Sibirskaya Korona Beloye
Pivzavod AO Rosar

They serve Hoegaarden with lemon, but is it a good reason to make a citrus beer? Obviously not. First of all I like my Hoe straight, without any fruit in it. Second, citric white beer have a right to exist only if it's rich and complex. And Korona White, alas, is poor and unsophisticated.

Well, it looks good - just as a white beer should. Slightly hazy when properly chilled, with smooth creamy crown and thin lines of bubbles... Its aroma promises a lot - fruity, spicy, appetizing. But the start makes you shiver: my goodness, it is sour! And the sourness doesn't settle down, it attacks you, fortified by high carbonation, overshadowing thin body and watery mouthfeel. Finish is very much reminiscent of industrial-made lemonade, and aftertaste is unbearably acidic.

Don't try it at home or anywhere. A failure, just like many other new 'Whites' from Eastern Europe.

I found this in a Moscow grocery store. Big tall brown half liter bottle with a white and gold label featuring a big crown (for "Siberian Crown"). The label calls this a "special wheat," and announces a "mild refreshing taste." We shall see. The list of ingredient includes a first for me: "flavor enhancer." The mind boggles. Best before 12/9/03, I opened mine on 9/7/03.

Pours an appropriately (since the name means "white") very light and cloudy yellow. The head is way to small and thin for a wheat beer, though, and is fades to film overly quickly. No lace. The nose reminds me of lemon soda. The mouth is very prickly and light with sweetness. The taste is definitely lemony (guess that's what they used as a "flavor enhancer"), although not overpoweringly so. There's a tiny hint of wheat. A taste of barley malt comes out in the finish, but the aftertaste is so clean and light as to be almost non-existent. I found this brew to be very unsatisfying. My wife, who likes wheat beers a lot, couldn't finish her small taste, either.