Well, I figured it was about time I got into one of those Russian beers so kindly donated to me by Vinodel.
First up is a beer with the Anglicized name of “Zhigulevskoe”. In Cyrrilic it is Жигулевское.
It is brewed by the OAO Krasny Vostok brewery in Kazan, Russia, and bills itself as a “Pale Beer”.
It is imported by Aiko, LLC, who describe it this way:
The Kazan version of everyone’s favourite Russian lager.
Prepared from the special sort of malt, hop and discarded by yeast. This beer possesses finely denominated hop aroma and pleasing refreshing taste. Beer “Zhigulevskoe” has thick and compact spume.
Well, that’s a mangled translation if I’ve ever seen one. But, beer is beer, right?
It’s a very pale straw color, with tiny white bubbles in the head that dissipate fairly quickly and leave no trace on the glass. The aroma is very light, with a little bit of fruitiness to it. Apple perhaps? Mouthfeel is very light with a slightly metallic taste to it. Hop bitterness is pretty low to me, but it’s probably more bitter than your typical American light lager.
The label claims an ABV of 4.5%. However in researching this I found beer with this name is brewed by multiple companies. Some versions have an alcohol level as low as 2.8% by volume. Either way, it is definitely in session beer territory.
It got to 99°F here in Western Maryland today, so this really hits the spot.
[rating:3]
