Baltika #7 Export - Baltika Breweries

leaddog

Alberta (Canada)

3.53/5  rDev +16.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance - Pours a clear golden yellow with a finger width of dense foamy white head. Lots of bubbles present.

Smell - Grains, grass, lemon citrus.

Taste - Grains flavour is most predominant, with a slight apple juice taste. Slight hint of citrus.

Mouthfeel - Crisp, dry and refreshing feel, with light-to-medium body and high level of carbonation.

Overall - Refreshing lager by Baltika. One of the better mainstream/export lagers I've had in a while. Was surprised to see the pull-tab style cap on the bottle. This brew is certainly good for a hot summer day.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2012 00:10:58 | More by leaddog

jazzyjeff13

United Kingdom (England)

3.13/5  rDev +3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A 500ml green glass bottle with a BB of March 2012. ABV is stated as 5.5%. Russian beer - woooo!

Poured into a straight pint glass. A clear pale-gold colour with medium carbonation. Forms a decent head of creamy white foam that hangs around for a minute or so before subsiding. Aroma of light malt with hints of grain, stewed hops and DMS, in addition to a sweet note that reminds me of honey.

Tastes of light malt with faint notes of grain and stewed hops. A whisper of aromatic hops. A mild hint of solvent in the background, and a slight carbonic flavour. Mouthfeel is light, smooth and prickly. Hardly any aftertaste - just the fading memory of light malt.

An OK lager, but nothing special. Clean, bland, watery and probably quite refreshing on a hot day. Would be an acceptable choice in the absence of any alternative, but I won't be picking this up again.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2012 22:02:12 | More by jazzyjeff13

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

3.6/5  rDev +18.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

500ml bottle into pint glass 16/1/12

A clear straw yellow with some tiny particles upon further inspection, almost no visible carbonation but a well sustained bone white foam that leaves several rings of lace, looks sexy

S lemongrass? or lemon and grassy hops, a little cracker and that's about it, simple but solid

T no different from the smell, in fact I can't really notice any subtle differences

M crisp with a clean finish, its light and fluffy and work well on a hot day

O decent stuff but nothing amazing, much better then our mass produced brews

for style I liked it but wouldn't go searching for it, I think the coolest part about this beer is the peel off cap. I'm a little surprised the razor sharp edge left behind hasn't caused lawsuits.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2012 02:43:45 | More by wordemupg

kjyost

Manitoba (Canada)

3.43/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle purchased at the MLCC Portage & Arlington. Served ~3C in a beer mug. Went in looking for Rochefort 10, they were out and somehow got talked into trying this.

A: Crystal clear, straw gold with a big white head that laces beautifully. Best lager I have ever seen...
S: Spicy hops, corn, a hint of dankness under it all...
T: Earthy bitterness, corn, light notes of bread, sweetness.
M: Strong lingering sweetness, weaker than expected carbonation (which I appreciate)
O: Not a bad beer, and good for what it is. Eminently quaffable... Still not my cup of tea...

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2012 00:36:44 | More by kjyost

Cellach

Virginia

2.85/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Poured from bottle into a stemless red wine glass. Color is pure light gold, with no real head to speak of. The effervescence doesn't seem very emphatic, which is confirmed by the palate. Up front, this is light, totally dry, and slightly fruity, with light pear and honey, and just a hint of biscuity malt. The effervescence is very weak indeed (perhaps my closure was faulty?). This lager is eminently quaffable, and inescabaply boring.

I'm not the sort to drink beer while I do yard work and such, but if I were, I suppose I'd drink something like this. I see Baltika #7's chief selling point being that it is a worthy substitute for water. I suppose that's not saying much.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2012 20:56:55 | More by Cellach

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.53/5  rDev +16.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

500ml bottle. Strange peel-off enclosure, which combines a traditional cap with a pop-top pull tab, to create a weirdly easy-to-use hybrid.

This beer pours a crystal clear pale golden colour, with a teeming amount of foamy, webbed, cushiony, white head, which leaves a broad Pangaea-scope of lace around the glass as it sinks away. It smells of barley graininess, some earthy yeastiness, a bit of muddled lemon oil, and musty grassy hops. The taste is browned apples, bready, yeasty pale malt, field honey, some slight drupe fruitiness, and a very subtle weedy hoppiness. The carbonation is average, if a bit frothy, the body a decent medium weight, with nothing getting in the way of abject smoothness. It finishes off-dry, the bready, yeasty sweetness persisting, with just a bit of fruit and weak hops joining in the end game.

Well, I was expecting a metric-tonne shitload of skank, given the bottle, and other unjust prejudices. Turns out, one should not judge a book by its cover - this is a decent malty, softly hoppy Euro-lager. Mea culpa.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2011 03:43:34 | More by biboergosum

rangerred

Tennessee

3.48/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bottle poured into a pint glass.

