Baltas - UAB Švyturys

mrquartetman

Illinois

4.6/5  rDev +24.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

A: Pours hazy golden color, very nice head.
S: Grassy, citrusy, strong aroma
T: A very good weizen-style beer that is most satisfying. It has a rich flavor, malty, full-bodied, spicy.
M: Good complexity across the palate, dry-ish, but not anywhere near astringent.
D: Excellent. I bought this together with the Svyturys Baltijos Dark Red, each for $1.89 at a local Whole Foods (which seems to be the best outlet around here for the Svyturys line). Great price for a most drinkable, surprisingly tasty couple of beers.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2010 02:02:23 | More by mrquartetman

dsa7783

New Jersey

4.35/5  rDev +17.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Single, 500 ML bottle just purchased from Buy Rite on Oak Tree in South Plainfield for $1.99...
Front logo sticker specifically states "ALC. 5.0% / VOL."...
A hefty pour yielded a teriffic, cloudy, hazy, murky, straw-colored hue with a gigantic foamy head and a copious amount of lacing...
Sweet, enticing, wheaten-aroma replete with fresh fruits, and ripe citrus...
Taste was fantastic - a true-to-the-style Hefeweizen rendolent of ripe, green apples, fresh pears, canteloupe, melons, green grapes, fresh citrus essences...
Creamy, thick mouthfeel and a superb level of drinkability...
Would definitely rate this as one of the top depicitions of the style...
Excellent stuff...
Highly recommended...

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2008 23:51:39 | More by dsa7783

Parrotbeak

Minnesota

4.22/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Hazy yellow with an orange hue and a thin white head that fades quickly, leaving some patches. Decent lacing.
Smell is fruity yeast and lightly sweet malts, with some notes of orange, lemon, and grape. Bubblegum and spices as well.
Taste is more lightly sweet malts with yeast and spices. Orange, lemon, grape, as well as some melon. Finishes with some more spices.
Mouthfeel is crisp yet smooth, with a nice clean, slightly dry finish. Light body.
Drinkability is excellent. I could drink this all night. Tasty.

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2010 01:18:42 | More by Parrotbeak

BeerNinja007

New Hampshire

4.22/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 5

I think this is the right beer even though the bottle looks very different. Slim glass 500mL bottle with the Svyturys logo molded into it, white and light blue foil label on the neck that says WHITE in big letters and BALTAS in smaller letters underneath. Small vertical clear plastic label on the side with gov't alcohol warnings.

Picked this up for $1.99 at Amity Wine & Spirits, New Haven, CT. Best before 06LJ (?). Served cold in a chilled weizen glass.

Moderate pour gives a huge foamy white head, like a good 6" of foam on top of 2" of beer. It has great retention, takes a while to get the glass half full. Smell is pretty true to the style, smooth, and very potent. Loads of soft banana, some wheat spices, yeast, and maybe a bit of muted citrus. Feel is a little flat, as if it lost all it's carbo during the pour, but it also has a fizzy spritz like tonic. Taste is semi-sweet, earth/yeast funk, a great bit of fresh/ sharp wheat spices (no muddy stale stuff here), some banana, again some citrus hiding in the background... pretty light and a bit thin, but very tasty and even more drinkable.

A bit sweeter and thinner than a typical German offering, but I enjoyed it immensely. It goes down VERY smooth and was gone before I knew it. I'd call it some kind of a hybrid between a hefeweizen and a wit.

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2010 05:04:44 | More by BeerNinja007

searsclone

Arizona

4.13/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Poured into a hefe glass, was a mottled yellowish brown color with wheat floating through it

S: spicy and sweet bubblegum at the same time

T: it starts spicy then goes sweet as it is swallowed with a bit of a bitter aftertaste

M: Sharp on the tip of the tongue but creamy in the back of the throat then sharp again on the way down with a bit of a warming.

D: I could drink this all night.

This is not the absolute best hefe I have ever had, but it is definitely a great beer. It's as good or better than a lot of German brewed hefs and is a fair bit better than most of the American versions I have tried. This beer is worth a try, the only thing that would make me like this beer more is if it had more of a bubblegum taste.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2008 23:53:55 | More by searsclone

bodybyadam

Washington

4.1/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

One of my wife's co-workers that is Russian brought this over for me. She told me she got it at a Russian specialty market in Seattle.
A: 500 ml bottle allowed me to share a little with my wife. The unfiltered light hue poured a 1/4" head that quickly dissipated to a thin bead of foam.
S: The nose held a fruity aroma of banana and orange.

T: At first taste is the banana to carbonation and orange peel, turning into a slight toffee finish.
M: Very smooth "wit-bier"

D: This beer has a complex array of flavors that you should enjoy.

