Baltika #4 Original (Dark) - Baltika Breweries

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

2.98/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A serviceable dunkel. Neutral to synthetic aroma. Brown without significant head. Lighter mouthfeel filled with carbonation. Noticeable soda-like taste because of syrup. Satisfies a thirtsty summer, but would not seek out again. Much better dunkel is available.

Serving type: bottle

08-09-2007 03:01:58 | More by northyorksammy

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

3.53/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Lucent redorangecopper, like a sunset after a tropical storm. The orangish ecru cap is the perfect compliment for the beer on which it sits. This is one of those heads that looks like it'll be a good lacer maker, but isn't. In spite of the minor letdown there at the end, this is a good looking beer.

The nose is uninteresting and is weak to boot. There isn't much malt present and there's just enough dark fruitiness to make a distinction with a Euro pale lager possible. Musty noble hops are probably most prominent.

Although #4 is decent beer, it isn't as good as #6 (Porter) or #8 (Wheat). Frankly, it tastes like a more malty, less hoppy English pale ale. To be more specific, it tastes like toasted multi-grain bread drizzled with caramel. It also has a lightly herbal, lightly spicy vibe. The more I drink, the more I like.

Good use of hops, with more earthy-herbal hop flavor than bitterness. The English pale ale comparison keeps coming back to me. The beer is mildly malty sweet early, dries out on the back end, and finishes clean as a whistle. The mouthfeel is light-medium with an understated amount of carbonation. Since it matches the flavor, it works.

Baltika #4 is one of the better EDLs that I've had so far. It cleaves pretty closely to the style guidelines as I understand them and wins its drinker over with competence rather than flash. Batika is perhaps the best of the (former) Eastern Bloc breweries and continues to impress in a 'moderate expectations' kind of way.

Serving type: bottle

08-16-2005 22:31:18 | More by BuckeyeNation

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.35/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a reddish-brown body with great clarity and a large, expansive, off-white head.

Smell: A bit of an oddball nose, smelling of charred sugar, toasted grains, a Sugar Daddy (the candy, you knuckleheads), and a vague, background fruitiness.

Taste: Bread maltiness coming across as flavors of nutty, burnt sugar and (again) Sugar Daddy candies. Hint of raisin fruitiness. Splash of cola. Indistinct hop character with a light bitterness at first, but, upon warming, it exhibits some spiciness. The finish begins sweet but dries out and has a peculiar aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: Medium-thin body. Medium-plus carbonation.

Drinkability: Not the most elegant, graceful beer around, but it's a reasonably tasty Eastern Europe brew and one of the standouts in the rogues gallery that is the Baltika line.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2009 03:53:20 | More by ChainGangGuy

brentk56

North Carolina

3.28/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Appearance: Pours a cloudy dark caramel body with a nice little head that stuck around and left spotty lacing on the side of the glass

Smell: Sweet toffee dominates the nose along with a touch of alcohol

Taste: Initial blast of malt and alcohol (hard to believe this is only 5.6%) overwhelms the tastebuds and is interrupted by a bitter, slightly metallic taste which continues to the finish and dominates the sweetness in a very unbalanced way

Mouthfeel: Heavy bodied and highly carbonated

Drinkability: Although an interesting brew, ultimately this one becomes very difficult to finish; the hotness, carbonation and full body makes it very filling and the bitterness is not particularly enjoyable

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2005 01:03:15 | More by brentk56

UCLABrewN84

California

3.51/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Bottled 10/13/12. Best before 10/13/13.

Pours a clear dark orange-brown with a foamy khaki head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Small streaks and dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of toasted malt and some caramel aromas. Taste is much the same with a toasted bread flavor on the finish. There is a very mild amount of hop bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer with some solid aromas and flavors and one of the better Baltika beers in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2013 04:42:19 | More by UCLABrewN84

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.55/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I kinda want to compare this beer to German Dunkels because of the firm pilsner base that holds more maltiness than graininess, but with added amber grains. That said, the grains add a caramel and lightly toasted bread flavor, but not as much as good Dunkels. It's not as caramel-like or toffee-like as English Reds--just caught somewhere in between. An underlying sweetness is noticed, but undefined-- powder sugar-like. Not a bad beer, just remains a bit vague for me.

