Once. Only once! ha ha

A= deep glistening golden hue, very modest white head, minimal lacing.

S= sweet malts, some hops florals, banana, apple, some acridity.

T= shivers from the alcohol potency; very very syrupy sweet; sweet malts, some reasonable balancing hops and bitters but just enough for a good lager. Sweet fruits.

M= syrupy, cloying, that's about it.

O= pretty much like a malt-beer or one of those cheap-thrill high-gravity beers except for the adequate addition of hops. It's probably Lithuania's get-high thrill beer for kids!

But if that's your goal, talk to the guy who reviewed before me and got the huge bottle for only $2.99!

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2012 02:14:02 | More by therica

Fatherskull

Georgia

2.93/5  rDev +19.6%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

A - Clear Amber with ~1 finger of head. No lacing.

S - Little bit of butter and alcohol. Mild skunky smell, not all together pleasant.

T- Buttery (in a good way), lots of alcohol, sweet, sugary, grainy almost.

M - Light for the alcohol content.

D - I finished the pint but it was a lot of alcohol. Will not be having again.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2011 05:07:35 | More by Fatherskull

DarthKostrizer

California

2.75/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Look: Translucent brownish orange in color with 1/8 head and no retention or lace

Smell: Sweet caramel malts, candy syrup and dark fruits

Taste: Follows the nose. This one is very sweet to the point were I didnt want to drink it anymore. Caramel malts and some dark fruits prunes and raisin

Mouthfeel: Was thinner than I thought it would be but still medium body with light carbonation and a bit of alcohol burn

Overall: Glad I tried this but I will not make that mistake again

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2011 20:26:01 | More by DarthKostrizer

bluHatter

Michigan

2.73/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A: Slightly cloudy orange colored. Little to no head.

S: Cinnamon, bark, apple

T: Strong, bitter caramel and apple. Some kind of oak wood. A lot of booze.

M: This one tastes pretty potent - a little difficult to swallow unless you skip the tongue, which kind of misses the point.

O: I expected something pretty potent from the big 12% ABV warning on the neck and the picture of the "before and after" thing on the front... and I was right. However, I hadn't expected the pleasant caramel notes that help make it drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2011 01:59:00 | More by bluHatter

SolomonGrundy

California

2.58/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 4

Crazy Lithuanians!!! Pours a cloudy amber with zero head and very little carbonation. I assume this will be two things: overly sweet and very slick in the mouth. Nose carries some pineapple and caramel. Really sweet overripe pineapple at that. Maybe caramel-covered pineapple. Tiny bit of spice - maybe nutmeg, in there too. Flavor is to be expected. Very rich, sweet and no carbonation to balance it. Finish is almost non-existant and what there is is kind of unpleasant, like a metallic bitterness. The sweetness isn't as cloying as expected, but the middle carries almost only alcohol. This isn't great, but it's priced well at $2.49/half-liter. Kind of unique but ultimately not satisfying.

What I like Most: The price of $2.49/half-liter and ABV at 12%.

What I like Least: The lack of carbonation.

Verdict: Weird but well-priced and fun.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2010 00:55:08 | More by SolomonGrundy

jwinship83

Illinois

2.5/5  rDev +2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

500ml bottle drank from a standard pint glass. no freshness information on the label.

A- this one pours out a lighter than expected golden colored body with a small white head on it. the head is quick to fade and doesnt leave behind any lacing.

S- alcohol is the first thing that i notice, and its pretty intense. generic cereal grains. overly sweet. this is starting to be what is expected from a $2.50 bottle of beer.

T- the taste starts out with an overpowering sweetness. lots of bready malts and cereal grains. maybe a little bit of toasted bread. a strongly alcoholic bite.

M- the body is very thin for something this big. lots of warming from the alcohol. the carbonation is just about right.

D- i dont think ill have another of these anytime soon.

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2010 21:59:22 | More by jwinship83

Bfarr

Washington

2.45/5  rDev 0%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Clear yellow amber with thin tan head and poor retention. Sweet boozy wheat aroma. Sweet and sour booze with touches of wheat and lager. Slick, sharp bite and a light fuzzy.

One word to sum this one up: Booze. It has one hell of an alcohol burn but what flavor there is (other than alcohol) is balanced but really it's just sweet grain alcohol. Nothing but a buzz in a bottle.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2011 00:01:40 | More by Bfarr

beertunes

Washington

2.42/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Grabbed at the local food coop. Poured into 10oz glass. Poured a semi-hazy orangeish-yellow with just a thin cap of white head that had low retention and lacing.

The aroma was alcohol and bananas. Maybe a hint of rum. The flavors were pretty much the same. The body was thin, yet still managed to be sticky. While not terrible the beer was unpleasant enough to make 10 ounces tough to drink. I'm glad I shared the rest of the bottle. I'm not sure how the guys I shared it with felt about it though.

