Staraya Krepost Klassichiskoye Zhivoye
Benderskiy Pivovarinniy Zavod

Golden pour, rich white head that lingers. Very sticky.
Hm, sour lactic acids in the smell. Some grains and light fruity esters. Not usual for a pale lager.
Funky yeasts in the taste: the lactic acids from the smell aren't really that sour, but create a weird sour cream & oatmeal-ish kind of taste alongside the grainy malts. Some wild apple acidity too with a very faint berry tartness. Gets back to the usual eurolager towards the finish, light malts and a bit metallic hops.
The expected light to medium body, medium carbonation.
Decent lager, not sure if it was contamined or that's the way it's supposed to be, but damn, i enjoyed it.

 

Picked up on a visit to the Trannistrian separatist region of Moldova. A shopkeeper told me this was the only Transnistrian brew, and that “everyone” drinks it. He, however, had none to sell. Fortunately, I found some in a kiosk near the massive Soviet war memorial and across the street from the Lenin statue in the capital of Tiraspol. It comes in a Soviet-standard chubby brown half liter bottle with a green and red label featuring a double-headed eagle perched on a wreath around the name. Ingredients conform to the purity law, with the hops identified specifically as “pilsner.” Best before 9/27/07, that’s the day I opened it.

Pours a cloudy pale orange gold under a one finger white head with decent body and retention, but no lace. The nose is mild but distinctly of sweet grape, with hints of bad watermelon. The mouth is light and quite prickly, a lot like sparkling water. The taste is mild and sweet, definitely grape juice, definitely bad watermelon. There is very little in the way of grain or hops. The aftertaste is mild and fruity, slightly sweet and somehow unpleasant. It is vaguely drinkable but hardly worth seeking out, despite the political context.