Elbows Up,
Adam

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2006 19:55:47 | More by bodybyadam

wl0307

United Kingdom (England)

4.03/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Found this at a Baltic food and drink shop in Lewisham, SE London. Coming in a 500ml brown bottle, "unfiltered" as stated on the label. BB 10/12/2006(oops!), served chilled in a proper weizen glass on 28/12/2006.

A: very dark yellowish in colour, cloudy, coming with an ever-lasting, rocky, tight white frothy head that simply refuses to budge for a good five minutes, then settles to a thin white cap staying throughout the drink; lively carbonation below.
S: a dusty note comes through the thick foam, on top of sour mangos and sweet bananas hand in hand with cloves and exotic yeast-esters typical of a hefe-weizen; the rich yeasty note sits comfortably with an equally firm bedrock of mildly sweet caramel and bready wheat-malts... Overall the aroma is almost in harmony, not particularly complex but well-balanced.
T: sour-sweet bready malts prevail upfront, followed closely by a dryish tinge of spicy yeasts, a tart edge of fresh lemonade, and more bready wheats... The palate turns slightly dryish-bitter and tangy, until it hits a rather clean finish, where the dryish-spicy and mildly fruit-estery aftertaste never vanishes.
M&D: very soft and smooth in carbonation, medium-bodied, with a palate remaining firm from the beginning to the end, without falling thin or sour as many other hefe-weizens do. The firm-bodied wheat-malts and dry-ish spiciness make up for the relatively muted fruitiness on the palate, rendering a consistently firm mouthfeel and enjoyably dry aftertaste that is surprisingly rare for most hefe-weizens. A well-balanced product this is~~

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2006 20:10:01 | More by wl0307

drpimento

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Very good! Poured with a nice sized, off white, head that faded after a bit and some lace. Color is a lightly cloudy amber. Aroma is like a classic Bavarian Weiss - spicey, wheat, malt, yeast, citurs. Flavor is the same way, lemon stands out and a just right balance between sweet and tart. Body is full and carbonation is just right. Finish is like flavor and of medium length. Thirst quenching satisfying beer that nevertheless leaves me wanting another swallow.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2010 21:30:20 | More by drpimento

chickencoop

California

4/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer took me by surprise, kind of thought is was going to suck. I was first impressed with the big frothy pour, spicey smell, then a sweet tasty taste. This has a very celan finish to it, not so much on the clovey/banana notes but somewhat watered down which makes this very drinkable, but not the best heffe.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2010 04:46:55 | More by chickencoop

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Interesting beer. Pretty much a standard Bavarian-style hefeweizen but a touch lighter. Good appearance. Good head retention. Lacing could, and should, be better though. Both the aroma and the flavor express banana and a touch of lemon, as well as wheaty malt. It's a touch acidic, and that works with its citrus side; and that cuts through it leaving it fairly dry in the finish. Of course that also makes the flavor appear as if it's a bit thinner. I've had several hefeweizens from Germany that were pretty similar though, and it is really drinkable. Overall, except for the limited lacing I'd say it's pretty damned good.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2009 21:23:10 | More by NeroFiddled

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

3.95/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

500 ml bottle. "The highest quality beer."

Big time cloudiness, pale yellow appearance, big, bone white head, stays a spell. A busy crumbler, leaving little lace.

Nice aromatics, fairly beaming out of the glass. Fresh and alert, lightly lemony. Minor spice far off on the horizon. Quite nice hefe smell.

Little tart bite up front, then smooth. Full bodied, crisp, tasty, easy drinking, but more considerable in body and texture than other weizens.

I wouldn't compare this to a Wehenstephaner's or the like, but it's not bad in the slightest. Hands down, the top ranking Lithuanian hefe weizen in my experience.

Serving type: bottle

07-18-2006 23:26:22 | More by feloniousmonk

Gusler

Arizona

3.93/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

The beer after it’s departing and decanting the 500ml brown bottle resides in the glass a yellow-orange color, chill hazed to the max, the head a mountain of creamy white, and after its dissipation, the lace forms a tight concealing curtain upon the glass. Nose has a nice aroma of wheat, bread dough if you so choose, fresh and crisp, also hints of bananas, spicy sweet, and start is lightly sweet, the grain presence pleasant and the top light to moderate in feel. Finish is benign in its acidity, the hops barely discernable, the aftertaste dry, all in all a nice refreshing beer on this 90 degree day in Arizona. I’m I mistaken or wheat style beers a bit rare in this part of the world as in Lithuania?

