Svyturys
Klaippeda, Lithuania
Imported by: B&I Overseas Trading, Inc.
Van Nuys, CA
Available: CA, FL, IL, NY, TX, WA
Svyturys is the oldest functioning brewery in Lithuania. The first medal– an award for beer quality and taste– was awarded to the brewery in 1883.
ABV: 7.5
ABW: 5.97
Color: 9
Bitterness: 15
Original gravity: 1065
Take a blond doppelbock, add to it a malt liquor, and if you tinker with the proportions you might just come close to this beer. Sweet and a bit sappy, with honey, candy corn, honeydew melon, cantaloupe, cut grass and a hint of cooked vegetables. All this precedes a thin, grainy finish. Hmm…I’m drifting back to my college days.
Given its bright gold hue and sweet, honey-ish and decidedly unfruity aroma, this strong Lithuanian ale could easily be mistaken for a lager. In the body, too, I find much that makes me think of a pale bock or, at least, a particularly potent form of cream ale, like those persistent honey notes, a very faint spiciness and the generally straight-forward character. Uncomplicated and warming, this could be a bracing refresher at the end of a long and cold winter’s day.
John Hansell is an equal-opportunity drinker. He writes about beer, wine and spirits. He is the creator, publisher and editor of Malt Advocate, a magazine for the whisky enthusiast.
Once described as “beerdom's Brillat-Savarin,” Stephen Beaumont is the author of five books and countless articles on beer, spirits, food, travel, and how it all goes together.
