Arsenalnoye Krepkoye (Strong) - Baltika Breweries

eze153

Pennsylvania

1.7/5  rDev -39.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Well when I bought this one, I was thinking it was similar to Baltika's Number 6, well I was way off on that. let me tall you about the experience with the beer.

When I poured it there was a decent amount of head and through out the drinking experience there was a small head ever-present. The body was clean and clear... This was the best part of the beer.
The smell was a bit of a skunk, class A. I really thought that I was in for some skunked beer.
The taste was better than a skunked beer but not by much. It tasted like a low quality vodka mixed with beer. I even gagged on the first gulp, and my girlfriend thought that it was like a traditional, National, American Lager. Though I think I would rather drink a Miller lite over this one. I would never drink this beer again nor would I recommend this to anyone else.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2006 02:15:11 | More by eze153

yesyouam

New York

1.73/5  rDev -38.4%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

Arsenalnoye Krepkoye is a slightly hazy golden lager with a thin white head that vanishes instantly. It has a very sweet aroma like malt extract and maybe corn syrup. It's medium bodied; dusty and gritty with a watery finish. It tastes very sweet, like malt extract in water. I can't really taste the booze, though. This 51 oz. bottle is trouble. I knew it from the moment I saw it and it didn't let me down. The bottle is plastic, which isn't very effective in a brawl. I just see that as a reasonable safety precaution.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2010 18:57:16 | More by yesyouam

RoyalT

Ohio

2/5  rDev -28.8%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Appearance – This came out a light urine-orange with no head.

Smell – This beer smells like pee, so I wonder when I take a piss if my urine will smell like beer? I mean, this stuff is just rancid. It smells like it’s been aged under a sunlamp.

Taste – It doesn’t taste like piss, thankfully. It tastes more like regurgitated creamed corn from the can. Actually, I threw up after eating about six yams once when I was a kid and, seriously, this takes me back to my youth.

Mouthfeel – This one is flat with little carbonation that produced a Listerine-like gag reflex. I finally burped . . . but I think I threw up a little.

Sinkability – I’d pour this down the sink except that Farmers threatened to cancel my homeowner’s insurance.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2005 03:30:05 | More by RoyalT

crossovert

Wisconsin

2.13/5  rDev -24.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1

Big 1.5 liter plastic bottle. Stuck in the freezer for over 2 hours.

It smells like alcohol with some dark grains and sugar.

The taste is of caramel, paper, and alcohol.

Sort of watery, very alcoholic.

Only drink this to get drunk, not to savor it. It beats out 40oz of bmc in that regard and it was cheaper.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2011 02:07:59 | More by crossovert

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

2.53/5  rDev -10%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Holy Beer, Batman! This review is for a 2.5 liter plastic bottle, believe it or don't. I had better REALLY like this since I am going to be spending some serious time with it. No problem, since I have the Wisco/BC Women's Frozen Four on streaming live video to help keep me company.

Amidst all of the Cyrillic lettering on the label is a Bottled On date of 06.10.10 14:26 Best By date of 06.04.11. Oakle doakle!

Lots of carbonation evident and the pour produced a rocky finger of fizzy bone-white head with low retention. Color was a beautiful deep golden-yellow. Nose had a Juicyfruit bubble gum-like quality. Mouthfeel was thin, just above watery, with a powerful grapey-fruity taste in the mouth. Oof. It was not as pronounced as in a Minhas offering, but it was mighty dang close. It had a mild fusel heat to accompany the fruitness as though to add to the ... well, I won't say unpleasantness, but it was not a pleasure to drink this beer, either. Finish left a dry, cloying taste in my mouth and I knew that it was a harbinger of the headache/hangover to come. It was cheap, it was paid for and I wanted a beer for the hockey games, so it was not too bad in total. I would not recommend it as a casual drink but as an intriguing beer, it might be worth a try. I spent an evening with it (in total), watching hockey, so as an accompaniment to sports, it makes it. Otherwise, don't bother.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2011 22:30:04 | More by woodychandler

ColForbinBC

New Jersey

2.53/5  rDev -10%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

16.9oz bottle poured into a pint glass

Pours an extremely clear yellow with a one finger bone white cap. The head fell to nothing rather quickly and left a thin collar around the glass.