Pours a clear light yellow with a 1.5 finger white fizzy head which fades into a thin lace.

Aroma is grainy with hints of lemon. Some grass and hay in there as well.

The flavor is extremely grainy up front but that quickly fades away to a lemony sourness. There is some light bitterness along with a hint of alcohol in the finish.

Overall, the first half of the taste is really quite nice but it just drops off to a watery nothingness. Nonetheless for the price it is a pretty decent beer, just nothing outstanding.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2011 00:18:31 | More by rangerred

BeerAdvocate

Massachusetts

3.03/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Review from BeerAdvocate Magazine Issue #54 (July 2011):

Pull-back cap lets out a champagne-like pop. Very pale straw-yellow color shows a stunning clarity. Hints of cooked hops, fresh-cut grass, lemon zest and some alcohol in the nose. Dry maltiness still has some body to it; dried grass with some spicing from the hops. Kiss of green apple skin. Hint of alcohol, perhaps not so clean, but not so much as to be a bother. Bitter hopping is here and lingers into the dry finish. Half decent, relatively easy to quaff back and certainly better than most mass-produced lagers.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2011 02:21:54 | More by BeerAdvocate

mjurney

Texas

3.23/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance:
Golden color, touch of haze. Some carbonation. Little to no head.

Aroma:
Green apple, some grainy, just a little herbal.

Taste:
Grainy up front along with sweet green apple towards the end. Grainy character, just a little butter. Fruity, sweet green apple, maybe some peaches.

Body:
Medium-light bodied. Carbonation is light.

Finish:
Smooth finish.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2011 23:21:37 | More by mjurney

gpogo

California

3.55/5  rDev +16.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A- Clear light straw yellow with a small white head that dissipated and left a faint lacing. A little bit of bubble action.

A- When I first opened the bottle I got some skunky smells, however upon pouring it into a glass I did not notice those smells again. Perhaps I think I get the smell due only to the green bottle. Light sweet malt aroma. As it warmed a bit of skunk came out.

T- Light sweet malt flavor. Light notes of apple. Sweet aftertaste.

M- Light. Moderate carbonation.

D- I expected the worst. It wasn't bad. It is one of the lightest beers I have ever had.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2011 22:06:48 | More by gpogo

Bookseeb

Washington

3.88/5  rDev +27.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance pours a golden yellow color with a white fluffy head leaving fair lace. Smell is yeasty, adjuncts and a note of fruit warehouse. Taste has a clean lightly sweet graininess with a bit of light fruit in the background. Mouthfeel is light with a nice spike of carbonation. A very enjoyable lager I wouldn't mind going back to.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2011 23:34:00 | More by Bookseeb

chocosushi

Oklahoma

3.9/5  rDev +28.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A ~ Pours pale yellow. Pretty decent lacing. Doesn't look magnificent, but we shall see.

S ~ Golden Delicious Apples, Yeastbread, Dry straw & a faint whiff of hops.

T ~ Euro hops (saaz?) that are spicy & slightly floral. Very scattered flavors going on here so bear with me. Getting major notes of Straw & Wheatberry bread with hints of Pears in honey, open field, & cedar plank.
Faint notes of a Pet Store, which was odd, but worked well against the estery backdrop.

M ~ Fruity & Yeasty yet crisp & clean in the finish. Mild bitterness.

D ~ I honestly liked this beer, regardless of the average reviews. Who cares if it is mass produced if it tastes decent. Will easily buy again. Great price.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2011 03:40:40 | More by chocosushi

hophunter

Michigan

3.78/5  rDev +24.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

received this bottle from a friend coming back from New York. Poured into a pilsner glass.

Aroma: Upon first cracking I instantly smelled skunk. Probably my fault as it was a sunny day when it was given to me and I foolishly stored it under the dashboard as I did not have a dark bag to put it in. Otherwise, low hop aroma with floral notes.

Appearance: Light golden in color with a white head.

Flavor: well balanced between hop and malt as per the guidelines. Definitely a touch of sweetness, probably more than what I would like to have in a dortmunder. Definitely crisp with very mild honey notes.

Mouthfeel: light body, medium carbonation.

Overall: aside from the skunking which was my fault it was a light, crisp and refreshing beer and definitely a good sessionable beer at that. It fits all the guidelines but if it wasn't for my mistake, it probably would've been a little higher...but it probably shouldn't be in a green bottle. All it takes is 30 seconds of sunlight.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2011 01:56:06 | More by hophunter

azdback

Arizona

3.28/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured into a Spaten tumbler. Very piss yellow color. Hyper carbonation that leads to a large three finger foamy bright white head. Lace is actually sticking quite nicely.

