Runners up

I'm such a sucker for a sequence of beers that I'm miffed to find these two are part of a series of three. It's obvious from the names, to which I wasn't really paying attention when I picked them up in Polonez just before Christmas. They're both from the Vienas Brewery in Lithuania. There's a ring of faux-craft about the branding, but I couldn't find any direct link to the big Lithuanian brewing concerns.

In reverse order, then, we start with Bronze Dark. "Pint of dark beer" it says on the can. Yes please. It's not actually all that dark: a clear copper tone, not dissimilar to a red ale. There's an estery aroma, of bananas and headaches, which is much less clean than the beer appears. Sweet chocolate opens the flavour, followed by a complementary nutty quality. It's a bit odd, but then the beer makes no claim to a style, so I can't really ding it on those grounds alone.

The alcohol kicks in next. It's only 5.8% ABV, but has the burn and cloy of manys a doppelbock or barley wine. The heat comes with a flabby, sugary texture, making it all a bit soupy and difficult. I'm guessing it's still a lager, mind, as the finish is at least more refined, cutting short any building unpleasantness and adding in some grassy noble hops and some light cherry and raisin. I hoped it would calm down as I got used to it but, half way through, it was still being a chore to drink. It's a combination of the heat and sweetness, plus bock-like intense Germanic hopping, that made it hard for me to enjoy. Your mileage may vary here. Just don't expect something along the lines of German or Czech dark lager: they're generally much more refined than this. A bronze is being very generous.

Above that on the podium, but below it in strength, is the 5% ABV Silver Wheat. I was expecting something in the weissbier line, though it poured kristall at first, only clouding up when some lees at the bottom of the can went in. There's a certain amount of phenolic fruit in the aroma, but we're talking watery tinned peaches rather than big banana. Clove-dodgers can rest assured that there isn't any here.

There is a little in the flavour, however. It's mild, but the rest is pretty bland so it sticks out, albeit at more of a rock-candy level than raw twiggy buds. The carbonation is low for the style, and the head-retention poor, so while I will admit that it does qualify as a weissbier and seems to have all the right ingredients for that, it's not a good one. There's nothing wrong, exactly, it's just all low-key and feels cheap, which of course it was. You might need to add a few pennies to trade up to Weihenstephaner, or even Franziskaner if you're not a snob, but I reckon it's worth doing.

Alas, "Golden Extra" will have to wait for the next medals ceremony since I don't have that to hand today. Mind you, on this showing I'm beginning to doubt that their purported credentials are warranted.