Before-After Premium Lager (12% ABV)
Rinkuškiai

Before-After Premium Lager (12% ABV)Before-After Premium Lager (12% ABV)
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From:
Rinkuškiai
 
Lithuania
Style:
European Strong Lager
ABV:
12%
Score:
64
Avg:
2.64 | pDev: 31.44%
Reviews:
58
Ratings:
117
Status:
Active
Rated:
Aug 16, 2020
Added:
Jun 12, 2010
Wants:
  3
Gots:
  12
No description / notes.
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Ratings by DavidHume:
Photo of DavidHume
Rated by DavidHume from Virginia

3/5  rDev +13.6%

Nov 12, 2014
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.46 by Mister_Faucher from Washington

Aug 16, 2020
Photo of BubbleBobble
Reviewed by BubbleBobble from New York

1.36/5  rDev -48.5%
look: 3 | smell: 1.25 | taste: 1 | feel: 2.25 | overall: 1.25
L: Viscous pour, dark amber in color, moderate white head
S: Strong alcohol-soaked candy, plum schnapps.
T: Overwhelming sweetness with a strong fermented quality
F: Rich, thick mouthfeel, subtle carbonation.
O: Unable to get beyond a sip of this.
Jul 18, 2020
 
Rated: 4.05 by Sir_Goatman from Oregon

Jul 05, 2019
Photo of jwc215
Reviewed by jwc215 from Arizona

2.53/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.25 | overall: 2.5
Interesting label - shows a cartoon character before and after you drink - HA!

Anyway - 22 oz. bottle:

Pours orange amber with a thin head that leaves lacing.

The smell is of alcohol and grain with (slightly stleely) caramel.

The taste is of metallic caramel. Alcohol harsh. Fruity in a boozy, awkward way. Does not taste good.

Harsh.

This is an odd novelty brew. Not recommended. Tastes like bad malt liquor,
Aug 01, 2018
 
Rated: 3.6 by cryptid from Connecticut

Jun 14, 2018
Photo of BenHoppy
Reviewed by BenHoppy from Michigan

4.36/5  rDev +65.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Why such poor ratings? Seriously this is not that bad. Actually it's quite good. My bottle's date is L. 07110 so my take is its brewed Mar. 7th 2010, 8 years aged. Perhaps this contributes to the flavor that reminds me much of a Belgian beer.

Poured into snifter @ 40 degrees:

L: copper caramel amber body with thin head that moves toward the edge and stays for entire journey.


A: Belgian yeast and German malts, little bready and little
fruity

F: soft slow sipper with light boozy finish yet smooth for 12%

T: Belgian sugar, Belgian yeast, malted bread, caramel

O: I bought this long time ago so it's been aging. Read reviews and was fearful of this beer but if you like Belgian beers and you age it, actually its not too bad. I'm sure fresh would be bad but aged this is quite enjoyable. It's a triple bock and double bocks have always been harsh, this isn't. Instead its a triple bock goodness. Best Bock I ever had. Strong 12% and very smooth. Very delicious and brewed well for a triple bock. To give this a bad rating one must not understand the style of a triple bock. Age this 8 years and it's incredible.
Apr 07, 2018
 
Rated: 1.23 by FajitaMike from Washington

Feb 18, 2018
 
Rated: 2.82 by kkmiller76 from New Jersey

Feb 03, 2018
Photo of NeroFiddled
Reviewed by NeroFiddled from Pennsylvania

3.36/5  rDev +27.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
Rinkuškiai "After Before Triple Bock"
16.9 fl. oz brown glass bottle, coded "L.08523"
$2.99 @ Roger Wilco, Pennsauken, NJ

