Botsman Portovoye
Pivoindustriye Primorye (CEBCO)

Comes in a standard brown half-liter bottle with a fairly nice label featuring the steering wheel from a tall ship. Sugar is listed as an ingredient. Bottled on 9/9/03, I opened it on 10/12/03. While the name includes the word "porter", the label describes this brew as "half dark," normally a reference to an amber brew.

Pours a bit darker than amber, more like clear caramel, under a thin and fizzy tan head that disappears quite quickly. No lace, just a bit off collar. The nose is full of sweet caramel. The mouth is medium-bodied and substantially carbonated. The taste is a bit on the sweet side, with caramel tones. Some malt fights its way through, but there is very little hoppy bitterness. The aftertaste is all sweet caramel. Overall, pretty bland, actually.