Overall, a below average beer. Try it for the hell of it, but you won't be missing anything if you skip it.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2010 03:09:43 | More by beertunes

Derranged

New York

2.38/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 1 | overall: 2.5

Saw this at a supermarket for $1.49 for a pint bottle. Couldn't resist. I purchased the last two bottles there. Poured into a Krusovice mug.

A- Dark golden/light brown color, much lighter than I expected. Thick white head that disappears quickly.

S- Sugary, molasses, floral notes and cheap adjunct lager. Just a little bit of alcohol.

T- Surprisingly not offense or very strong. In fact, there really isn't much going on. Sweet molasses and malts. Slight vodka and odd astringent aftertaste.

M- This by far was the worst part. Very flat, thin and watery. I had bad memories of 40 ounce bottles of malt liquor. You know when you're taking too long to finish the bottle, and the beer inside gets very flat in that time? It was like that the whole way through.

O- After reading the reviews, I was surprised by how bland this beer was. It wasn't offensive but it wasn't good either. It would be better if it had more carbonation. I have another bottle which of course I will drink when I'm looking for a cheap drunk. However, if you're only looking for a cheap drunk off of beer, your average Euro-Strong lager is a better option. Or, just get some Black Boss Porter or Zweic Porter. At least those beers have some character to it.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2012 02:32:49 | More by Derranged

drpimento

Wisconsin

2.25/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Poured with a small, short lived, off white head and no lace. Color is a clear amber. As soon as I opened the bottle I got a whiff of the malt. Aroma also has lots of grain, caramel and circus peanuts. Flavor's about the same and very sweet. Body is like I'd expect from a beer this sweet, full and thankfully there's enough carbonation to cut through it. Finish is like flavor and has some length. Probably won't finish it.

Serving type: bottle

08-14-2010 22:10:20 | More by drpimento

lordofthewiens

Maine

2.15/5  rDev -12.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

I wish I had remembered that I had tried Lobster Lover's beer from this brewery, and really didn't like either version that I tried. I thought this bock was worth a try, but I was sadly mistaken.
In a pint glass this beer was a gold color with just a rim of white head.
Strong aroma of alcohol, not pleasant, with a bit of sweet malt.
Mostly boozy taste, a tiny bit of caramel malt.
The mouthfeel was very sharp. Can't believe this is a bock. It bears no resemblence to a bock.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2010 01:08:19 | More by lordofthewiens

LiquidAmber

Washington

2.15/5  rDev -12.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Review from 9/2010 notes. Poured into a Gulden Draak tulip. Pours a nice orange amber with virtually no head no lacing. Sour grain aroma. Taste is light sweet malt and alcohol. A kind of caramel flavor in the middle, but it is overwhelmed by alcohol and an acidic, estery flavor. Not very good. Hopefully won't give me a headache.

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2012 22:25:54 | More by LiquidAmber

EgadBananas

Louisiana

2.03/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 1.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Pours a golden, dark orange color. Definitely a bit too bright. I must have agitated the bottle a bit on the way, cloudy yeast poured out near the end. Started with a cream colored couple fingers of head, but dissipates to nothing pretty quick. Aroma is malty, fruity sweet. There's some fusel alcohol that burns the nostrils. Same for the taste: some malty, fruitiness and alcohol. There's nothing complex about it. It's straight forward sweetness and alcohol. It's creamy, and mostly full bodied, no real carbonation to speak of though.

It's not the worst thing... but it's not to style even despite the alcohol, and it's just not worth drinking.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2012 04:40:02 | More by EgadBananas

smakawhat

Maryland

1.7/5  rDev -30.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1

With a tag highlighting the 12% abv around the bottle, you know what the marketing angle is for this beer (too bad it wasn't 12% off in price). Poured into a tall pilsner glass.

Off the pour manages a small yellow caramel like head with a hint of orange, doesn't stick around or leave a collar, no lacing at all either. The body color is strange. It's a very obvious orange to some amber, cloudy, even some flakes in the glass also. This looks strange.

Nose is not too bad, but smells mostly like artificial candy and a small dose of cinnamon. Where is the malt, or even something like chocolate? Not even very sweet smelling, just some noticeable alcohol, odd.

Taste is a major letdown but what else with this sense of heat and artificial candy nose coming? Boozy hot, feels seltzer like, over fermented orange juice, not cinnamon candy not in a fun way, more like cough syrup. Fusel alcohol finish, faint malt just barely making a presence but can't make a dent.

Overall, this is really terrible, when you can have standard like Ayinger Celeberator or Weihenstephan Korbinian why would you even want this? Troegenattor please!

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2012 18:42:26 | More by smakawhat