Kupecheskoye Jubileynoye
Pikra, Inc.

Standard brown half liter bottle with a brown, red and white label featuring an overflowing mug of brew under the name, which means "anniversary" brew, recognizing the tenth anniversary of the Kupecheskoye brand. The label recommends a celebratory price of 10 rubles (about $0.40 U.S. - not a whole lot cheaper than most regional Russian brews). Rice and "caramel malt" are ingredients. Best before 6/23/04, I opened it on 3/28/04.

Poured clear gold under a huge but short-lived three finger white head that had some body and left a bit of lace. The nose is a bit off, almost minty and fruity. The mouth is light and medium carbonated. There's not much taste here, just some adjunct grain and wet socks. No discernible hoppy bitterness anywhere. The finish is watery, while the aftertaste is utterly non-descript. There's nothing bad here, just nothing good either.