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2006 14:05:05 | More by BEERchitect

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a clear, orangish-copper with some reddish highlights and a creamy off-white head that holds well and maintains a thin surface covering throughout most of the glass. Some thin lace adds to its appearance. The aroma displays a bready, caramelish malt that's accentuated by a light touch of chocolate and some very mild herbal hops. The body is medium/light with a fine-bubbled carbonation that gently caresses the tongue. It's smooth and lightly creamy. The flavor offers some fairly well-attenuated, but still sweet, caramel/toasty malt with a thread of alcohol and a gently backing bitterness. It finishes dry with some lingering mildly toasty malt and a touch of alcohol. Overall, not a bad beer with some interesting character and a good drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2003 19:56:29 | More by NeroFiddled

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

3.48/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Clear, magenta color, highly carbonated, with a big, beige head, rocky, puffy, putting on quite a show until it slowly shifts.
Aroma is sweet and malty, hints of toffee and cocoa.
As for taste, sweetness starts off right away and never droops, becoming more caramelly throughout, though the body is very light. Texture is minimal, finish is tidy. Ends dryly in the mouth. Not a bad little dunkel lager at all, better than some for sure.
Surprisingly, I found that I hadn't had this yet, and chose it to accompany Ukrainian meatballs at Karmancyk's Russian Deli in NordEast Minneapolis for lunch today, and they met each other well.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2004 05:55:36 | More by feloniousmonk

WesWes

New York

3.63/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The beer pours a dark amber color with a thick off-white head. The aroma is fruity with a mixture of pale and crystal malts; a bit breadlike. The taste is decent, but not great. Again there is the balance between malts, but there is an annoying amount of bread taste here. It tastes like a dark whitbread ale. The mouthfeel is alright. I would like a little more carbonation and a lighter body. It drinks fairly well. This is my first Russian brewed ale.

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2003 01:25:42 | More by WesWes

drabmuh

Maryland

3.98/5  rDev +17.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle poured into a snifter. Beer is brown and forms a thin broken off white head of small bubbles. Carbonation is low. Beer is clear.

Aroma is mild, almost of a sweet pilsner malt variety, mild roast as well.

Beer is smooth and nice. Finishes cleanly with no aftertaste. There is a mild sweetness up front and not a whole lot in the back. This is a very drinkable beer overall mouthfeel is good but the flavor is a little mild. Second taste, I'm bumping the flavor up. Its reasonably sweet and has a hint of roast at the end but its not distracting. I like this beer. I tihnk Baltika is criminally underrated on this website. Shame on you.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2010 23:42:45 | More by drabmuh

Mora2000

Texas

3.68/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer pours an amber-brown color with a tan head. The aroma is actually pretty nice. I get notes of grapes, toffee, biscuits and iced tea. The flavor is similar, but a little more exciting. In addition to the dominant toffee malt characteristics, I get earthy and grassy hops, caramel, honey and graham crackers. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. Not bad at all.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2010 04:28:54 | More by Mora2000

zeff80

Missouri

3.23/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A - Poured out a caramel/amber color with a small, foamy, tan, one-finger head. No lacing.

S - It smelled malty and bready with earthy hops.

T - It tasted of some roasted malt and was bready. It also had a fruity sweet flavor, too.

M - It was soft and smooth. A light to medium-bodied beer.

D - This is an okay dark lager. It was really sweet.

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2008 19:18:08 | More by zeff80

metter98

New York

3.4/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A: The beer is clear garnet in color and has no visible carbonation. It poured with a thin white head that quickly died down and left lacing on the surface and a ring of bubbles around the edge of the glass.
S: Aromas of sweet malts are present in the nose along with some hints of caramel.
T: The taste is similar to the smell and also has flavors of sweet malt extracts.
M: It feels medium-bodied and somewhat smooth on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer seems to be a bit sweet and lacks any complexity in the taste.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2012 01:02:28 | More by metter98

Gueuzedude

Arizona

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

Pours a brilliantly clear ruby color when held up to the light. It is tipped by a frothy, slightly rocky light tan colored head. I smell aromas of thin grain, slight caramel, and a hint of toasted dark grain character. The beer has a light, filling fullness to it as it hits my palate for the first time. There is a light caramel sweetness here and it is joined by a slightly herbal, almost menthol like character. This beer has a slight character of aged malt in the finish, but other than this it is pretty clean. The finish on this beer is lightly sweet with a light, complimenting bitterness.

