Valmiermuiža Tumšais (Valmiermuiža Dark)
Valmiermuiža Alus

 

Lovely dark ruby red color with plenty of foam lacing sticking to the glass. Pleasant sudsy mouthfeel with a tangy note. Grainy aroma with caramel nose. Flavors of roasted grain with a darker note. Hints of dates and a rich malt taste. Just slightly bitter with some herbal hoppy notes. A better than average Euro Lager with perhaps more sweetness than you might like, but perhaps the nod to the German style. From the half-liter bottle purchased at a corner store in Riga.

 

 

 

 

 

Bought and drank this when I was in Latvia on a road trip for vacation over the summer. We were in Sigulda - a very small town outside of a national park and there wasn't much around. So we stopped into a grocery store to pick up some supplies to last us through the night. I was attracted by the label, and wasn't disappointed after trying a couple. Definitely recommended.

 

 

The colour is brown-red, the three finger head beige and compact. It sinks without leaving any lacing.

The smell is sweet is and malty with some caramel and a smooth notable bitterness. Dried fruits and some floral notes.

The taste is smooth with dried red fruits/berries and a mild controlled bitterness. Hints of green plants. Medium body. The aftertaste got some smooth alcohol, caramel and dried fruits. The finish is semi-sweet.

The carbonation is fresh, the many mid-sized bubbles are long-lived. The liquid is semi-smooth.

A very elegant and malty lager.

Ruby amber color with thin head.
Slightly viscous start transitioning to a crisp finish
A light malt back with notes of caramel and slight breadiness.
Slightly sour with a light sweetness and very minor bitter finish.
Delightfully subtle and refreshing beer. and a rare treat here in the states.

 

Bottle from Stockmann in Riga. From notes.

A - Poured with a creamy khaki head of 2 fingers. Red or mahogany in colour. Mild carbonation. Bright with alright retention and all but a ring around the middle for lacing.

S - Caramelly, sweet malt, a little dark fruit. Much better than alot of the other dark lagers in the region.

T - Slightly roasty with caramel, sweet malt, some toffee, and a little smoke.

M - Tingly mild carbonation with a medium body.

O/D - Good for a Euro Lager. Raises the bar for breweries in the region who more often than not produce shameful examples of styles.

A friend of mine has some friends that recently returned from a trip to Latvia. They brought a bottle of this beer back with them for us to try. Poured from the bottle into pint glasses for a few of us to sample. Dark red color with brown highlights. Thin mocha colored head. Bit of lacing. Smell had a nice brown sugar aroma to it. Lots of malt in the taste, with some wonderful notes of dried fruit and just a hint of smoke at the end. Mouthfeel was a nice surprise with a great body to it. I was expecting thin, but I got a good thickness. Drinkability was high, as the beer had a superb flavor and body, and the abv was moderate. A nice treat to try such a hard to find beer, and I appreciate my friend giving me the opportunity to share this beer with him.