Ochakovo Zhiguliovskoye
Ochakovo

Ochakovo ZhiguliovskoyeOchakovo Zhiguliovskoye
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From:
Ochakovo
 
Russia
Style:
European Pale Lager
ABV:
4%
Score:
73
Avg:
2.8 | pDev: 18.57%
Reviews:
15
Ratings:
19
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jul 21, 2020
Added:
Mar 14, 2006
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
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Ratings by GoreStorm:
Photo of GoreStorm
Reviewed by GoreStorm from California

2.45/5  rDev -12.5%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
poored from a 1pt .9 oz bottle.

A - foggy and yellow with a touch of green. a considerable amount of sediment is floating that is long and looks almost like small dried flakes of grass - this is not attractive. there's about a 3/4 inch head at first that leaves almost as fast as it came and reduces to a small froth.

S - interesting but nothing great, very bready and grainy, with a touch of a grassy scent

T - tastes how it smells, i decent length of finish that i wasn't expecting, after the finish at first i was getting a metalic aftertaste that i didn't care for but it didn't stick around after more drinks.

M - lightly fizzy, dry.

D - i'm sure this would make an okay session beer if you're into sort of thing. i little to light for my liking.

Notes - i ran into this russian guy at bevmo, we talked for a second, he picked up one of these and said it was the beer of his childhood. he was a nice guy and had some interesting things to say so i figured i'd try he. when i picked it up he said "oh no, it's not anything very special" - he was correct.
Dec 11, 2007
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.94 by The_Kriek_Freak from Pennsylvania

Jul 21, 2020
Photo of stevoj
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho

1.54/5  rDev -45%
look: 1.75 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.75 | overall: 1.5
Not a good one. Picked up blind from the Russian store. Sour, tart on the tongue, pale gold in the glass, almost looks watery. Many beers of this style have similar labels, so watch out....
Dec 31, 2015
 
Rated: 2.83 by 123321123321 from Alabama

Sep 05, 2015
 
Rated: 2.5 by t0rin0 from California

Dec 03, 2012
 
Rated: 2.5 by pperez38 from California

Jan 31, 2012
Photo of brokensail
Reviewed by brokensail from California

2.28/5  rDev -18.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5
A: The pour is very pale yellow color with a short lived, thin, white head.

S: Perhaps not surprisingly, this smells very skunky. A bit of grassiness along with lots of corn and straw. There is a touch of yeast and a light fruitiness.

T: Apple flavor and apple juice provide a bit of sweetness. There is a light bread flavor and a lot of corn type flavors. A little bit of sugar flavor and a light grass note. Skunky on the finish.

M: Very light in body with a medium level of carbonation.

O: Not a very good beer, but I suppose it could have been worse.
Aug 12, 2011
Photo of GRG1313
Reviewed by GRG1313 from California

2.58/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2
Pours a light crystal orange with a nice white head but one that very quickly fades.

Sweet candi sugar and bee's wax nose; Belgian fruit and sweet malt. Pleasant.

Very thin mouth, watery and with little character. Light thin fruit in the mouth. Actually has nice full flavor for a second in the very front palate but it quickly fades and leaves you wanting for much more. Pleasant flavor for what you get; it just needs more of it all. Nose is the highlight.
Jul 31, 2009
Photo of Halcyondays
Reviewed by Halcyondays from California

3.24/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
500 mL bottle, bought at BevMo Huntington,

A: Pours pale yellow with a firm, small white head, average retention, no lacing, fizzy.

S: Pungent for the style, get malt, red apple peel, hint of smoke.

T: Bready malt predominantly, with a hint of light berry fruit and acidity. Some DMS problems, but they are light, cooked corn flavour evident.

M: Strong and crisp carbonation, light bodied overall, smooth.

D: For the price, $1.59 for the bottle, it is quite a good beer. Pretty standard for the style, would buy again if on a budget.
Sep 02, 2008
Photo of Metalmonk
Reviewed by Metalmonk from North Carolina

2.34/5  rDev -16.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2
Pours a thin head of dishsoap that doesn't last long at all. The color is a hazy piss yellow. Doesn't look like much. Label says "Golden Beer" and that's what this looks like. Big deal.

Aroma is generic lager: Corn, sweet bread, sugar, very mild hops. Best thing is the fruity character, which had me thinking this might actually taste pretty good.

No dice. Weak, dead flavor. Sugar, corn, corn sugar, extremely watery lemonade, MAYBE a hint of cherry juice. Hops are here, but hardly playing any sort of interesting role. Everything in the flavor is just completely "blah".

Mouthfeel is thin and watery. Doesn't even have the ample carbonation you expect from even the worst lagers. It's there, but way too soft. That might indicate this had been sitting on the Trader Joe's shelf awhile...but it serves this beer right.

This beer was clearly not made with love and cannot be enjoyed with any kind of enthusiasm. Not worth the tastebuds, time or money. Pass.
Jun 16, 2008
Photo of Gusler
Reviewed by Gusler from Arizona

2.47/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 3
The beer emerges from the 500ml bottle a pale straw color the generous white head that fades quickly, leaving a slight coating of lace upon the glass. Nose is sweet malt, perfumed, not much else, start is cloyingly sweet, fair malt presence, top light. Finish has a benignant acidity, the hops understated, quite light and to sweet, needs some body.
Nov 07, 2007
Photo of plaid75
Reviewed by plaid75 from New York

3.5/5  rDev +25%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Poured a light straw hue with a two finger foamy white head. There was decentretention and lacing.

