Baltika

Premium Lager

ABV 5.6% • Vol 330 ml • bottle • Russia • • Flavour 6.5
Other beers from Baltika
Other beers from Russia

This was sent to me for review by the importer. The label says 'Contents finest malt, pure natural choice hops, clear water, no additives'. Aroma on opening is sweet malt and some hops with a touch of alcohol. Colour is golden with a pure white head which settles down to a small layer of loose foam fairly quickly. Immediate flavour is malt with some dry bitterness and a little sharpness. Good carbonation over a body which though a little thin and dry, holds up well enough, with bitter hops showing through just enough to take the edge off the alcohol which can be readily detected. Beer finishes well - clean with a lingering hoppy and satisfying bitterness.
Conclusion: Not a pils but a well enough made lager beer with some character. I liked the hoppiness which offset the strength quite well. I could not detect whether there are other grains or syrups used. This is a decent, easy drinking beer with no brewing faults, but lacks any real complexity. Worth buying if the price is right.

Review submitted by: Peter Alexander

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Review updated 29 October 1999

Comments

I'm proud that this originally Russian lager got on this site. It is brewed in St.Petersburg, Russia by 'Baltica' Brewery.
Lev Kadik

If You ever will have any possibility to drink any Russian beer DO NOT DO IT! Same I can say about Baltika Premium Lager.
Ivars Krafts

Well, as a Russian I should say frankly that there are almost no good beer here in Russia, except just a couple of beers which brew by some local breweries last years. Personally I don't like "Baltika" and all of the friends of mine who love beer don't like it too. It's I guess the most popular and widespread beer in Russia but anyway it's not good beer and even get worse and worse I'm afraid every single day. If you do decide to have "Baltika" I can only reccomend you to buy "Baltika" # 8 (Hefe-Weissbier). Brand new thing but not bad and the price is okay for hefe (a bit cheaper tha a $). But better pay more and buy Hoegaarden Witbier. All the best!
Alexei Dontchenko

I have tried Russian beer in St. P, Moscow and in Saratov. Tried Baltika 3,5,9. But I preffered 9 the best but just wish I could get Baltika 9 in the UK. Good drinking everybody.
andy smith

I have just returned from Russia, Vladivostok and Moscow, and I found most of the beers I tried satisfactory, but not inspiring. In the "OK" list were: Golden Barrel; Threee Bears; Baltika 3. All light lagers, easy to put down on a hot day. I'm sorry I didn't know about Baltika 8, or I would have tried it. I found 2 moments of beer-inspired euphoria, and unfortunately neither were Russian - a restaurant in Gorky Park selling Franziskaner Dunkelweizen, and a supermarket at the end of Ulitsa Arbat selling all 3 Franziskaners. Cool.
Keith Moore

Baltika 3 is a good medium/light beer, not ground breaking but pleasant and got value. I personally like Zalotayabochka (golden barrel), the one with the blue label. A cracking Russian beer. Svyturys Ekstra from Lithuania is also great.
Andy Poole, UK

Memories of sitting beside the Kremlin drinking Baltika 'three' ... fantastic!
Paul & Richard Spencer

Did any of you try the black beer? I saw a chap commuting from Vladimir to Moscow at 7am drinking black beer for breakfast on the 3-hour train journey! I liked the Baltika, but nothing beats the home vodka!!
mike

Baltika has really gone down hill in the last three years. You can buy two bottles of No. 3 bottled a couple of days apart and they often taste completely different. No. 1 seems to be more reliable, but the best are Nos. 8 (wheat) and 10 (which is an amazing basil and almond brew). The best bottled Russian beers at the moment are Afanasy light and dark and Ochakovo Classic (which is unpasteurised and doesn't contain maize). My favourite draft beer is Badayevskoye - I often pick up a pint at my local store for the equivalent of 30p. It's cheap and must contain some cheaper grains but has plenty of character. There is one brewer of 'English ale', but unfortunately it tastes like the only time I brewed my own beer. Another delight is Kvas, a mildly fermented drink made from rye malt and sold on the street in summer. Overall, there is a lot of variety here although most 'quality' beers are bland copies of each other (Zolotaya Bochka, Bocharyov, Solodov). I always look forward to my visits to England for a few pints of bitter. By the way, if you're ever over in this direction, Latvia is the nearest thing to beer heaven that I've found in the former Soviet Union.
Jon

Without a picture it's hard to tell but this must be Baltika Parnus - sometimes known as Number 5. The only English words on the bottle are Premium Beer - and for reasons known only to the Russians this Baltika beer does not have the words Baltika on the label! Anyway, this is the only Baltika with a strength of 5.6%. It has a nice golden colour. It has a heavy mouthfeel, almost chewy. It leans towards a honey taste with little evidence of hops. Not a great beer. A score of 4 seems appropriate.
Silk Tork

agree with jon on the baltika 3 thing. has gone down hill in the last couple of years. But disagree about latvia. Found svyturys in lithuania a good beer and some good beers in estonia, latvia was less impressive according to my taste buds. For a good light and reliable beer in russia drink zalotay bochka (golden barrel) in its lighter forms.
andy poole uk