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2006 21:43:07 | More by Gusler

BedetheVenerable

Missouri

3.9/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Presentation: 16.9oz brown pop top...dude, I had no idea Svyturys made a wheat beer

Appearance: Hazy golden brown with a rich white fluffy whipped cream head...dead on for the style

Smell: Big banana esters up front with a little sweet caramel

Taste: Big banana, CRISP wheat flavors, with light lemon and just a touch of clove on the finish

Mouthfeel: Light (a bit too light) but nicely crisp

Drinkability: High

Conclusion: A really nice hefeweizen, if a little bit light on the mouthfeel (even for the style)

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2009 05:10:34 | More by BedetheVenerable

mattmaples

Oregon

3.88/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Now everyone knows I am a full-fledged Beer Geek and have tried a lot of beers in my day but I can safely say that this is the first Lithuanian Hefe-Weisen I have ever had. Big fluffy head, tart wheat character, nice fruity banana ester, and a slight spiciness at the finish. It is everything one would expect out of a Hefe and a tarter flavor than most of the Germans.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2005 00:26:17 | More by mattmaples

beerthulhu

New Jersey

3.85/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Unfiltered wheat.

A: Poured a hazy lemonade color with a huge, billowy 3 finger eggshell white head that displayed great retention pitting to a slight rocky structure all the while leaving huge clumps of lacing behind sticking to the sides of the glass.

S: A very nice aroma filled the nose full of bananas, wheat and spicy cloves.

T: starts out with some creamy bananas and spicy cloves with faint hints of peppery notes found on the finish. There was some fresh bright lemons as well while the wheat palate definitely stands out here providing a great foundation for flavor. Overall definitely one of the best beers ive had by them.

M: light, creamy with a soft carbonation touch around the edges of the tongue. Really nice feel.

D: Drinkability was solid, a good wheat beer that wont disappoint and definitely worth checking out. A bargain considering the cost per bottle vs. flavor/enjoyability factor ($1.49 per pounder).

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2008 00:09:18 | More by beerthulhu

thekanna

Maryland

3.85/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Had at The Russia House near Dupont Circle in Washington, DC.

A: Cloudy yellow with a thick, foamy head.

S: Mostly wheat malts and nothing else.

T: Lots of wheat malt, some tanginess in the form of peppery spices and citrus fruits, and a slight sourness.

M: Somewhat thin; not as full-bodied as i'd like for a hefe.

D: Very drinkable, especially from a country that's not renowned for brewing beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2010 03:22:26 | More by thekanna

spointon

Illinois

3.73/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I poured this beer from a 500ml brown bottle into a tall Erdinger hefe glass.

A= This wheat beer poured a very pale straw yellow color that was fairly clear until I added the yeast from the bottle. Then it became appropriately cloudy but remained very pale. The white head was huge at first, easily 3" and made me pour the beer very slowly. The head then dropped quickly to a 1/4" cap and left zero lacing.

S= Very muted, almost lager-like aroma. Seriously, I could barely detect the banana-clove notes common to the style.

T= Taste was better than the aroma indicated. Nice soft flavors of mild citrus (lemons, oranges) and sweet wheat malts. Small and faint hop presence. Mildly tart finish.

MF= Medium bodied with a soft carbonation feel.

D= Not the best example of a hefeweizen out there, but a very drinkable and refreshing beer. I will definitely be drinking more of this in the warm summer months!

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2008 05:00:28 | More by spointon

flagmantho

Washington

3.73/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from 500mL bottle into a pint glass. My bottle reads 5.0% ABV rather than the above-noted 5.2%.

Appearance: cloudy orangeish yellow hue with several thick fingers of foamy white head. Pretty solid looking to me.

Aroma: nice hefeweizeney aroma with a little clove, a little malt, and a little banana. Actually, pretty well balanced.

Taste: light wheat malt and a little light citrusy tartness. Not as much of the clove and banana as the aroma, which I find a little disappointing. It's still pretty good, though.

Mouthfeel: light-medium body with an OK level of carbonation and creaminess. Not great, but not bad.

Drinkability: pretty refreshing and tasty. Despite some of its flaws, I find it very drinkable. For the money, Lithuania makes some pretty decent beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-28-2010 00:50:22 | More by flagmantho

greenmonstah

New Hampshire

3.73/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 500mL bottle.

A - Pours a light gold with a tall, white head (about 3 fingers). Good lacing, too. Very nice looking carbonation.

S - Smells of cloves and citrus, very appealing

T - Taste is banana, citrus, and wheat malt. Very tasty.

M - Light body and good carbonation. Feels good going down and doesn't overstay its welcome.

D - Oh so very drinkable. Easy to down bottle after bottle. Extremely refreshing and tasty.

This is a very drinkable and quite tasty hefe which is actually fairly inexpensive. Good beer!

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2010 21:23:47 | More by greenmonstah

emerge077

Illinois

3.6/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Not a bad take on the style, a bit rough around the edges, but solid overall.

