Favorit Tyemnoye
Vladimirskaya Pivovarnya

I found a bottle of this in the small town of Suzdel just outside of Vladimir.

Pours a nice deep brown with a very light tan full head. Quite the toasty brew with a touch of sweet. Well balanced with a touch of bitter in the finish. Mouthfeel is smooth and influenced by the toasty notes. Overall a solid beer which seems to be a bit off the beaten path. Try it if you see it!

Thanks to Scottum for bringing this to Moscow from his travels in the Russian regions. Comes in a tall brown half liter bottle with a stubby neck and an attractive gold, brown and white label featuring a glass of dark beer. Rice is an ingredient. Best before 7/8/04, I opened it on 6/5/04.

Pours a dark murky burgundy under a big three finger reddish tan head with good contour but full of holes like a Swiss cheese. Good lacing and decent retention, despite all the holes. The nose is mild caramel. The mouth is prickly and fairly light-bodied. The taste is sweet caramel malt, without the sour that usually accompanies in Russian darks. There's a bit of hoppy bitterness, but it is very subdued. The aftertaste is far more caramel sweet than hoppy bitter. This is a good product, even if it lacks the bite I would prefer.