Kutuzovskoye Svetloye
Badaevsky Pivovariniy Zavod

Named after Kutuzov, the commander of the Russian army in the 1812 campaign against Napoleon, this beer comes in a standard brown half-liter bottle with a fairly plain white and gold label featuring a symbol that looks like a couple of sails and two cannons from a tall ship. Ingredients include rice. Bottled on 7/15/03, I opened it on 11/2/03, eighteen days beyond expiration. Oh well.

Poured a pretty average deep clear gold under a very thin head that receded to collar very quickly. No lace. The nose is mild, and slightly sweet, while the mouth is lightly carbonated and also a touch sweet. The flavor starts with sweet malt, continues with sweet malt, and finishes with - yes - sweet malt. There's just a hint of hops buried deep in the aftertaste, but it could easily go unnoticed. So could this beer. Nothing horrible, but easily forgettable.