Notes via stream of consciousness: Having tried a second strong alcohol brew from Rinkuškiai I thought I'd give their "After Before" a chance. And I should point out that I don't have the name wrong. On the neck label it clearly reads "AFTER-BEFORE", as does the back label where it reads "BEER AFTER-BEFORE". It also lists it at 12% ALC/VOL. Perhaps they've changed their packaging and name because I can see from the photo of the lower gravity "After Before" that it's clearly labeled that way. So, moving forward, it's poured a slightly hazy golden body beneath a finger-thick head of off-white that almost immediately dropped to just a razor thin surface covering and standard collar. The aroma is malty sweet and fruity. It's clean, and no alcohol stands out. The flavor follows suit and it's very sweet. It's malty, and grainy, but not so much so that I'm not curious as to whether some adjunct has been used. It's also fruity with some moderately juicy apple, and that's pleasant. It blends with the malt nicely. In the finish there are some hops, very mild, that gently linger... I don't know if they're actually floral or if that's the alcohol talking, but they're also mildly herbal. In the end, however, it's unbalanced and the sweet malt lingers in the finish with a wash of alcohol - which at this point isn't so unwelcome as it helps to dry it! And the alcohol isn't hot, which is important to note, they didn't just churn this stuff out at a high temperature, but neither was it perfectly controlled. And let's keep in mind, there's a lot of malt here, and a lot of alcohol follows that. I can't imagine what the original gravity was. I'd have to guess it was about 24˚Plato. That's about all you can wring out of malt in the mash tun. Or was it lower to begin with and they bumped it up with sugar. No matter, it is what it is. But what is it? What have they labeled it as? Ahh, yes, "triple bock". I guess that fits. And the one I had earlier, the "Hell On High", that was a "quad bock". It's full-medium in body and mildly crisp. There's not a lot of carbonation to it, which I think hurts it. I understand you can only add so much more in such a full bodied beer but at least a little bit more would have given it some bite to help balance it. What did I miss? ... I covered its appearance, its aroma, its flavor, and its feel leaving only my general opinion remaining. Well, not unlike the "Hell On High" it's a very malty beer, and a strong one, so it should satisfy those customers. It's probably also packing a lot of calories so those who are looking to beef-up might want to check this out. Beyond that it's got some flaws but it's far from the worst beer I've had from the Baltic region, and in fact it's pretty well done in comparison for such a strong ale. That doesn't make it OK though, but on a world wide-level it's not so bad. At least it doesn't taste like they added anti-freeze to it! I can't really imagine buying this again though unless it was as a joke gift or hobo beer, and to be honest, I don't think even hobos would really go for it - and that put's it on the wine level of "Night Train"... they'll take it for the alcohol but they don't really like it. It is better than a lot of malt liquors that have less alcohol though. Tough call. On a world stage it's a little bit better than average based on its maltiness and its alcohol, but not by much.
Nov 07, 2017
Photo of BrewMaven
Reviewed by BrewMaven from New York

1.94/5  rDev -26.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2
Two 16.9oz for $5 at my local market...What the heck.
Poured a clear deep gold with vibrant yet short lived carbonation..A wispy hint of a head that left post haste.

Aroma and taste are in lock step with each other so I'm combining them...Candy caramel sweetness dominates both..Nuf said. Medium mouthfeel. Warming of the beer has little or no ill effects on flavor...By the way, the flavor, overall, is quite bad. Whatever they brew this with causes a nasty hangover after just two over the course of 2 hours. Never again.

12% is well hidden in the taste but not in the effect of this brew.
If nothing else, it's an unpleasant way to catch a serious buzz on the cheap.
Sep 19, 2017
Photo of Jugs_McGhee
Reviewed by Jugs_McGhee from Colorado

1.71/5  rDev -35.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 1.75 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.25 | overall: 1.75
$2.99 USD for a 12% Lithuanian lager? Sign me up...

Bottle comes with a cardboard hangtag to remind you you bought this just for its ludicrous ABV and the fact that you're a cheap bastard. 1 pint .9 fl oz format. Branded pry-off crown cap. Great label art with a built-in drunkenness joke...it's more clever than it seems at first glance.

12% ABV. "Premium lager." "European beer." "Naturally fermented" (whatever that implies...)

Served cold into a nonic.

APPEARANCE: I'll give it this - I expected horrid retention in a 12% ABV import budget lager, but it defies expectations, lasting a good 5-6 minutes. Not too shabby. Head is white in colour, with appealing softness and thickness to its robust consistency. No lacing adheres to the sides of the glass as the head recedes.

Body is a clear obviously filtered vibrant pale copper. No yeast/lees are visible within.

It's a nice appearance for a generic European lager, no doubt. Not unique or special, but I find no obvious flaws and its head retention is impressive.

AROMA: Heavy on the malt syrup. Loads of malty sweetness is present - pale malt, crystal malt, caramalt. Ester-free lager yeast. Hard water. No graininess or hoppiness. Boy, does that seem sweet and syrupy. Ugh...

TASTE & TEXTURE: Cloyingly sweet particularly on the finish, with the heavy syrupy sludgy mouthfeel to match, dragging out its duration of flavour when all their target demographic wants is more blandness and a briefer taste so they (i.e. we) can just get plain ole fashioned knackered. Loads of off-putting saccharine malt extract/syrup, heavy layers of caramalt & crystal malt, generic pale malt sweetness...I'd prefer rice adjunct so at least it'd be lighter in body. Hell, I'd take watery over this.

