Lidskoye Nasha Marka
Lidskae Pivo (ЛІДСКАЕ)

Standard brown half liter bottle with a fairly plain gold, silver and black label with nothing but lettering. The word beer is listed in nine languages. Everything else is in Russian, including the name of the beer, which means “our brand.” Rice and sugar are ingredients. I got this bottle from a friend who lives in Belarus. She said it was the most popular brand in the country. Best before 12/22/03, I opened it on 10/4/03.

Pours a clear deep orangish gold under a thin white head that dissipates quickly leaving a thin film across the top and a healthy collar. The nose is very mild, with just a hint of malt. The mouth is prickly and fairly thin. The initial taste is sweet and slightly malty, quickly overcome by an almost harsh hoppy bitterness. The bitter lingers at the back of the palate, while the sweet regains supremacy on the tongue. Complex in no way shape or form, this is a pretty pleasant strong lager. I’ve certainly had much worse.