Baltika #5 Gold - Baltika Breweries

Jason

Massachusetts

3.03/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

16.9 oz clear glass bottle with a freshness date on the back of the label.

A- Crystal clear yellowish golden color, really thin lacing ... head retention lacks as well.

S- Cooked vegetables, bland dry malt aroma ... watered down grape cool-aid-like smell from some sort of malt husk.

T&M- Grape Nuts cereal, watery malt ... wet palate with a solid crispness. Plain hop bitterness with no real flavor to be found. Corn grits and cooked veggies ... finishes semi-dry.

D- Nothing horrible, but nothing good about it either other than it is a cheap lager with no flaws that offend my palate.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2006 22:08:03 | More by Jason

metter98

New York

2.73/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 2.75 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.75

A: The beer is crystal clear yellow in color and has a moderate amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a thin bright white head that quickly died down, leaving some patches of bubbles covering the surface and a collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Light aromas of sweet malts are present in the nose.
T: The taste is a bit sweet and has flavors of malt extracts along with a very slight amount of bitterness.
M: It feels a bit more than light-bodied and rather smooth on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is relatively easy to drink and surprisingly didn't have any skunked flavors, especially since it came from a clear glass bottle, although there was nothing interesting about the taste.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2013 01:45:03 | More by metter98

TheBeeraholic

Ontario (Canada)

2/5  rDev -27.8%

06-15-2013 19:10:16 | More by TheBeeraholic

Brenden

Ohio

3.09/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Gold?...almost. It's paler than that, though brilliantly clear. Never judge a beer by its color, I suppose. This one, though, doesn't establish much of a head. Clean white, it's barely able to cap at half a finger before it dies away to a wispy foam. At least that remains, though, and even drops a little spotting on the way down.
The aroma's a bit too vegetal coming off a lightly grassy note, and pale malts aren't offering too much here. There's a fruity sweetness and something dry and husky as well. I know basically what to expect from this style, though it is a catch-all. This aroma, at least, is lacking something. It's average if not for the overly vegetal note.
The flavor drops a bit of the husk and vegetation and even gives a touch of noble hops spiciness. That's a pleasant surprise. Malts are still light and it's not exciting, but it's an improvement over the nose and just above average in an admittedly weak style.
The feel isn't bad. I expect a light body, and these beers tend sometimes to have an odd slickness, which this beer avoids. It's a bit crisp and even has a mild smoothness to it.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2013 19:02:03 | More by Brenden

kvnstfrd

Missouri

1.25/5  rDev -54.9%

05-23-2013 14:10:56 | More by kvnstfrd

richkrull

Wisconsin

2.5/5  rDev -9.7%

05-02-2013 00:32:30 | More by richkrull

kjkinsey

Texas

2.75/5  rDev -0.7%

04-06-2013 22:13:58 | More by kjkinsey

puboflyons

New Hampshire

3.08/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

From the 25 ounce clear bottle marked 03.09.12-01:34, 03.09 9.13 0-W. Sampled on March 31, 2013.

The color is pale yellow with a white fizzy head that disappears almost on contact. It looks the way it should.

The aroma is a multitude of grains and malts with a syrupy sugar feel and a clean, crisp hop background. Not offensive.

The body is light and the texture is creamy.

The taste brings out the barley malts a bit more with a standard clean lager hop finish. Drinkable but nothing that a hundred different pale lagers don't have.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2013 15:30:34 | More by puboflyons

craiglcook

Texas

4/5  rDev +44.4%

01-29-2013 04:14:48 | More by craiglcook

DmanGTR

New York

2/5  rDev -27.8%

01-28-2013 18:03:16 | More by DmanGTR

matjack85

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev +35.4%

01-28-2013 07:22:09 | More by matjack85

pkalix

California

2.88/5  rDev +4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

not even a straw yellow pour; looks and smells like a pathetic attempt of trying to emulate a corona (which is really going in the wrong direction, in my opinion).
taste is . . . . oh crap, do i have to drink this? oh well, here goes... is it corn? the OFFICIAL WEBSITE even leaves #5 OFF ITS WEBSITE!!! oh my horrid god. well, maybe it's not that bad...
overall, uh... dont bother. if you're trying new beers to sample- dont bother. if you're financially challenged, but some miller lite.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2012 01:19:26 | More by pkalix

JohnK17

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev +8.3%

12-11-2012 19:32:39 | More by JohnK17

UCLABrewN84

California

2.73/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Bottled 6/13/12. Best before 6/13/13.