Smell is very soggy bread and overripe fruit. Must or mold comes to mind.

Taste is much better than the smell. Sweet and sour fruit tastes. Dank musty yeast.

Mouth is bright and drinkable. The sweetness does leave the back of the pallet a bit dry.

Overall I didn't hate this as much as I thought I would. I really hate the Belgian or European yeast strains and hops. So I didn't go into this expecting much. Not a bad beer though. Not even close to my top 100 but not a bad summer beer. Thanks to Bill for this sample.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2011 08:22:40 | More by azdback

horshack7

Massachusetts

2.7/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Appearance: With a pull off top which is neat. Poured into a flute is a pale clear golden beer with about two fingers worth of head.

Aroma: A little bit of floral hops. Grassy, with a touch of grain. Not too much in the malt section mostly bready if anything.

Taste: Carbonation is not too bad but a little on the thin side. A slight bit of a buttery texture on the palate. Grassy bits with bits of grain. Malts are there but do not offer much more than a bit of breadiness.

Notes: Overall this is not too bad a bit thin but still decent. Cheers.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2011 03:47:24 | More by horshack7

flyingpig

United Kingdom (Scotland)

3.03/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A very light golden colour that borders on straw & is crystal clear. Plenty of bubbles are rising to the surface indicating strong carbonation and their is a beautiful bright white colours foamy head that is two-fingers width in size & settles very slowly indeed & leaves some lacing.

Very light on the nose with some sweet grassy hops and malts being the most noticeable. There is some corn, bread and faint hints of grain too.

Sweet malts & some grassy hops dominating again. There is a like grain taste as well & the finish is low on bitterness.

A light bodied beer & not far off being too watery in my opinion. Carbonation is low to medium but it goes down well enough.

An excellent looking beer that slightly lets itself down by being too weak on both the nose & flavour. It is an easy drinking session beer & not much more.

1001 beers to try before you die:
http://abarwithnoname.wordpress.com

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2011 23:29:00 | More by flyingpig

smcolw

Massachusetts

3.33/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Good starting eggshell white head. Settles on the slow side, leaving some streaky lace. The beer is crystal clear. Darker straw color.

Mild hop aroma with an unmalty, grainy touch. I also notice some alcohol to the nose.

Tastes like the except sweeter, almost as if some maple syrup was added. A little distracting. Good body with a higher level of carbonation. Very short aftertaste--mostly grainy malt.

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2011 22:44:30 | More by smcolw

wl0307

United Kingdom (England)

2.68/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

At 5.5%abv., coming in a 500ml green bottle; BB 24/03/2012, served chilled in a pint-size pilsner glass.

A: pours a dark straw hue, coming with mild carbonation mixed of large and tiny bubbles; the white foamy head retreats very fast to a rim on the top.
S: notes of German hop varieties come with a restrained aroma of sweet lager malts and powdered grains, not very sweet overall, leaving but a weak trace of syrup. Given a good swirl, only the floral hints of hops come more assertive. Pretty timid overall, for a strong lager.
T: the neutral-flavoured swallow of sweet malts is backed by none other than plastic graininess, rather weak hop bitterness, and residual touches of syrupy malts, leaving an otherwise pleasant aftertaste of… nothingness… Calling it clean on the palate, perhaps, would do some justice, but just before my tongue picked up a syrupy kick-back feel at the rear.
M&D: lightly effervescent, medium-minus bodied, a lacklustre interpretation of this beer style. I can’t find anything bad about this beer, apart from the fact that nothing stands out, either. At any rate, my palate agrees that alc. is hidden pretty well.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2011 12:08:47 | More by wl0307

mcguirmn

New Jersey

3.08/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A: Golden color. LARGE white head, that sticks around for a little bit before fading. Minimal lacing.

S: Hints of sweet malt and a moderate corn presence.

T: Same as the smell. Sweet malt, roasted corn, and a slight hop presence.

M: A light beer. Very carbonated, which was a little overwhelming at first. But overall, very drinkable. Just not much there taste-wise.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2011 01:09:52 | More by mcguirmn

NittanyBeerFan

Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev +29.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

After a day of touring St. Petersburg and walking up and down Nevsky Prospect, we found a nice corner restaurant near Pushkin's statue and sat down to get some local beers to imbibe while we relaxed. Baltika 7 was on the menu, so here we go...

Poured into a 1/2 L weizen-looking glass, there was a billowy 3-4 fingers of egg shell white head that perched up there for what must have been 5 to 10 minutes. The body of the beer was crystal clear enough to read the menu through it. Color was a very light yellowy amber, and the head produced sticky spiderwebbed lacing as I drank.

