Danilo Okroshka Kvas
Darl, Tov

2 liter PET bottle, from Skjæveland Gardsutsalg. Dark brown colour, pours sparkling with a small and shortlived beige head. Unlike other kvas I've had, the aroma and flavour have distinct notes of liquorice and possibly anise. Also the expected notes of rye bread, caramel, cola and sugar. A bit too far out on the sweet side, but not undrinkable when cold.

 

A: Pours an almost opaque yet still clear medium cola brown in color with slightly heavier than moderate amounts of active visible carbonation rising quickly along the edges of the glass and moderate chestnut brown + garnet red colored highlights. The beer has a half finger tall fizzy foamy off-white head that quickly reduces to a small patch of very thin film and a thin ring at the edges of the glass. Minimal amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Moderate aromas of malt extracts and sweet dark rye bread with a moderate amount of caramel sweetness as well as hints of herbal/fennel and cola notes.

T: Upfront there are moderate flavors of malt extracts and sweet dark rye bread with a moderate amount of caramel sweetness. Light hints of herbal/fennel and cola flavors. Light amounts of lingering sweetness from the malts.

M: Light bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation.

O: Easy to drink and refreshing, not nearly as sweet as some of the other 2-liter plastic bottle kvass offerings I have come across.

A: The beer is dark reddish brown in color. It poured with just a narrow ring of off white bubbles around the edge of the glass.
S: Light aromas of cola and sweet malt extracts are present in the nose.
T: The taste follows the smell and is somewhat sweet with flavors of cola and notes of baker's yeast.
M: It feels light-bodied and a bit watery on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This kvass is certainly easy to drink and doesn't nearly taste as sweet compared to some of the other beers in this style.

Serving type: 2 liter plastic bottle

 

 

Dark topaz amber with ruby highlights, momentary fizz on the surface that fades after a few seconds. Clarity is sharp, not much visible carbonation, but it's there.

Smell is sweet and not unlike tootsie rolls.

Taste is somewhat tangy, mild flavors of raisins and toasted bread with sweet apple butter. Tootsie rolls. Carbonation ebbs quickly, light and easy enough to drink. It's a sweet commercial kvass... Nothing that great. Okroshka is a type of soup that uses kvass, maybe this is more suited for cooking.

 

A-Pours a dark caramel color with an initial one finger of white head.

S-Smells of sweet cherry and cola notes with a bit of plum and some herbal notes.

T-Very sweet cherry and cola notes with a tootsie roll finish and no discernible bitterness.

M-Has a soda-like body with carbonation that fades really quickly and a sticky feel.

D-Far better than the alco-pop alternatives but very cloying. I'm not sure I could put down a whole 70 oz bottle by myself.

Big ups to TMoney259 and his Kvass Kick. You gotta trademark these ideas, bro, or any jagov could subsume them for his own.

My uncle, Steve, is joining me for an afternoon of Kvass, having had some Russian instruction while an undergrad at Penn State.

I had some initial carbonation so consider this less flat than the Classic, but still pretty non-carbonated. Color was a deep cola-brown with garnet highlights, not quite as red as the Classic. The nose was more chocolaty, some root beer, but no tobacco. Mouthfeel reminded me of semi-flat pop, like when you forget to screw the cap down tightly on a 2L of Coke and do not realize it until the following day. It was more herbal than the Classic, more like root beer. Not too bad, but still not quite making it for me. Finish was semi-sweet, not sugary like the Classic, which in my mind is a good thing. Given a choice, I'd have this over the Classic, but it still is not a compelling drink.

Served in a Chicago Bears shaker pint glass.

Maybe, during this second swing-around on the Kvass Kick, I can figure out what flavors "okroshka" conjures up. It pours a clear deep sunset amber topped by a decidedly minor wisp of off-white fizz. The nose comprises caramel corn, pumpernickel, fennel, and cola. The taste goes heavier on the cola, though some fennel, rye bread, and caraway seeds make their marks as well. The body is a stolidly light medium, with a lightly fizzy carbonation and a watery syrupy feel. Overall, this still doesn't help me figure out what the name okroshka is meant to convey vis-a-vis other flavors of kvass. I do know it's a relatively weak example of a kvass, though...