Nektar - Banjalučka Pivara

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

California

3/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: gold colour beer
S: medium aroma of hops and grain
T: mellow grain in a good way
M: average carbonation
O: Nektar is a beer that is easy to drink. Nektar would be good to drink in warm weather. Nektar is not too salty nor bitter. There is a grain taste to Nektar. The body of Nektar would be considered medium. The carbonation of Nektar could be considered at medium strength. Nektar could be considered as a light beer from Europe.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2012 16:55:51 | More by xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Branko

3.58/5  rDev +17.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

drinking this beer since ever..grew up in its neighborhood, 500 meters away from the brewery! unfortunately, the smell of this beer is not its strongest point!
nice, golden appearance with a thick frothy white head makes it better! and cool silky mouthfeel not that common for a MB of southeastern Europe...
Missing some body and more hops to reestablish its original typicity - the brewery itself has 150 years of tradition, founded by hard working trappist monks.
As other bosnian beers - great potential reflected in (half forgotten) tradition, marvelous waters and generally quite natural ingredients! a true paradise for a serious microbrewer!

Serving type: on-tap

10-07-2012 05:34:49 | More by Branko

StonedTrippin

Colorado

2.55/5  rDev -16.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

this is pretty brutal stuff. smells like the alcohol saturated piss you take the morning after a hard night of beer drinking. really, sour and stinky, not nice. hints of creamy malt are overshadowed by ranky wafts of urine. flavor is a slight upgrade, the malt profile isnt miserable and there is some traces of a yeast strain that also isnt a total deadbeat, but this is a low quality euro brew and thats it. really punishing on a hangover and at warmer temperatures. feel is fine for this, average bubbles and medium body, not watery. overall a pretty crappy can of beer, but the locals really seem to like it, so maybe i am missing something...

Serving type: can

08-15-2012 22:20:17 | More by StonedTrippin

RonaldTheriot

Louisiana

4.38/5  rDev +43.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Nektar has a pretty thick, white head and a somewhat hazy, yellow-golden appearance, with lots of bubbles and minimal lacing. The aroma is of sweet, rich barley malt. Taste is of lightly toasted, sweet barley malt and a moderate hop bitterness to balance the flavor. Mouthfeel is light to medium, and Nektar finishes crisp, clean, refreshing, mostly dry, and highly drinkable. This is excellent.

RJT

Serving type: bottle

07-05-2012 14:46:34 | More by RonaldTheriot

metter98

New York

2.9/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: The beer is crystal clear yellow in color and has a slight amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a half finger high white head that died down but consistently left a thin layer of bubbles covering the surface.
S: There are light aromas of grainy malts in the nose.
T: The taste has flavors of bready and grainy malts and is accompanied by a light amount of bitterness. There are some hints of initial malty sweetness.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is quite drinkable and goes down easily.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2012 01:39:05 | More by metter98

dbrauneis

New Jersey

2.9/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: Pours a crystal clear pale yellow in color with moderate to high amounts of visible carbonation. The beer has a finger tall bright white head that reduces to a thin layer over the entire surface of the beer with some thicker patches and a thicker ring at the edges of the glass. Moderate to significant lacing is observed.

S: Very faint aroma with the only discernible component being some grainy malts.

T: Some bready malts but not as much as I would like along with some hints of sweetness and some light bitterness in the finish. The flavor is one the light side.

M: On the lighter side of medium bodied with high amounts of carbonation.

O: After several American adjunct lagers tonight, it was very pleasant to enjoy something different. Not one of the better beers I have had in the style and a little light in the flavor department. Definitely something that is easy to drink but not overly enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2012 01:30:14 | More by dbrauneis

Stocean1

Ontario (Canada)

2.63/5  rDev -13.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured a two finger fluffy white head upon a pale straw yellow body, decent retention, leaving a collar of foam, patchy lacing, and clear

Not much in the smell, light malt and faint grassy hops

Taste is more pronounced, grainy malt, grassy hops, hint of apple, some skunk, an odd Metallic aftertaste

Light body with some carbonation, there is a stale bitterness that lingers in the finish, not overly crisp or refreshing which is what I look for in the style

Really little redeeming about this brew and I will not be grabbing it again - although I can now scratch Bosnia off of my country list

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2012 03:51:08 | More by Stocean1

emerge077

Illinois

3.18/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz. bottle served in a tapered pub glass.
No freshness dating.

