Tekel Birasi
Yozgut Bira Fabrikasi / Tekel Birasi

 

Crisp golden color, thick foamy white head, two finger thickness, quickly settling, leaves little lace.

Strong grain aroma, slight spice, hints of grassy/floral hops

Fresh grain taste, malty, notes of bitter and citrus hops.

Dry, highly carbonated, thin.

Doesn't offer much, hard to taste any flavor under all the carbonation.

Found a very old bottle at an eatery İ was trying out.

Appearance- Slightly cloudy yellow-appicot. Almost looked like a hefe. Had a decent head that settled down quickly, with little lacing. Definately did not look like a Euro pale lager.

Aroma- Again, smelled more like a hefe than a lager. Did the brewery screw up?

Tasate- Tasted okay. Some malt sweetness. Some bittering hops. Still, it had some hefe characterics. But just as a beer, it was okay.

Moutfeel- had a light and refreshing feel. To refreshing for a hefe. Not enough for a Pils.

Drınkability- Eh...İ finished ıt.

Hand-delivered from Istanbul to Moscow by my boss (thanks, Jim), this brown ½ liter bottle features a clear and yellow label with just the name encircled by a yellow line. Below that is the slogan “Oldest Turkish Beer.” All of the information is in Turkish on this domestic package, but I got a native Turkish speaker to confirm that the ingredients list conforms to the purity law. There is no freshness information.

Pours a fairly deep gold under a two finger white head that fades slowly, leaving some healthy lace rings and strings. The nose is strong and fruity, somewhat reminiscent of a Hefeweizen. Some floral hops are also mixed in this very interesting nose. The mouth is light and very prickly. Interesting crisp, quasi-raw taste of grain and grape. The hops are strong and flavorful – flowery, spicey and espresso dry. The dryness appears to linger the longest into the aftertaste, but then it converts back into flowery at the very end. An interesting, enjoyable brew.