Pours a slightly hazy yellow with a foamy white head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Tiny dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt and grain. Taste is much the same with a slight metallic flavor on the finish. There is a very mild 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 poor beer and I think it may have something to do with the clear bottle it comes in.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2012 03:31:34 | More by UCLABrewN84

ShakaShakaShaka

Pennsylvania

2/5  rDev -27.8%

10-18-2012 20:59:33 | More by ShakaShakaShaka

AdamBear

Pennsylvania

2.73/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A-hazy golden with a sticky white head

S-smells like an adjunct lager. Creamy grains, not too great.

T-comes in with a taste of clean adjunct grains. It's tastes much like any adjunct lager. It's creamy.

M-medium creamy almost watery carbonation. Matching finish

O-even for the style, it's pretty bad. So far from this brewery, this has been my least favorite by a long shot. It's just not even easy difficult to finish.

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2012 18:27:40 | More by AdamBear

Kopfmeister60

Florida

4.25/5  rDev +53.4%

09-17-2012 22:08:04 | More by Kopfmeister60

WritersBlock

Texas

3/5  rDev +8.3%

09-09-2012 21:40:40 | More by WritersBlock

alankwak

Florida

2.13/5  rDev -23.1%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

A: Light golden, clear lager. Low /medium head retention and lacing.

S: Little to none.

T: Tastes a bit like lager beer. Not much in the way of hop flavor at all but a grainy backbone is there. Weak overall.

M: None to speak of. Very thin.

O: Lame. And they would like to be part or Europe???!!! They obviously are still commies.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2012 02:00:40 | More by alankwak

djura

Serbia

3/5  rDev +8.3%

08-19-2012 08:57:11 | More by djura

Zakk

Florida

2/5  rDev -27.8%

08-14-2012 01:35:02 | More by Zakk

chel29

Brazil

2.5/5  rDev -9.7%

08-04-2012 04:24:53 | More by chel29

rangerred

Tennessee

3.48/5  rDev +25.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

500ml clear bottle into a pint glass.

Pours a crystal clear medium gold with a half finger head. Tons of carbonation bubbles rising through the beer help to hold the head for a long time. Really a pretty beer.

A very light skunkyness in the aroma but much less than what I was expecting with a clear bottle. Lots of grain and grassy hops and a slight hint of lemon.

A nice breadyness in the taste quickly followed by hay and grass from the hops. Bitterness is on the light side and really the taste kind of falls apart about halfway through. The crispness I was expecting just didn't come with the beer finishing up a little bit sweet.

Overall, this is very similar to Baltika #3. I haven't done a side by side tasting but the similarities are remarkable. This one may be a little less sweet but not much. Really it isn't a bad beer just completely unremarkable. I would pick up again, though.

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2012 01:02:44 | More by rangerred

morfius85

2.25/5  rDev -18.8%

07-11-2012 13:40:40 | More by morfius85

chinchill

South Carolina

2.78/5  rDev +0.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a 16.9 oz clear bottle into a snifter.

A: a rather ordinary looking lager: Golden color; clear; largish, white soapy head. The head was surprisingly durable and capable of coating most of the glass with lacing on the way down.

Aroma: light malt and hops with hints of hay and white bread.

T: slightly sweet and floral, with low but balanced levels of hops and malt. Some corn and butter here too.

M: light and rather watery body; carbonation is good; smooth.

Overall: Despite clear glass, this sample showed no skunkiness or others signs of deterioration. It was quite drinkable but lacking in character, richness and complexity ... I.e., nothing to support a recommendation or lead me to buy it again.

Serving type: bottle

06-12-2012 03:05:41 | More by chinchill