Very pale straw yellow, slow rising trails of carbonation. Thin cap of white foam settles into a thin veil of skim that leaves a peninsula of larger bubbles clustered on the surface. A sticky collar forms around the edges, before the first sip is taken.

Applesauce, dry grasses, and saltine crackers in the aroma.

Very crisp feel, finishes dry and lightly bitter like a German Pils. Flavor is very light and low on substance. Grain husk, hint of apple, then vanishes. The beer turns to foam instantly on the palate, not sure this is a good thing really. Slightly bitter aftertaste, vague suggestion of noble hops, slight grassiness. Not fatally flawed, but not all that interesting either. Sort of by the numbers industrial lager, though it's fairly drinkable. Wouldn't turn this down at a summer barbecue.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2011 00:23:13 | More by emerge077

thehyperduck

Ontario (Canada)

3.23/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

500 mL bottle from the LCBO; best before May 2012. Still have a few more former Yugoslav countries to go, but I'll try a beer from all of them eventually.

Pours a nice bright golden-yellow colour, topped with a lofty two fingers of sparkling, foamy white head. *Very* good retention - it takes many minutes to finally dissipate to a thin creamy coating, but leaves tons of lacing in its wake. I dare say this might be the best-looking pale lager I've ever poured. Decent aroma but nothing out of the ordinary - bready malts, a bit grainy, with some underlying grassy hops.

Unfortunately, the taste isn't really anything special either, though it's at least to-style. Very grainy taste, maybe some light breadiness. Hop presence is noted, but half-hearted; they are slightly grassy, slightly spicy, vaguely noble, and impart a subtle dryness that extends into the finish. Well-balanced, but bordering on bland. Light-bodied, with good solid carbonation that provides a good bite. Easy to drink quickly.

This is a decent pilsener, but not anything more than that. Worth a try I guess, but there are typically better pilseners available at basically the same price. I would not be averse to drinking this in the future, but it seems unlikely unless I find myself in Bosnia.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2011 07:01:41 | More by thehyperduck

spinrsx

Ontario (Canada)

3.2/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

500ml Bottle

Appearance – Clear yellow colour with an large size fizzy and frothy white coloured head. There is an above average amount of carbonation showing and there is some good lacing. The head lasted for around 5 minutes before it was gone.

Smell - Malts, bread, light hops, corn

Taste & Mouth - The beer has an above average amount of carbonation. I can taste bread mixed light hops and malts. There is a corn syrup sweetness and a bit of a spicy floral flavour. It finishes with a grainy slightly bitter aftertaste.

Overall – Not something that I'd rush out to buy again, but the
taste is actually pretty decent. In a sea of countless euro beers this one is slightly above average.

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2011 14:24:42 | More by spinrsx

TheHammer

Ontario (Canada)

2.68/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Appearance: Nice two fingers of head that sustained somewhat decently. Steady carbonation from a light brass body. Not much in the was of lacing.

Smell: There just isn't a lot this beer as I'm only catching the barest notes of grapes and wet hay. Warming didn't help it's case either.

Taste: Not a lot going on here, as it starts with bit of sweet corn and malt ending with a light dusting of hops. It's not bad, but it's very run of the mill. It's basically drinking a sweeter, less hoppy adjunct lager.

Mouthfeel: I get this almost soapy note at the end of it, which I think is being caused by a bit too much carbonation clashing with the malt or a preservative of some kind. It doesn't linger though and it does a decent job of cleaning the palate. I dunno, something is off.

Drinkability: No problems getting it down, and it is refreshing but the sweetness and the soapy pang really hold this back. It's just not for me, but it's not bad.

Final Thoughts: This is one of those beers that if it was brewed locally for a decent price, yeah I'd probably drink it regularly. However, this seems to be another case of a generic macro beer import. I'd advise against purchase, unless you lived in the area.

Serving type: bottle

06-06-2011 04:19:20 | More by TheHammer

tempest

Pennsylvania

3.18/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Picked up a .5L bottle at EuroMarket in Queens, your home for hard-to-find mass-market European lagers. This beer certainly stands up to it. As a German pilsner it's lacking, but compared to the pale Euro lager, it's not too bad. There's a distinct spicy hop note and finish to the beer, but otherwise the malt is smooth and overly simplified with just a mild fruit and honey note. Easy to drink, I suppose, but I could use more flavor.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2011 03:15:41 | More by tempest

JamnesCameron

Illinois

3.65/5  rDev +19.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a willis glass.

