Dvoynoye Zolotoye Ekstra
Badaevsky Pivovariniy Zavod

Comes in a tall thin brown half liter bottle with a long neck and a fairly plain gold and white label featuring the brewery's symbol and what looks at first like a couple of medals the beer has won, but on closer inspection turns out to be simply the word "pivo" (beer) inside two circle. The name means "double golden extra". Rice and sugar are ingredients. Best before 6/29/04, I opened it on 6/4/04.

Pours a clear dark gold under a thin one finger egg-white head that dissipates quickly. The nose is sweet prunish malt. The mouth is quite prickly and heavy with sweetness. The taste is typical of a strong Russian lager, with sweet prunes and harsh metallic hops, accentuated by a pretty strong alcohol base. This version is relatively mild compared to some, however, leaving it relatively more drinkable. Still, no recommendation from me.