I do have to give credit where it's due - I anticipated a much boozier brew. Not that this isn't hot (it most certainly is), but I'd figure it for 9-10% ABV trying it blind. Still, its sickly heavy viscous mouthfeel is repugnant and there's nothing here flavourwise for the discerning drinker...no graininess, no hop flavour (not even generic grassy or floral notes), no balancing bitterness.

Medicinal in the sense that it's a hell of a cure for sobriety.

Overcarbonated. Unrefreshing (obviously). Smooth. Wet. Difficult to approach or enjoy.

Shallow and simple, lacking any depth or nuance whatsoever.

OVERALL: I don't recall ever seeing this on my 3 odd trips to Vilnius, and its label really overplays the "European"/"Import" angle, implying the ostensible cachet of foreign origin is its main selling point when we all know it's really just a dressed up high gravity lager destined for the stomachs of students and(/or) drunks. I've had some rough budget Euro brews in my time and this is far from the worst of them, but finishing the bottle will prove a chore and, to be frank, it's deplorable rotgut you just shouldn't bloody buy outright.

Would pair well with an Aleve and some deeply seated personal regret.

High F (1.71) / AVOID
Jul 19, 2017
 
Rated: 2.75 by brittanylicious from Indiana

Apr 29, 2017
 
Rated: 2.42 by eagle109 from Massachusetts

Apr 16, 2017
 
Rated: 2.52 by cuvtcuv from Florida

Apr 13, 2017
Photo of Gavage
Reviewed by Gavage from Nevada

2.07/5  rDev -21.6%
look: 2.75 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.25 | overall: 2
Appearance: pour a clear orange color with no carbonation bubbles.

Smell: super sweetness rises from the glass.

Taste: grainy malt, and what seems like a ton of honey and a decent alcohol level. Bitterness is mild.

Mouthfeel: heavy in body. Smooth to start, syrupy and dry at the finish.

Overall: a super sweet beer that is hard to finish, and seems to be a pure headache inducer.
Dec 30, 2016
 
Rated: 2.85 by Taphouse_Traveler from Florida

Aug 30, 2016
Photo of neenerzig
Reviewed by neenerzig from Ohio

3.32/5  rDev +25.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Picked up a single 16.9 oz bottle of this earlier tonight. Poured into one of my pokal glasses, this beer pours a very clear, medium golden color with lots of streams of little bubbles continuously and fairly rapidly rising to the beer's surface. Has a white head that's about 2/3 of an inch thick when initially poured that settles to a nice film layer of foam on the beer's surface along with a medium sized ring lining the inside of the glass. A little bit of lacing is present. Aromas of fruity esters, including some banana, and biscuity caramel malt sweetness are all present. The taste is pretty much the same, with some biscuity caramel malt sweetness that gives way to some banana and figs. Not discernible hop presence as far as my palate is concerned. Has a hint of a peppery spice note too. Has a crisp, yet also smooth, medium bodied mouthfeel with moderate carbonation. Easy to drink in a good way. Gets better after the beer sits and warms a bit. Not nearly as bad as I was expecting.

Eric
Aug 06, 2016
Photo of 0_0
Reviewed by 0_0 from New Jersey

2.15/5  rDev -18.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 1.75 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1.5
L - Orangery and syrupy pour, should have learned at this point but I pressed on
S- The smell is overpowered by grain so you cant expect what comes next
T + F - sweet, Malt, alcohol and grain in a thick liquid poured its self into my mouth covering it with he taste of regret.
O - Honestly I hate Malt flavors with a burning passion. Love Rinkuskiai's "Hell on High" but this beer is definitely not my cup of tea.
Jul 18, 2016
Photo of EdwardAbbey
Reviewed by EdwardAbbey from Washington

2.18/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.25 | overall: 2
I finally tried this, for science (I guess?), after seeing it multiple times at Bottleworks here in Seattle (they always seemed to have the same amount, so I felt bad for it, and obligated to give one bottle, at least, a home). Despite my personal fondness for Lithuania, having once worked with many fine people from that beautiful country, this beer represents the place and its heritage poorly.

Still, it's maybe worth trying...once...if you lose a bet, say, or are filled with some ineffable pity, for something, or someone.
Jul 01, 2016
Before-After Premium Lager (12% ABV) from Rinkuškiai
Beer rating: 64 out of 100 with 117 ratings