Aroma of pears and green apples and some floral hops. I think this guy might be a little passed its prime.

The flavor follows the nose. Green apples and pears with some floral hops. A slight metallic taste on the back end.

Light on the palate, easy drinking. Not much in the lines of flavor, but what is there is a little off putting.

This is my first of the style, and I am not sure where this one falls in the mix, but this might not be a style for me.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2011 04:27:12 | More by ColForbinBC

Globetrotter

Virginia

2.58/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Pours a slightly darker shade of gold, with a big fizzy head that disappears quickly. There is, however, some lace clinging to the side here. The smell is alcohol and a touch of rust, whereas the mouth is a bit heavy. The initial taste is a touch sour, alcohol kicking in as we head towards the finish. The aftertaste is sour. I can't find any hops here. Still, it is not repulsive, as many Russian strong beers are...

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2003 11:26:02 | More by Globetrotter

Zraly

Virginia

2.58/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Pours a clear, pale gold with a white head that fizzes down to nothing. Smell of sweet grains and applesauce.

Very sweet and in the vein of Euro-style lagers. Notes of pear and apple predominate. Hops are but a whisper. Carbonation helps lift flavors off of the palate a bit but doesn't carry enough into the finish. Finish is prickly and residual sweetness lingers a bit longer than I'd like. 7% ABV is well-hidden.

At first, I quite liked the way it drank but as I drink it more, my opinion is changing a bit. Not as smooth and well-rounded as I'd like; more hop presence would do this some good. Glad I split it. Even then, we were unable to finish.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2012 23:43:49 | More by Zraly

Bonhoeffer

Alabama

2.78/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Not as bad as it could have been. Like their #9, i purchased it without really knowing what i was getting myself into. Thought it would be maltier than it is.

Anyway, light on flavor and heavy on alcohol. Absolutely nothing impressive, but it's drinkable. Wasn't stinky or nasty. Just not all that great. If i was in Russsia, i could put a few of these down in the absence of anything better. Fortunately, i am able to get much better beer, and i will.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2005 19:08:36 | More by Bonhoeffer

rugerj

Virginia

2.8/5  rDev -0.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

The beer pours a nice golden color, slight head that fades fast. The aroma is of slightly sweet amlt and some subtle alcohol. Hop aroma is non-existant. Taste is sweet malt with very little alcohol. Mouthfeel is average, very little carbonation.

This beer is not terrible but I would most likely not purchase it again. A little too sweet, most likely in an attempt to hide the 7% alcohol. There are better export lagers available.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2009 21:08:18 | More by rugerj

Zoidzilla

Illinois

2.85/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Overall not a bad beer if you are looking to get drunk cheaply and still tell people you are drinking an import

Appearance: Golden color and a little foggy

Smell: it is very fruity, sweet and malty

Taste: Very unoffensive sweet and malty, as has been stated before hard to taste the alcohol once you get a few sips in.

Mouth-feel: Again unoffensive has a fruity flavor/sweet which some like.

Drink-ability: If you are not looking for anything special and want something cheap that will get you ready to head out to the bars then it should work just fine.

Overall not bad not great if you like your drinks a little sweet, malty, and Russian then this is for you.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2010 02:38:17 | More by Zoidzilla

tigg924

Massachusetts

2.9/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Appearance: minimal head and carbonation, gold in color, clear,

Smell: grass and toasted malt

Taste: grass, toasted malt, and sugar

Mouthfeel: moderately sweet, light bodied and carbonation

Drinkability: An overly sweet Euro lager that is typical of this brewery. Not bad, but probably nothing I am going to try again. Worth trying once.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2010 16:26:10 | More by tigg924

TheLongBeachBum

California

2.93/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Presentation: Bless my little cotton Commie socks. A beer from Baltika which doesn’t have a number! One of the great things about living in LA is the multi-cultural atmosphere I work in, my work colleagues know my love for beer and often I get unexpected gifts from some obscure places, this is one of them from a fellow Engineer formerly of Russia. A metric sized half-litre (500ml) brown glass bottle, labeled as 1 Pint 0.9 fluid ounces for the US market. The label is all foreign to me though, none of this translated “Arsenalnoye” rubbish, my bottle has the word “APCEHAΛБHOE” which translates as “Beer from the Arsenal”, in rough speak above the words “Extra Lager” in a smaller white text. The Arsenal heritage is borne out by the symbol atop the main label, a pair of dueling flintlock pistols crossed over a large letter “A” in a red circle. Main crown cap is red and has the text ““APCEHAΛБHOE ПОВО”. Listed as Alc. 7.0% by Vol. with a Production Date of 03.08.05 and Best before Date of 03.08.06.