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2005 03:35:48 | More by Gueuzedude

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.28/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This brew poured out as a decent looking brown color. The head was pretty good looking at first but disappeared within a few minutes. The smell of the beer had some typical lager earthy notes to it with a slight roasted sweetness. The taste of the beer had some caramel elements to it along with some roasted nuts and grassy earth flavors. The first sip wasn't that good to me but as I drank the beer it got better. The mouthfeel was decent, had a medium body and carbonation. Overall this brew wasn't too bad but I wasn't blown away by it either. It was ok, I might drink it again depending on the situation.

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2011 18:38:57 | More by Knapp85

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.18/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours caramel to brown with a 2-finger+ deep tan coored head. Some lacing and good head retention

Smell: Caramel, malt & spice (brown sugar)

Taste Too sweet caramel, maltiness and diadactechyl (sp??) butterscotch. Somegrainy bitterness and dryness on finish along with a hint of molasses

MF: Pretty well balanced although some more hops would hurt. Good carbonation

Sweetness detracts from quaffability. Worth a try not a bad brew

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2006 05:20:13 | More by russpowell

Halcyondays

California

3.5/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

16.9 oz. bottle,

A: Pours a medium umber brown, with a small white head leaving no lacing.

S: Sweet malt, bread, sugar, gingerbread, Rapadura.

T: Very sweet, a contrast to the usually dryer Munich dark lagers which this style is based on. Light molasses and brown sugar round out the flavour, some caramel, that really is the main flavour, tasty, but just so darn sweet at times.

M: Light absolutely, but at times gets very cloying from all the residual sugars in this beer, low in carbonation.

D: An interesting Dark Lager, a good buy at $1.99 a bottle, definitely drinkable, candy in a glass.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2008 03:43:52 | More by Halcyondays

jwc215

New Jersey

2.35/5  rDev -30.7%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Tasted the day before the "best before" date.
Poured orange/amber with an off-white head that became an uneven, spotted lacing. The color was not bad - but inconsistent - It became lighter around the edges. The head/lacing had odd, uneven bumps.
The smell was thin - some caramel over a chemical-tasting aroma.
The taste was also thin - some caramel tried to find its way past the uneven butter and water. Not well-balanced. It was very malty - no hop presence. The only saving part was the hint of caramel.
Buttery caramel mixed with water was left in the mouthfeel. A bit of the alcohol came through, as the flavor was not enough to mask it.
Despite its blandness and lack of anything special, it was somewhat drinkable, but that was due more to its water qualities than beer qualities.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2006 22:46:42 | More by jwc215

akorsak

Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Thanks to witbier for this 500 mL bottle.

A: The lager is a watered-down caramel color, a tawny color that shows off lots of red highlights. A sizeable head emerges on pour but the slight tan foam does not linger.

S: The nose is nondescript, a mere kiss of caramel sweetness that lacks an underlying hop presence.

T: The body of the lagerbier is quite sweet, not cloyingly so though. The caramel malts add a great deal of flavor, touches of chocolate and darker malts are also present. Grainy cereal flavors abound, vanquishing any and all traces of hops. The finish is more caramel with a sugary element.

M: The mouthfeel is enjoyable. The beer is malt-focused and doesn't fail to deliver on that front. This beer won't set the world on fire but it'll make for a good couple of hours of drinking.

D: A run of the mill dark lager, nothing stands out but nothing makes me turn away in disgust.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2008 23:11:23 | More by akorsak

tempest

Pennsylvania

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

Picked up a .5L bottle for $1.90 in Astoria. This beer actually tastes more like a Vienna lager thanks to the spicy hop finish. The beer starts with a big caramel flavor with a toasty edge. From a corporate lager, I didn't expect much, but this had a balance from Euro pepper and lemon hops. The body is a touch thick to be really drinkable, but I'd have a few.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2011 03:39:40 | More by tempest

jdhilt

New Hampshire

3.45/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours with a two-fingered off-white head that fades quickly and leaves a little lace. Light carbonation. Medium bodied. Nice clear, deep amber. Nose is slightly malty. Starts smooth, malty and strong plum/raisin flavor, finishes smooth with hints of plum. A very good dark lager.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2004 23:30:14 | More by jdhilt

rhoadsrage

Illinois

3.25/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

( Served in an American pint glass)

A-deep brown color that is a little dense and has lots of tiny bubbles. The head is a nice creamy white head

S- malty aroma with a hint of apples and a bit of honey.

