Birra Tirana
Birra Tirana

 

 

Drunk from draft at a restaurant in Albania.

Smell is not very strong to be honest.

Usual Pilsener taste but fairly bitter.

Fresh feel.

Mild mannered brew from Albania.

500ml can from Spar, Tirana (79 lek):
Golden straw with a very clear body & a foamy, bone-white head about 1cm tall that roughly halves in size soon after pouring. It's light & slightly skunky smelling with pale lager malts, grain & hay with a faint sweetness but it's not a memorable nose. The taste is quite light & clean too, not as sweet as the nose but there's some corn & grains but it's kinda bland & boring for the most part with a light body & a subtle tang towards the end.

12 oz bottle thanks to Jeremy. Typical euro pale lager, wet paper and cardboard aroma and taste. Mildly skunky, but this one was all about the country tick.

Shared 500 ml can, thanks to Holmen1. ABV is 4%. Pale golden colour, moderate white head. Industrial boring aroma, grain and dust. Bland flavour, grainy with a little fruit.

 

 

I found this to be a surprisingly good pale lager and it became one of my go-to beers when in Albania, except for Tirana itself, where I preferred Brauhaus brewpub. It's a typical pale lager but good with balance and firm, well-rounded character.

Compared to Korca, this is darker, less crisp, more full-bodied, more malty and well-rounded.

Gold, it has a big white head slowly shrinking to thin foamy top, some little lace.

Aroma is honeyed bread, some herb and grass.

Taste is similar, firm maltiness of honeyed bread with zesty light hop herbal/grass bitterness.

 

 

I got this beer only because it is the only entry from Albania on the global list "1001 Beers You Must Taste Before You Die"
That was my only incentive.
Enough said.

Twist-off bottle cap.

C- / BELOW AVERAGE

 

.5l green glass bottle at a restaurant.

Looks good. Clear golden body and a white head with some retention and stick.
Oh ya there's a touch of skunk going on upon first whiff but I was expecting worse. Pilsner malt. Grassy hop flavor with a slight bittering.
Light and supremely bubbly on the tongue. Washes away clean.
Pair with delicious Albanian food and good company and this goes down easy.

 

 

Pours a clear golden color with an average white head that soon settles down - exactly what you expect of these beers.
The aroma is relatively weak, just some malty aroma complemented by some grains.
The taste follows the nose. Sweet beginning, followed by a grainy body (sweet) and just a slightly bitter finish.
Easily drinkable when ice cold. But not much to the taste really.