Pours a straw gold with a rocky stark white head of about two fingers.

Aromas of sweet malt and earthy hops.

Flavors of grainy, sweet malt and an earthy bitterness. Bitterness and malt in good balance.

Mouthfeel is medium/light.

Overall a very nice example of a european pale lager. Nothing fancy, aggressive, or offensive. Also nothing to really distinguish it from other similar beers.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2011 02:42:33 | More by JamnesCameron

BeerLover99

New Jersey

3.15/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: light yellow, straw, 1 finger head, bubbly, patchy lacing

S: mild grain, corn and malt.

T: sweet grain, corn up front, mild malt finish, slight metallic aftertaste

M: light body, slight sticky finish

D: Just ok, no need to seek it out. Typical weak German wanna-be. Not awful, but not spectacular. I could drink a case and not blink; to me that is not always a good thing.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2011 19:25:45 | More by BeerLover99

claytong

Vermont

3.75/5  rDev +23%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

One of my favorite beers if not my favorite on my Balkan trip which I went through every country and had at least one beer from the country. I dare say they do the German Pils better than a lot of German breweries, either that or Croatia's crappy beer made this one look good. I highly recommend this beer in Sarajevo or wherever you are, a nice year round beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2011 06:17:13 | More by claytong

MTNboy

Missouri

3.08/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A grassy adjunct aroma fills the air as the bottle opens. It is a good looking beer. It has a clear gold color and perfect whit head and lace. The flavor is grainy and a little bitter sweet. There are some starchy fruity tones. The mouthfeel is thin with some carbonation bite.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2011 02:50:40 | More by MTNboy

ChrisCage

Alberta (Canada)

3.08/5  rDev +1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A- Pours a light, dry grassy color, and is generally clear....just has a hint of cloudiness to it. There is lots of carbonation rising to the top of the glass, where the initial thick puffy head quickly dissipates into a thin layer over the beer. Lacing is modest, with small patches of foam clinging to the side of my glass before gently slipping back into the beer.

S- Not much going on here except for sweet malts and some grainy barley kernels. I agree with another reviewer in that this beer smells fresh. There is a hint of dryness on the back end of the aroma...it's just that overall this beer doesn't smell that much different than your typical BMC.

T- This has some definite malty sweetness, that is followed by some corny adjuncty goodness....it is what it is! What I do find on the palate that differs from the overall average taste is a tinge of soap on the finish that lingers for a bit. It isn't totally offensive, just unspectacular.

M- Light bodied, plenty of carbonation to scrub the palate clean and with a crisp finish, this beer is very typical of a macro style lager.

D- This isn't the worst beer that I've had but it's certainly far from the best! If this comes from a Trappist recipe, then it must have been scribbled on some paper real quick and mass brewed for the abbey real quick before some hot weather, b/c this isn't what I'd expect. That said, it's easy going and would be good on a hot day but otherwise, it's overpriced for what it is...I could easily drink this down rather fast!

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2011 00:17:02 | More by ChrisCage

CrazyMike

Alberta (Canada)

2.58/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Straw yellow appearance with foamy head that disappears quickly. Smell is sweet with grassy hops.

Taste is sweet and malty, picked up some citrus and grass. Kind of reminds me of Canadian budget beers. Light bodied with medium carbonation. Aftertaste is bitter with a lingering sweetness.

Overall, an unbalanced generic Euro beer. Have not had very much luck with beers from the Balkans. I'm sure there's good ones, but beers like this end up being exported to North America. It's drinkable, but meh. Wouldn't recommend.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2011 05:02:28 | More by CrazyMike

emiricius

Bosnia & Herzegovina

1.1/5  rDev -63.9%
look: 1 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1.5

Sort of a typical pale lager that tried to be better - without success. Pours a light yellow, with a small, close to a 1/2 finger head. Their is a ring of lace at the top, where when you first pour the beer the head settles. Nothing underneath that. Not much of a smell. Bit of hops, some malt, and a little more bittering. Light taste. Sort of a mellow sweetness, mingled with a dry bitterness. Mouthfeel is light, like water. But, it is drinkable and it is thirst quenching. Extra half point for that.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2011 13:41:06 | More by emiricius

crossovert

Wisconsin

2.93/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

500ml bottle.

It pours a clear light gold with a big fluffy white head that quickly dissipates with some thick lacing.

The smell is EPL, it is almost like it is pre-skunked.

