Nicola Traditional
Deka Brewery

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don't age Kvass.

Pours dark cola beverAge with beige, quickly dissipating head.
Smell - sweet, rye bread, tad spicy.
Taste - somewhat fruity, molasses, tad bready, sweet.
Light body, low to medium carbonation.

 

 

A thanks to woodychandler for this beer. Poured from a brown 1m liter bottle. Has a very dark coloa color with no head whatsoever. Smell is of dark bready grains, a bit of molasses. Taste is kind of mild, some dark rye and pumpernickel, the sweetness in the smell is not apparent in the taste. Feels light in the mouth and overall is decent.

This was part of the original Kvass Kick raid on Bell's Market in Philadelphia that set up a s**tstorm of a debate as to whether Kvass rated being on this site or not. I finally threw up my hands and awaited both the chips falling where they may and also for the dust to settle. Since both seem to have happened, I am picking up where I left off.

From the bottle: Loads of Cyrillic lettering, plus as a previous reviewer noted, the fellow toasting us in heavy winds, as evidenced by his backwards-flying tie, now sports a solid white shirt. На здоровье to you, my man!

It was flat upon pouring, but I will take the hit on that. I shared some with a buddy on Saturday night and the remainder is going to tone77, so repeated opening and closing of the bottle was probably a contributor. It is not that anyone in my circle dislikes Kvass, per se, but it can be very filling. I felt like I had eaten a loaf of rye bread by the time we finished on Saturday. Color was a deep, dark brown with limited light penetration. Nose smelled of bready chocolate, very pleasant indeed. Mouthfeel was medium and the flavor was unique to Kvass. It had a sort of milk chocolatiness, but along with a rye bite, not exactly sour, but close to it. Finish was semi-sweet and quite tasty. I can understand why it is drank as a thirst quencher and also why so many of us only need a half a glass or so. It is one of those drinks where a little can go a long way.

This poured out as a root beer colored beer. There was a thin quick fading head, no lacing or retention. The smell is earthy with some dried fruits, brown sugar and molasses. The mouthfeel was a little on the flat side... Not as much bubble as I was hoping for. Overall a decent Kvass.

Poured from 2 liter bottle into a pint glass. At my Russian food store, most kvass varieties only come in these giant bottles.

Appearance: very dark hue with a bit of ruby light allowed through. Head is minimal; it poured about half a finger and rapidly dissipated, which is not so unusual for the style.

Smell: rich, somewhat sweet, spicy aroma. You can definitely smell the rye in here. Its spiciness also reminds me of that found in a Euro strong lager, although in this case that cannot be attributed to high alcohol content. Decent for a kvass.

Taste: sweet and bready with a hint of tang right at the front which disappears quickly. Not bad, but it's a bit on the sweet side, even for the style.

Mouthfeel: light body and low carbonation. It really could be fizzier.

Overall: a mediocre kvass. I would have liked a bit less sweetness and a bit more carbonation, although the smell is good and it mostly has the right balance of flavors.

A: The pour is dark brown with a definite red highlight to it and hardly any head.

S: As with all examples of kvass I have had, it's sweet. Quite a bit of caramel and toffee with some rye and dark fruits. Interestingly, there is a light roast to it.

T: Starts off with a cola-like flavor. Lots of sweet prunes and sugar as well as caramel and bread. Just a mild rye flavor to this particular kvass.

M: Low in carbonation with light body.

O: Another mediocre kvass. Wouldn't have this again.

Nikola is interesting for two reasons that have nothing to do with the kvass itself.

Number one, "Nikola" is a common Russian name, but it also sounds a lot like "ne cola," which means "not cola". It was created at a time when western colas were gaining popularity and traditional kvass was declining. Deka introduced it in 2005 and promoted it as a patriotic alternative to cola with an advertising campaign emphasizing "anti-colanisation", and used the advertising slogan "Kvass - Don't Drink Cola, Drink Nikola"!

The real kicker, however, is that in 2010 the Deka brewery (which makes Nikola) was contracted by Pepsi-cola to produce their own version of kvass in Russia, "Russky Dar", which even more oddly translates to "Russian gift"... perhaps the name implies that the additional business generated by kvass was a gift to Pepsi cola from the Russian people?

With all of that said, it shouldn't be surprising that Nikola is a well-made and very clean, mainstream-style kvass. It's got just a light touch of carbonation to it; and it balances its dark-malt & molasses breadiness perfectly, leaving it flavorful and traditional tasting, but still refreshing (there's little stickiness left behind in the mouth). In additional versions it's blended with fruit juice or added flavors in a variety of flavors.

Pretty average kvass at best. Typical cola brown color with no head and virtually no carbonation in this case. Just a touch of carbonation really helps a kvass, and this one could use one. Thin, sour, with a little too little breadiness, and too much fruitiness as well as a somewhat thin metallic finish. I don't really care for this particular take on the style.

2 liter plastic bottle, best by date of 15/08/11. Served in a pint glass, the brew pours a dark ruby red/brown color that you can see through when held up to the light. Not much of any head at all, but what head is there is a tan color. Not much lacing either. Aroma is very sweet, it smells like molasses, dark bread, dark fruit, and some toffee. Taste is similar to the aroma, it tastes like dark bread, molasses, cola, dark fruit (raisins), and some caramel. Like the aroma, it tastes very sweet. Mouthfeel/body is light/medium, it's a bit thin but it's also slick with low carbonation. If you like sweet beers, then you'll probably like this. Not a bad overall brew, but it took a little while to finish the bottle myself because of the sweetness. Worth a try, it's certainly different.

Two liter bottle, BBD: 25/08/11

Guy on the label is wearing a white shirt and tie, instead of a checker pattern... guess Kvas' image is getting more civilized these days?

Into a mug, this pours a fizzy brown with a finger of tan foam that fizzles away fast (like cola). Soon after the surface is glassy still, with zero bubbles. Some spotty lace on subsequent pours.

Despite the best by date of next year, it smells like oxidation (wet cardboard) and sweet caramelized sugar. Tastes like caramel raisin prune juice, some malty presence, rye bread is distinguishable. Some astringency, and dry in the finish. Loses carbonation quickly, and is a bit too sweet in general. Fairly easily quaffed like soda. Pretty average, probably won't seek this out again.

Served in a Chicago Bears shaker pint glass.

The Kvass Kick moves back into Mother Russia. This offering pours a clear amber-ruby topped by some tall, fizzy ecru foam. Frankly, this has one of the most steadfast heads I've yet seen on a kvass, despite its fizziness. The nose comprises rye toast, fennel, light maple syrup, pumpernickel, and a touch of burnt caramel. The taste holds notes of pumpernickel, smoky toffee, caraway seeds, black pepper, and rye bread. The body is a straight medium, with a lightly fizzy carbonation and a feel akin to Jell-O sliding through the lips (shooter-style, baby!). Overall, one of the better examples of plastic-bottle kvass I've encountered so far, but the nearly slimy feel ruins what could have been a decent drink.