The aroma is like a watered down Dortmunder Gold. Certainly more mellowed, the grassy hops provide more of a balancing aroma than they do a stunning focal point of the beer. The malt is light and clean, and there are no off aromas, but I am not excited by the aroma. The flavor is certainly better, as the grassy hops do come on a bit stronger and are augmented by a light floral kick that really balances the sweetness of the beer well.

Easy drinking, light on the palate, and nicely carbonated for the style, this is without a doubt one of the best beers that I was able to enjoy on my trip. It likely doesn't travel well, judging by the reviews on here, but in the motherland, this is definitely one to try. I would seek this out if I was in Russia again.

Serving type: on-tap

06-03-2011 23:56:00 | More by NittanyBeerFan

kojevergas

California

2.42/5  rDev -20.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Peel-top green bottle into Williams Bros. Brewing pint glass in low altitude Galway, Ireland. Bottle acquired in Ennis, Ireland, though I've also seen it at the Porterhouse(s) in Dublin.

A: Pours a four finger head of no cream, decent thickness, and generally favorable retention. Colour is a light clear yellow. Carbonation appears below normal; no bubbles are present.

Sm: Very light simple scent of clean barley.

T: Clear medium body of barley with cream overtones that feel somewhat artificial. I admit I'm new to the style, but it's not a style that seems to have a tough learning curve. It's not a great beer. The cream on the finish is nice, but the barley sharpens at the same time, negatively impacting the balance; I've noted this feature specifically in other beers from the same brewery, so it's not a matter of style adaptation. I can't adequately comment on the build in terms of the style, but it's built badly inasmuch as good beer is concerned.

Mf: Smooth in the first act, but gets much coarseness as the beer continues, progressing to an unnatural artifical coarseness and dryness by and through the climax. It's nicely wet in the first act elsewise.

Dr: In spite of its balance issues, it does maintain a certain perverted refreshment capability in its first half. I wish they'd clean up the latter bit, but it does have some value. It isn't worth its price in Ireland, but is likely worth it in other locations if you're looking strictly to get bollocksed. In general, I think it's a beer to be avoided if you're a serious beer fanatic.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2011 00:06:32 | More by kojevergas

JMad

Texas

3.48/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I poured a bottle into a pint glass...

The beer was a clear pee yellow color with a thin bubbly white head that quickly faded. Strong, skunky smell with a hint of lemon and hay. The taste is mostly grassy with some sweet cereal flavors in the background. There is also a slight lemon and bread aftertaste. The beer is light and fizzy, the finish is just a bit dry. This is a pretty average beer, tastes like most Euro lagers.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2011 22:24:50 | More by JMad

sommersb

Tennessee

3.25/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from a 500ml green bottle, best by date is 10-04-11.

A: Pale yellow, clear color with 3 fingers of white head that fades quickly. Fair amount of lacing in the glass and very little in the way of bubbles/carbonation.

S: Some light, clean malty aromas, coupled with light floral smells. Also a metallic character in the nose.

T: Crisp with a pilsner-like taste; moderately low bitterness combined with somewhat sweet, light grains.

M: Carbonation is medium on a light bodied beer. Easy drinking, but the aftertaste is a bit harsh.

O: I thought this was a good middle-of-the-road lager. Nothing special but a good beer for watching sports or washing down a pizza.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2011 02:57:12 | More by sommersb

xylophonica

Australia

3.43/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A - Good head, clear yellow lager.

S - Big barley hit coupled with plenty of hops and maybe a few herbs as well.

T - Smooth but slightly sweet at first. Dash of malt. Big zesty lemon with some spicy pepper and herbs. Aftertaste is a bit softer.

M - Touch of spiciness with some malt. Mix of soothing honey with some sourness combining to make a solid contribution.

O - Decent lager, fit for both proletariat and bourgeois! Not overly complex but with a nice body and fairly easy to knock back.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2011 13:23:30 | More by xylophonica

chinchill

South Carolina

2.6/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

16.9 oz (500ml) bottle served in Austrian .6L glass mug. A few months past BEST BY date, but properly stored (recently at least).

Unusual pull top cap. Easy removal yet seems to seal well.

Looks like a macro-lager with an extra amount of white fluffy head.

There are some unpleasant component[s] in the aroma, including but not limited to a slight skunkiness. {2nd sample purchased and sampled in May 2012 is also a bit skunky}

Aside from the pop top and unusual bottle, there's nothing remarkable about this lager, for good or bad.
Moderate carbonation, typical lager mouthfeel (thin), slight dryness in the fiinish.

As an import beer, this lager is not competitive with many other domestic and imports, whether on price or interest or quality.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2011 23:18:09 | More by chinchill