Appearance: Tremendous head on the pour, an expansive white jobby which stays at around 1-2” for some time and only slowly collapses, but always leaves a decent covering. Faded golden body with a pale-straw super-lucid clarity. A handful of streamers with average carbonation levels. Soft lacing which soon slides down back into the body of the Lager.

Nose: Low strength aromas, I struggled to get anything at first, but I managed to get a reasonable guess at what was going on before the beer completely disappeared.

Taste: Biscuit malts, pale and lightly toasted with some sweetness and a little grassy bitterness in the finish. Very “middle of the road”, it never strays from the tried-and-tested Lager formula, but there again neither does it suffer the awful “adjunct” laden sweet corn soaked in high alcohol crappy tastes that many East-Euro 5%+ Lagers project. Clean enough to enjoy but simple enough to forget.

Mouthfeel: Never found the alleged 7% alcohol, unless it was asleep and waiting to kick my ass later on. Conditioning was good enough to add a smooth aspect and the lightly chilled body which kept the tastes in check. It felt OK, nothing great but good enough.

Drinkability: I must stay that I really did not mind this one, not mediocre but nothing more than average. Simple enough with a clean profile, and I certainly wouldn’t turn this one away at a Russian BBQ if it were offered.

Overall: Not that bad actually, rather surprised in fact. But still just OK.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2006 03:17:53 | More by TheLongBeachBum

MTNboy

Missouri

2.98/5  rDev +6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Appearance- It gas a bold golden body with a nice white head that disappears quickly.

Smell- It has strong citric hops aroma. Very crisp.

Taste- It has a very cheap flavor it is adjunct filled for the most part. It has a strange fruitiness to it and some mild citrus and hop tones.

Mouthfeel- Medium bodied with average carbonation.

Drinkability- Oddly, it is not too bad.

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2008 13:25:04 | More by MTNboy

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

3.03/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: Clear golden body. Frothy white head. Good retention. Better than average lacing.
S: Sweet adjunct maltiness. Alcohol. Some minor vegetal or earthy character.
T: Average, sweetish adjunct-laden maltiness. Alcohol is noticeable but not overdone, and generally expected in stronger Eastern European lagers. Mild herbal hops. Solid bitterness. Finishes dry with a light wash of alcohol.
M: Medium bodied with a very fine-bubbled, moderate carbonation.
D: Pretty average.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2006 03:47:47 | More by NeroFiddled

WesWes

New York

3.2/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

The beer pours a nice gold color with a thin white head that quickly fades to spotty lacing. The aroma is decent. It has a sweet malty scent. There are no traces of the increased alcohol or any hops. It's clean and crisp. The taste is decent. It has a rich, malty flavor despite it's pale profile. It's quite sweet throughout with just a touch of hops in the finish. The mouthfeel is average. It is a medium/full bodied beer with less than adequate carbonation. This is an average Euro lager. It's way too sweet for me, but I guess it gets the job done for people looking for a quick buzz.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2007 23:39:17 | More by WesWes

Derranged

New York

3.2/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

16 ounce bottle poured into a pint glass.

Appearance: Dark golden in color with a two inch white head.

Smell: This was a pleasant surprise. Sweet, floral notes and hops.. Not kidding, I never thought I'd smell hops in a beer a like this.

Taste- This was not bad at all. Very sweet, bready, white grapes, sugar, slightly metallic, slightly bitter and just a touch of alcohol.

Mouthfeel- Flat, thick and syrupy.

Overall- For what it is, it's pretty good- A cheap buzz with a tolerable and decent taste. It is really really sweet though, I couldn't drink too many of these.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2011 23:25:17 | More by Derranged

jerskine

California

3.23/5  rDev +14.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

My 2nd Baltika Breweries beer poured out of a PET bottle.