Ya lyublyu Baltiky. I have seen it at Tottenham Court Rd London but for wholesale only. So it is available in the UK.
Will

As other people have suggested there are a number of Baltika beers in Russia from 0 to 10 all very different. I have not tried them all however I do not dislike Baltika 7 draft on a summer day as well as bottled 3 and bottled 7 which is different to the draft 7. I do not really like the weiss beer (#8)personal preference).
Norman Watts

I came to this site looking for a place to buy Baltika #9 in the States. I've tried several of the other numbers, but #9 is the real ambrosia. The best beer I know.
Neil Shelton

Baltika should be Russia's first 40oz.
Tyler Brooks

Should anyone wish to try Baltika #3, but has had problems finding it here in the UK - it's now available in 200 branches of Tesco throughout the country.
G

I love Baltika #3 and would love to get my hands on some. Does any one know if it sold in the U.S. I will fly anywhere to buy it. I can be reached at ON2469@aol.com
Otto

Baltika is now part owned by Scottish and Newcastle, hence #3 (the session lager) is now everywhere and the rest have become scarse in the UK
Olly

Baltika #3 seems to be becoming available in some pubs around the country. One of the best lagers available in bottles in the UK in my opinion. make sure it is well chilled and you just can't go wrong. Et Ta Potoloc!!
Jack

I just came back from two years in the Republic of Moldova, that means I have tried every Baltica from 0-9. I loved #2, but they cancelled it, and #8 was my absolute favorite, I'm back in the U.S. though, so bad luck to me. Though I have found several #'s for sale on-line, I can't find #8 anywhere.
Geni

I have never known any really high class Russian beer... More so I could never imagine I find one in the US. I have found AFANASY, the Tver beer of a great quality. Now my problem is where to find it in South Carolina? I live in Hilton Head Island and it is a challenge to find Afanasy. Can anyone let me know where I could buy it on a regular basis?
Michael M.

The Wetherspoons chain is stocking Baltika #3, very nice it is too!
Vickki, UK.

I am new to Baltica and find it good.I buy Baltica3 from morrisons at 99p per 5ooml bottle.i find it similar to Zagorka (a superb bulgarian beer)
Geoff - Wigan

Baltika 3 is a great beer with a refresing taste. It is a solid well made beer, as are all the others the company produces.
John Laughlin

Baltika 6 is an excellent porter,especially for the price,and I'm from Colorado;land of extremely well built beers.
Fred

Just had my first Russian Beer, Baltica #7. Very nice initial taste, but the after taste leaves a lot to be desired. I still like it overall however.
Todd

"Beer is living proof that god loves us and wants us to be happy." My favorite Mr. Franklin pseudoquote. But Baltika 8 is an awesome beer.
John Clark

I live in the U.S. where can I buy Baltika beer I love the #9
that boy (louisiana)

BALTICA GOING DOWN - VERY POOR QUALITY, BETTER DRINK WATER.
BEER LOVER SINCE 1966

I spent a month in Russia over the New Years Holidays 2006. I found Baltika to be a very refreshing beer. Wish I could get it here in the states where I live.
frank carpe

If this is the blue labelled lager thing in Tesco at the moment, then it's what I tried. Nice enough and worth a drink, but really a very light flavour and almost tasteless drink. Pleasant, but nondescript. (08/10/06)
Rob Howe

We have been drinking this brew constantly this summer in Gagarin Park, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk with us ending up confused most evenings. It is a top rate drink and at 5.4% and the equivalent of 30 roubles per bottle it provides good value. Stay clear of the #9 unless you want to macaroni.
Jon, Stu & Paul

I BOUGHT THE #9 AT A UKRAINIAN STORE HERE IN CHEEKTOWAGA,NEW YORK, AND WAS AMAZED AT POWERFUL YET CLEAN FLAVOR. IT REMINDED ME OF A HOLSTEN DARK BEER, AND WONDERED IF THE RUSSIANS HAD HIJACKED A TANKER OF THE GERMAN BEER AND RE-BOTTLED IT! LOL. A GREAT BEER AND YES, I'VE GONE BACK TO TRY ALL THE OTHER #'S BUT #1 WHICH WAS OUT OF STOCK. DID NOT CARE MUCH FOR THE WHEAT BEER WHICH HAD A CINNAMON ESSENCE TO IT.
BAD RONBO, THE KiLLer DWaRfS BAND

We had loads of Baltika 3 on the Trans-Siberian Railway. It was a godsend in those conditions!!
Ian, Coventry

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