T- light and medium roast maltyness with good caramel honey notes and a light chocolate hint. Ends in a faint pepperyness and a fizzy finish.

M- full body with lots of fizziness and a hint of acidity from the carbonation. No hops astringency at all

D- A nice mellow all malt brew that is well built but not very interesting. There is no depth to the malt and no hops or alcohol to support it. It also had a powerful carbonation that detracted from the brew.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2005 02:04:15 | More by rhoadsrage

Jason

Massachusetts

3.3/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Presentation: 16.9 oz brown bottle with a foil wrap around the cap and neck, no freshness date to be found.

Appearance: Mild haze within the deep reddish amber colored brew, patchy big bubble lace is thin and soda like.

Smell: Caramel and candied fruit in the nose with vague ghost like fusel and buttery diacetyl aromas.

Taste: Slick and creamy mouth feel with a sharp biting carbonation, malt sweetness almost goes over the top. Caramel and ripe fruit are forced on the taste buds. The sweetness is then slammed to the ground hard by a devious mix of esters and astringency, hops are used up and astringently lost in the chaotic blend of flavours. Spicy alcohol and hop bitterness with some astringent grain to add to it gives the whole picture of this brew an ale like character. Finishes with an almost metallic flavour with some astringency and hints of dried date sugar.

Notes: Quite and interesting brew, an oddity to enjoy perhaps. Not whole heartedly bad but not what one would expect in a beer in the traditional sense.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2002 11:01:17 | More by Jason

Billolick

New York

2.45/5  rDev -27.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Largish bottle, pours dull cloudy brown, unsightly largish bubble quickly deoparting head, next to no nose picked up. Pretty boring beer, sweetness picked up but minimal hops and flavor notes. Not worth the $1.49 I paid, I spilled 1/2 of this down the drain..not worth loosing the brain cells and adding girth to my belly

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2006 23:43:33 | More by Billolick

jlindros

Massachusetts

3.08/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 1.5

A Russian friend recommended I give this beer a try, and after mowing the lawn in the sun and being crazy hot, I decided a nice lager would be a good change of pace. It couldn't be worse than water and at $2 for a bomber it's about the same price.

A: Starts with a pretty clear dark brownish red copper color, with tons of carbonation rising making it fun to watch as they dance around, the bubbles hold the nice 2 finger head well. but the frothy head slowly hides itself away.

N: Very amber lagerish nose with some lightly toasted malts, crisp malt, some light fruits and raisin, and touch of caramelized brown sugar or molasses, this is an interesting nose for a dark lager, reminds me of a German lager almost with Belgian malts.

T: Starts pretty light with some watery toasted malts and slight bready taste, some light fruits again and touch of brown sugar and molasses, stays light and crisp but adds a sweetness on the back of the tongue, pretty crisp and refreshing, a good refreshingly light summer beer with decent flavor, a metallic taste comes through that gives me the feeling that I'm biting on tin foil <shiver>

M: Pretty frothy and a little too carbonated, with slightly spicey tongue burn, but a little slimey

F: Leaves a slimey sweet and slightly bitter taste on the back of the tongue and mouth making you go bleh, also has a strange metallic taste that just hangs around until you take another sip, its still pretty sweet on the finish making it no so drinkable with all those strange flavors on the finish, seems like the result of a lagering that didn't go as smoothly as possible, but that may be the style for them.

FInal thoughts: Starts with a slightly watery, toasted malty, slightly fruity, crisp and refreshing drink for summer, then adds all kinds of weird flavors on the finish that only go away when you drink more, which makes you drunk faster so I guess it somewhat does its job.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2009 21:36:13 | More by jlindros