Moskovskoye Bochkovoye
Ostankinskiy Drinks Plant (Останкинский Завод Напитков)

Found in Moscow's biggest discount grocer, the brown half liter bottle has an elongated neck and a red and white label displaying a couple of medals and not much else. Rice is an ingredient. Best before 6/20/06, I opened it on 2/24/06.

Pours a pale greenish gold under a thin and reluctant off-white 1/2 finger head that fades very quickly, leaving just a bit of collar and a spot or two of lace. The nose is pungent of bad watermelon - very strong, and not in a good way. The mouth is fairly well carbonated, syrupy heavy and sticky. The taste is watery yet strong with bad watermelon and a hint of sour. There's a touch of hops thrown in, but the overriding impression is bad fruit. Not good.