I picked up a box of "Svyturys Traditional Collection" yesterday. The beer comes in a rustic cardboard box covered in painted canvas images of Svyturys beer bottles on a banquet table. The image portrayed is of a quality, exclusive product to be savoured by the discerning drinker with the finest of food, all at €9.99 for 6 x 500ml bottles.
The box contains 2 bottles each of "Ekstra draught", "White Baltas" and "Dark Red Baltijos". The outside of the box lists food pairings for each beer. For example, the "White Baltas goes well with baked dishes such as casseroles, roasts and breads. Also makes a great marinade". I wondered if Dutch Gold goes well with deep fried delicacies and makes a great ointment for fight injuries.
To the beer itself, the Ekstra is a perfectly drinkable lager.
The red Balitjos bottle proudly proclaims it is made with "Caramel Malt". Wow caramel malt!! It should have read "Caramel malt and feck all else". Nothing much going on here apart from some caramel, toffee and alcohol. If I'm going to drink something that's 5.8% I'm looking for some flavour. I poured half of this down the sink. It reminded me of a poor attempt I made at brewing an Old Speckled Hen clone.
All was not lost. The White Baltas 5.0% is an enjoyable refreshing wheat beer with nice citrus flavour but without the banana of a Hefeweizen. Of the three beers, this is the only one I would buy again.
It got me thinking is this how Macros address the rising threat of Micros ? i.e. treat it as a packaging problem. Will we see Smithwicks ship in a wooden box surrounded by straw ?
