Aristokrat Blagorodnoye
Russkaya Pivovarennaya Kompaniya "Chmelyoff"

Comes in a brown 0.4l bottle with a long tapered neck and a gold, silver and white label that looks like the chest of someone wearing a suitcoat and sash. The name means “noble”. Ingredients conform to the purity law. Although the label calls this “live” beer, the best-before date is 11/14/04. I opened it on 8/31/04.

Pours a fairly common clear gold under a one finger white head that musters a bit of body but doesn’t last long. No lace, but a thin collar encircles some traces of patchy film on the top. The nose isn’t bad – mild barley malt and a hint of metallic hops. The mouth is very prickly and light. The taste? OK, but hardly from the upper classes. There’s slightly sweet malt in the opening, with just a touch of fruitiness. Some very mild hoppy bitterness follows, but that fades quickly in the finish, leaving a malty aftertaste. It’s drinkable, but it is hardly a “noble aristocrat” of a beer.