Admiral Tyemnoye
Kompaniya "Teddy Beer"/Mikropivovariya Laplandia

Only available at the brewery, this comes in a brown 33cl bottle with a slowly tapered neck and a green label featuring an admiral peering through a porthole flanked by anchors. The label proclaims the brew unfiltered and unpasteurized. Sugar is an ingredient. Best before 1/04, I opened it on 11/18/03.

Pours a very dark, opaque brown under a thin off-white head that settled to film quickly, but then stuck around most of the way down the glass. No lace, though. The nose is a nice combination of caramel and fruit. The mouth is heavy and quite prickly. This probably should be a Belgian dark, as the flavor is mainly fruity (grape and cranberry), with some caramel hanging out in the background. There's not much in the way of hops, though. The finish is sweet and fruity, leaving a heavy fruit aftertaste. Somehow, I like them better with less fruit.