The smell featured a soft doughiness with a smattering of noble hop spice.

The taste was rather well balanced with a soft biscuity malt and a subtle spicy hop.

The mouthfeel was of average fullness with a slight creaminess.

Overall a tasty and suprisingly fuller bodied euro pale lager.
Sep 19, 2007
Photo of Gueuzedude
Reviewed by Gueuzedude from Arizona

2.96/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
Pours with an almost brilliantly clear, yellow-gold color. It is topped by a frothy, initially one-finger thick, almost pure white colored head. Aromas of sweet malt, a touch of candied corn (from some subtle underlying diacetyl), grassy hops, perhaps a touch of hone, soda crackers and crisp grain are all noticeable to varying degrees. The sweet grain aromatics and the grassy / herbal hop aromas are the most noticeable part of the aroma. As the beer warms a bit it starts to pick up hints of nail polish, though this is still fairly soft.

This tastes lightly sweet up front & even through to the finish, but somehow this still manages to be dry over all. A lightly biting bitterness touches the tongue up front; it lingers through to the near finish but then is held back by sweet grain notes and an herbal (almost menthol like) character in the finish. This beer is fairly light feeling, it has some heft to it though, at least enough to keep from being watery feeling. Perhaps a hint of DMS adds some very subtle cooked corn notes and there is a hint of diacetyl that shows up as a slight butterscotch type thing. These last two are so subtle that I would not even characterize them as flaws, if anything they give this beer a bit more character.

In the end this is not a bad beer, it is certainly simplistic, but has no real off flavors (at least none that are strong enough to not be considered part of the background make up of the beer). Though I should warn that you should drink this one on the cold side as I have a feeling you don't want it to warm up to much.

Purchased: Bevmo, Palmdale CA
Sep 05, 2007
Photo of Bookseeb
Reviewed by Bookseeb from Washington

3.18/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Appearance is light yellow/gold with a dissapating crisp head. aroma is light with malt and honey. Taste of light malt, hop and breadiness with a hint of honey. mouthfeel seems light - medium, not to bad a beer, I've had better from Russian, but it's always worth a try to taste what they have to offer.
Jul 06, 2007
Photo of Zorro
Reviewed by Zorro from California

3/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Another Eastern European oddity from BevMo.

This beer is a clear light shade of gold with a decent momentary white head.

The scent is grassy with a strong fruity odor of cherries. Weird as that seems this smells EXACTLY like Sam Adams Cherry Wheat beer.

The taste begins neutral and mildly hoppy with a faint tinge of oxidation in the background. No bad flavors, just an average Euro Lager.

Mouthfeel is decent.

An OK beer and that is about all you can really say about it. Not going to drink this over a Heineken but it is OK.
Jan 21, 2007
Photo of DogFood11
Reviewed by DogFood11 from California

2.57/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
Poured into a slender tulip it forms a loose white head that leaves traces of lace. Yellow body has a slight haze to it and plenty of carbonation.

This is decent when you consider the competition. Its bland like most but it has a decent hop presence that has a bit of life to it. Pale malts are the usual sweet and leaning towards bread dough. The best parts of this offering is that its fairly cheap for an import of any kind and its also very fresh tasting. 2 bonus points.

Notes: You get what you pay for in this instance. I've been burned by so many eastern block brews that I"ve lost count, yet I still try to find a gem. This is no gem but more or less just tolerable.
Jan 13, 2007
Photo of stoutman
Reviewed by stoutman from Michigan

3.15/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Light yellow color, medium fizz. Medium but rather vanishing head. Little watered straw and humid cereals scents. Weak aroma of hops and rice with slight floral notes. Little balanced and odd taste. Lean and excessively watery. Short and inconsistent end. Just not really to my taste buds.
Dec 29, 2006
Photo of NeroFiddled
Reviewed by NeroFiddled from Pennsylvania

2.88/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Ochakovo's Zhiguliovskoye pours a clear, deep-golden color that borders on becoming amber. The frothy white head holds fairly well before dropping to a thin collar and partial, whispy surface covering, but it leaves only minor spots of lace behind. The nose is a touch vegetal or earthy, but it doesn't really stick out. And there are some decent notes of malt, a nice waft of grassy hops, and a touch of spicy hops. It's not all that grainy though, and I'd guess there's some adjunct in use here. The body is medium, and it's lightly crisp on the palate. A dull maltiness dominates the flavor (but there is some graininess to it!), livened by threads of spicy and grassy hops, and backed by a very firm bitterness. It's rounded and balanced, but fairly dull; and it lingers in the aftertaste in pretty much the same way that it began. An average Eastern European lager.
Dec 09, 2006
Photo of Frozensoul327
Reviewed by Frozensoul327 from Michigan

3.24/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
I can't believe that this Ochakovo brewery makes so many versions of the same friggin' style. Oh well... Pours out to a typical bland golden color with a decent white foamy head. Medium level of carbonation. Aroma was nice; some malt, earthy grain, bread, a touch of woodiness and smoke. Taste was not as good. Little flavor is detected, but hints of malt and light sour apple come through. A touch of hops and grain. Would be worlds better if it simply had more flavor. Mouthfeel was unremarkable. Drinkability is ok. At three bucks a half litre, I don't know if I'll be back anytime soon.
Mar 14, 2006
Ochakovo Zhiguliovskoye from Ochakovo
Beer rating: 73 out of 100 with 19 ratings