Kotimaista Tumma Lager
Olvi Oyj

Truncated notes below from a 568ml aluminum can purchased at a Sale. Best before: 09/01/16.

4.00% ABV. 39kcal/100ml. Dark lager. Can has a standard pull-tab and is made of aluminum. Label design is generic.

A: ~3 inch wide head of white colour. Decent creaminess and thickness. Fair foaminess and froth. Retention is above average - ~3-4 minutes. Leaves no lacing as it recedes.

Body is a clear copper of impressive vibrance. No yeast particulate or hop sediment is visible. Not cloudy or hazy.

Looks well-carbonated. Pretty typical of the style. I'm looking forward to trying it.

AROMA: Munich malts. Generic floral hops. Suggests a balanced beer with a clean crisp pleasant taste.

Aromatic intensity is average, but the beer's aromatics seem muted overall. Seems shallow and simple.

TASTE & TEXTURE: Munich malts, cream, and clean barley. I find no hop profile, not even grassy notes of Saaz or Noble hops. Yeast profile is clean, with apt attenuation and no esters. Pleasant and enjoyable.

Avoids the usual cloying sweetness observed in cheap supermarket lagers. It's shallow and simple, but balanced.

Texture is predictably light, smooth, wet, and refreshing, with an approachable easy presence on the palate that complements the simple taste well. It's an enjoyable refreshing beer to drink - and I find it more interesting than many dark lagers.

Average flavour duration and intensity. Overcarbonated. There's a decent harmony of texture and taste, but no specific notes are accentuated by the mouthfeel.

OVERALL: It won't impress discerning style purists, but by Finnish standards it's a great bang for the buck, and it far exceeds comparable dark lagers. Surprisingly good, this avoids the usual pitfalls of the style; it's not overly sweet, it's not watery, it's not insipid. As simple and shallow as it is, it's a guilty pleasure, and I'd buy it again.

That said, it's not world-class, and can't hold a candle to the best traditional examples of the style.

C+ (3.16)