The taste is like any EPL, it has a bit more hop bite, but this is not a German pilsener. The malt is biscuity.

It is good for an EPL.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2010 06:05:03 | More by crossovert

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

3.15/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Looking at it, this beer could be from anywhere. Its familiar yellow body, nondescript and undistinguished, is practically without feature or colour. Held against even an overcast sky it appears virtually colourless and remarkably transparent. Its head, apparently a non-renewable resource, must have been completely used up during the first half of the pint because not even swirling is capable of generating any now.

Banjalučka Pivara (the brewery) was apparently founded by Trappist monks and although it's no longer affiliated with the monastery, the beer they make is still based on the original recipes. I find that pretty astounding (assuming it is, in fact, true) but what I find even more surprising is that those monks seemingly had no skill for brewing, at least not like their Belgian brethren. At least going by how this smells...

And how it tastes for that matter. The only thing that separates this from other commonplace, mass-produced lagers is that it has a clean, unadulterated maltiness. While there is a trace of canned sweetcorn in both the aroma and the taste, the beer is, on the whole, authentically malty and doesn't strike me as being terribly (if at all) diluted with adjuncts. It has a notably bready, lightly sweet maltiness and just a dab of hops.

In a way, beers are a lot like shirts: for starters, branding has a lot to do with success; more to the point, however, some are expensively priced because they are finely crafted, made of durable and quality materials. At the other end, some are industrially made with cheap and synthetic materials that wear-out easily and quickly. Most commercially exported beers, especially the national brands, are the latter. This is closer to the former.

Nektar isn't exactly made of merino wool but neither is made of some artificial polyester blend - and for a pale lager like this that's good enough. This beer doesn't exactly put Bosnia and Herzegovina on the gastronomic map but it bods well for the integrity of its brewers. This is one of the better lagers to make it out of the Balkan region and, while it's not a beer I necessarily care to buy again, it was definitely no chore to finish.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2010 21:14:01 | More by biegaman

decimator

Ontario (Canada)

3.73/5  rDev +22.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

500ml bottle poured into a pint glass.

A - Poured a clear yellow with a 1cm head. Head was gone real quick. Lively carbonation. No lacing.

S - Smells fresh. Sweet malts and flowers.

T - Sweet malts followed by the hops and a hint of citrus. The balance is a bit on the sweet side.

M - Good carbonation. Zesty with a crisp finish.

D - Pretty good and easy to drink Lager.

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2010 12:59:40 | More by decimator

pootz

Ontario (Canada)

2.17/5  rDev -28.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Bottle 500 ml

pours a pale straw lager in the glass weak head little lacing, weak effervescence.

Aroma: this one has the Heiniken-Becks skunk to it..kinda like light struck pisner ..sulphurous-ripe cabbage smells with some underlying saaz.

Weak mouth, soapy hopping, watery malts, with a nasty sour off taste finish..like the brewery has an infection or something...maybe just this bottle but I really don't want to go out of my way to get a good bottle because at best it will only be marginally better.

It really pisses me off the Ontario beer monopoly keeps importing these sub par commie welfare lagers! Necter eh?...then where this crap comes from they must consider the rancid scrotum butter from dead goats as nectar....just pathetic...and at $2.80 a bottle the LCBO should blush at their open greed.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2010 01:13:57 | More by pootz

JohnnyBarman

Ontario (Canada)

2.8/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Another sampling from a beer-tasting I hosted. All were pretty excited at a brew from Bosnia - as a previous poster said, another country off the list.

Pours a light straw colour, a thin layer of white foam that doesn't last. Not a good sign.

Nose is corn, very light hops. Smells like a typical Euro lager.

The taste is quite forgettable - an easy-drinking Euro lager to the letter. Hollow and uninteresting.

Mouthfeel is a bit undercarbonated, but it'll do.

This isn't a style I'm usually interested in, but I know there are better examples out there. Not one I'd get again.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2010 04:31:57 | More by JohnnyBarman

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

3.55/5  rDev +16.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

500ml bottle poured into pint glass jan3 2010

A clear straw yellow with a thumbs width of head that had decent retention and left a few patches of lace

S floral hops with a fair bit of grass and lemon

T mimics the smell almost exactly only with a touch of sweetness

M crisp and refreshing no complaints here

D not a great beer but nothing offensive either

one way to knock off a obscure beer country off your list. I could see this being a little better on a hot summer day opposed to this cold winter day but not so bad when all's said and done

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2010 02:56:10 | More by wordemupg