Pours a cloudy, opaque yellow. Smell is light yeast esters and minerals.
Taste is tart citrus and banana from the yeast. Creamy mouthfeel, easy to drink. Suprisingly good for the style, better than a few 2nd rate German hefes.

Worth trying if you see it, the price is right...

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2006 03:00:05 | More by emerge077

atis

Finland

3.6/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours hazy light yellow with extremely large white dense head that does not fade till the end of the glass and dense generous lacing. Aroma is mostly citrus, bits of banana and yeast.

Taste is not so good, sweetish citrus, banana, mild sourness with light spice in the finish, it feels slightly thin and watery. Mild alcohol warming sets in towards the end of the glass.

Overall, not bad, but could be better. Taking into account that there are just a few Hefeweizens produced around, this one is quite acceptable.

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2009 17:51:13 | More by atis

Rayek

Colorado

3.6/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into my favorite Weizen glass. If nothing else, Svyturys has one heck of a nice art glass bottle. The best by date is 05/10, so I better hurry up and drink all four before the month is out.

Appropriately cloudy gold with a fair amount of carbonation. A fairly dense white cap has a strong start. It stuck for a little while before settling to a patchwork film. Leaves bits of lace.

S: A fair amount of clove, plus quite a bit of lemon and orange make up the nose. Dry biscuit makes up the rest.

T: Light and mild. Dry biscuits start things out. Bitterness is mild, but well balanced with a comfortable dose of lemon and clove. Finishes dry and tart, with a nit of lingering orange.

M: The medium light body is slightly doughy. A little more prickly carbonation would be appreciated.

D: Seems closer to a Wit than a Hefe with its orange flavors and lack of banana. A miscategorized beer perhaps? Either way, this beer is a nice compliment to a hot late spring evening.

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2010 05:08:18 | More by Rayek

augustgarage

California

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

Poured from a 500mL bottle into my Ayinger weizen glass. Unsure of the age.

Lightly hazy, pale straw liquid with a large thick white head which recedes to a modest creamy layer. Hieroglyphic lacing.

Nose is fairly flat and lacking enough intensity to identify specific aromas. Stale spice, white bread. Perhaps this sample is past its prime?

Quite tart on the palate, with loads of fresh lemon. Pronounced wheat, with (pilsner?) malt adding sweetness. Banana and bubble-gum notes make a solid appearance in the finish. Hint of pepper as well, though this is more suggested at by the carbonation than it is produced by phenolics.

Exceedingly crisp, refreshing, and light bodied - yet still creamy. A great beer for summer.

A solid albeit imperfect take on the style.

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2009 01:19:57 | More by augustgarage

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

3.5/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Faintly foggy maize with carbonation more fitting for a Belgian beer than a Lithuanian one. The off-white cap was huge to start... and looks pretty damn good. It has a soft creaminess that gives it a bit of character and it isn't too shabby in the lace deposition department either. Still, the world's best hefe weizens needn't be worried.

The nose is appropriate for the style, even if it's a little rough around the edges. Ground clove is easily appreciated; banana esters are less so. A hint of alcohol is unforgivable in a wheat beer with an ABV of only 5.2%, but isn't prominent enough to ruin things.

Although Baltas isn't great beer by any means, it is great beer when compared to the other dreck brewed by AB Svyturys. Let's just say that my extremely low hopes have been met and then some. The flavor profile, like the nose, is a little less than refined... but gains some composure as it warms.

The key is that the brewery acquired a genuine hefe weizen yeast strain. At least it tastes like it. Strangely enough, banana is now more upfront than clove, earning the beer a 3.0/5.0 on my hefe weizen banan-o-meter. Also strangely, there's no hint of alcohol on the palate. Perhaps my nose imagined it. Softly sweet and tart coexist, with bitter nowhere to be found.

It tastes and feels like the wheat:barley ratio is fairy high. The beer is super soft in the mouth and is gently carbonated (despite the louder than usual 'pffft' on crown cracking). There are certainly no 'mouthfeel roadblocks' that would prevent sessioning if one was so inclined.

Baltos (translated as 'white' or 'clean') is a pleasant surprise. It isn't a beer that I'll go back to, even at $1.89 per bottle, but it's the best of this brewery's offerings by a country kilometer.

Serving type: bottle

07-18-2007 12:23:14 | More by BuckeyeNation

illidurit

California

3.5/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a weizen glass. Pale straw yellow color, very hazy, huge white head. Not much lacing or retention however.

Very average hefe smell. Banana and clove phenols completely dominate.

The taste here is also quite standard. The banana and clove flavors are unsubtle and overbearing.

Mouthfeel is on the watery side, but the carbonation is very good.

Pretty easy to drink this beer, since it's light and sweet.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2007 00:08:04 | More by illidurit