A: pours with a half inch of foam that quickly dissipates; no lacing at all; very clear, light brown color

S: just like my last Baltika beer; hint of sweet brown sugar; I can't really explain this scent any better than saying that it smells like a dingy, musty, inner-city Russian alley way that is strewn with garbage from a bakery

T: surprisingly good for what it looks and smells like; sweet, malty, brown sugar and caramel

M: light carbonation and very drinkable at 7%

O: At $1.99, this imported Russian beer gave me very little expectation. However, compared to many of the low-priced quantity over quality beers of the U.S., this beer is very well done. Much more enjoyable than a 32oz of Pabst, MGD, or any Coors/Bud product.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2011 00:30:04 | More by jerskine

Brent

Kentucky

3.33/5  rDev +18.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Essentially malt liquor, but not all that bad. Coppery, leaning toward amber with a short-lived head. A little thin and astringent at first, but some lightly sugared malt flavor follows. Thins out a bit again toward the end, with a pleasingly clean finish. Alcohol does not do much to announce itself, although you can detect a touch of fusel alcohol if you try. Overall, one of the better in this class that I've had an opportunity to try, and better than any US counterpart malt liquor.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2006 06:12:30 | More by Brent

Hibernator

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev +24.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Arsenalnoye Krepkoye
16.9 fl oz brown bottle
Best before 26.10.09
Served in a 20 oz tulip glass

Pours a golden yellow color with a super white colored head. Little spots of lace appear.

Whiffs of a fruit basket with a floral backdrop.

Syrupy and sweet cereal grain flavor a decent mouthfeel. Hints of granny smith apples and a nice hop snap on the finish.

Nothing fancy, but drinkable. For a beer that is 7%, this goes down rather easy.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2009 23:35:38 | More by Hibernator

emerge077

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev +24.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Best Before 9.18.11
"EXTRA LAGER" "ST. PETERSBURG BREWED IN RUSSIA"

From a 16.9 oz. glass bottle, not the plastic 2 liter.
Goofy label, just look at those printed grommets in the shield surrounding the label. Strong like bull!

Bright gold, white foam, sticky lacing. Slow rising carb trails.

Inoffensive sweet floral hop aroma. Wow, hops in a euro lager... don't smell that every day.

Mild flavor, inoffensive again. Tea like, sweet and grainy, mild bitterness. Pleasant aftertaste, slightly caramelly. Eventually dry in the finish, no hint of the 7% abv thankfully. A+ recommend, dziękuję!

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2011 04:34:49 | More by emerge077

ybnorml

Rhode Island

3.53/5  rDev +25.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A clean yellow/golden yellow beer. Has a big foamy bright white head that leaves a good lace. The aroma is a sweet grass with a hint of lemon and a light biscuit malt in the background. The flavor starts with a strong rush of alcohol into your mouth. Followed by a light malt sweet and a light hop pricklyness on the back of your tongue.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2005 19:19:59 | More by ybnorml

Olivander

Illinois

4.13/5  rDev +47%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance - It's got a nice dark golden color with about a 1/2 inch white head that dissipates fairly quickly. It doesn't have a memorable appearance, but it certainly looks good in a glass.

Smell - Nothing special. There was not much of an aroma at all.

Taste- I love the taste of this beer! It's got a prevalent syrupy sweetness to it, almost like a pancake, that is very pleasant. Some might think it's a little too sweet, but I like that in a beer, so it struck me well. For 7% ABV, you can't taste much alcohol. Delicious! Especially for those who aren't big beer drinkers.

Mouthfeel- Pleasant to the touch. Lightly carbonated and goes down easy, especially for 7% ABV.

Drinkability- Very drinkable. The sweetness makes it easy to drink a lot of this stuff.

Overall, considering that I am able to get this stuff at a local liquor store for $0.99 per half liter bottle and mainly care about the last three categories, this is a tremendous buy for me! Experienced beer drinkers will likely consider this beer to be average, but many inexperienced drinkers will find this to be a delight.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2009 18:39:36 | More by Olivander