Brandmaiyor
Irkutskpisheprom

Found this in a Vladivostok supermarket, in a standard brown half-liter bottle with a red, black and white label featuring what looks like a gladiator's helmet with two pickaxes sticking out of it. The second part of the name - maiyor - refers to the military rank of major. Neither I nor Globetrotterette (a native Russian speaker) could figure what the full name actually means. Ingredients include rice. Best within 9 months of 12/9/04, I opened it on 4/3/05.

Pours a standard clear gold under a very short-lived half finger white head that leaves nothing in its wake. The nose is sweet with overripened fruit and overfermented malt, very strong on the pour, then milder after the head settles. The mouth is quite prickly, light and pretty clean. The mouth is sweetened bread with a bit of ripened fruit, perhaps apricot. There's a bit of hops in the finish, well subdued yet lingering far into the aftertaste. Alcohol takes a back seat, but remains noticeable. This is drinkable, if only just barely.