Kyivske Stout
Obolon Brewery

Clear dark amber/copper color with a modest tan head.
The aroma is mild caramel with a grassy not.
The taste is also light caramel malt with some floral and grassy herbal notes, mild bitterness. The body is light/medium, moderate carbonation, smooth and very drinkable. Altogether, this is a pretty decent brew even though Ukraine seems to have a different concept of "stout". I have to admit to some disappointment since I was expecting something much different. However, once I got over that, this a pretty decent dark lager, tasty and goes down easy, should go well with most food, not bad for just quenching your thirst.

 

 

Source: 1/2 L undated brown bottle.

Appearance: Dark, clear ruby-brown body with a decent beige head.

Aroma: light spicy hops and malts that are more medium than dark.

This is a clean, easy drinking, dark lager that's mislabeled as a "Stout ". Ignoring the discrepancy of the beer and the labeling which includes a body that's too light and a grain load lacking in dark roasted malts, it's not disappointing. To the contrary, I enjoyed the smooth, well carbonated mouthfeel, enticing aroma, and bitter-sweet flavor.

Obolon Brewery "Kyivske Stout"
500 ml brown glass bottle without production codes or freshness dating
$4.49 @ Total Wine & More, Claymont, DE

Notes via stream of consciousness: The first thing I've noticed is that it's just lightly hazy, which is unusual. Secondly, it's a deep chestnut brown in color beneath a finger's width of khaki colored foam whereas I was expecting something a little darker - that's OK though. The head looks great, and it seems to be holding quite well. There's not a whole lot to the aroma, just some lightly sweet malt. On to the taste... I'm getting grainy and grassy malt with a smear of caramel and some floral hops. I'm a little bit surprised that this is 6% because it seems light on malt. Of course it's just fermented out but I was expecting something a little richer. There's just enough dark malt to take it over the line from being an amber lager, and I'd certainly call this a European dark lager as it reminds me of many of the beers that I've sampled in Prague. Now I won't argue the porter versus stout thing in terms of roastiness but I do expect some roasted malt in a stout and there's really none here, just a shadow, if that. They can call it whatever they want though, I'm just judging it based on what I'm experiencing. Back to the flavor then, any changes now that it's warmed up a bit? I'm getting more caramel, almost toffee, and I got some of the floral character in the aroma. There's an edge of cocoa towards the finish. It's not that bitter at all, and balanced towards the sweet side despite the fact that it is pretty well fermented out. The head has dropped by now but there's still a solid, creamy surface and there's plenty of lacing left behind. In the mouth it's medium bodied but on the lowest end of that range, and moderately carbonated leaving it gently crisp and then somewhat creamy. I'm tempted to argue that it's too light in body but Guinness, the best known stout on earth, is light as well. So what to say about this? It's a mess, and yet there's really nothing wrong with it. It doesn't score well with me, even judging it hedonistically, but I can't knock it on looks, aroma, taste, or feel if I'm being fair. That leaves me with the "overall" score to bring a number into focus.
Review #9,289

Disappointing beer in many ways...the color is more ruby than dark brown or black. This is just the first sign you'll be tasting a stout that's so mild in every way you feel like you're having a brown ale. The nose is guess what--mild, a wee bit of roast. Mouthfeel is thin, light. The flavor--primarily caramel--is one-note, little nuance. Overall, not a very stout, stout.

Look: It pours brown and clear with a tan head. Head retention is very good.

Smell: There are light roasted aromas with a touch of sweetness.

Taste: It has some roasted flavors with coffee and light herbal elements.

Feel: It has a medium body.

Overall: The flavors seemed a bit watery to me with some simple flavors and aromas.

500ml bottle. Did not find any dating information.
Clear, amber brown colored body. Off white to beige colored head, and this persists as islands and a ring, with residual foam sticking to the glass. Leaves behind small lacing webs.
Aroma is lightly roasted sweet malts, and a little bit of floral hops.
Taste is sweet, with a metallic note. Flavors of sweet dark bread, caramel, floral hops, and a hint of dark fruit. All continue into the extended aftertaste.
Medium mouthfeel. Low bitterness. Metallic note cleans the palate. Good carbonation.
Would like to know the age, because of a slight expression of oxidation, probably accelerated by non-refrigerated storage at the store.

 

1 pt .9oz bottle from Total Wine and more in Short Pump, VA, The stout poured approaching clear brown with an off white head and limited lacing. The stout is more like a brown ale. Mild aroma of roasted malts greets you. The flavors are mostly malty with hints of toffee. The stout has a light body and soft carbonation.

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass
Appearance- The beer pours an amber brown color with a small head of tan colored foam. The head has a decent retention, fading over time and leaving a decent amount of foamy lace on the sides of the glass. Very light in color for a stout.
Smell – The aroma is big of a lightly toasted bready smell mixed with notes of coffee and a bit of caramel.
Taste – The taste begins as one may have expected form the nose and the appearance, starting with a very light toasted malt flavor and a moderate showing of cola and caramel. As the taste advances the roast lightens while some cereal grain joins in, leaving one with a light and more amber like taste to linger on the tongue.
Mouthfeel – The body of the brew is medium in thickness with a moderate carbonation level, which both fit the more amber tastes of the brew well.
Overall – Certainly not a stout in my mind. More of an amber or more like a Vienna lager.

The pour is matte black with a tan & frothy head of foam. The taste is roasted malt along with some hints of plum, dark chocolate, & coffee. Cheers! B-

Poured from a brown 16.9 oz. bottle. Has a chestnut color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of mild malts. Taste is malts, dark breads, easy drinking. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall is an ok beer.

I don't see any obvious bottle or import date. It does say "IMPORTED BY : DOYNA LTD, LINDEN NJ"

Appearance: The body is a beautiful mahogany brown with brilliant clarity. It has a short fluffy off-white head with excellent head retention. It's a beautiful looking beer. The label says "KYIVSKE STOUT" but it does have an appearance that matches more closely to a Euro Dark Lager as it's listed here.

Aroma: The aroma is pretty mild. It has a bit of a baking spice aroma that's hard to point out; not really nutmeg or ginger but in that vein. It has a bit of a metallic scent. It's really hard to pick out any real aroma though.

Taste: It has a lightly toasted and slightly sweet malt flavor with just a hint of toffee. There is a light bit of herbal hop flavor. The flavors are good.

Mouthfeel: It's on the lower edge of medium-bodied closer to light than anything. It is a very easy beer to drink and it's very refreshing. The label says "Alc. 6% by Vol" and it hides it very well.

Overall: The beer feels a bit watered down at times but oddly it seems to work. The flavors are light and the beer is very drinkable. As mentioned it's not a stout but the beer in the bottle is good. Price never factors into the rating but it's worth noting that this was imported and it was a bit pricey. I probably wouldn't buy it again as an import because it wasn't good enough to make me want to buy it at an increased cost but the beer is good enough that I would pick it up on tap or in a bottle if I were in Ukraine or Europe in general. It's worth trying if the price isn't bad, especially if you like dark lagers.

 

 

 

It's not a stout. I don't know why the name of this beer doesn't match the content. This is a dark lager.