Baltika Razlivnoe Premium Draft

This 5.3% draft beer in a bottle is from the Baltika Breweries of Saint Petersburg, Russia (home of the great Russian writer Dostoyevsky).

The beer pours a crystal clear yellow golden, the color of straw. It has a white head of foam that quickly fizzes away. The aroma is lightly malty, a touch sweet, with light herbal notes. The taste follows those aromas directly. There is a light medicinal/wet cardboard/apple note that disappoints. The aftertaste does hit a nice malt and straw note. It is medium light bodied, with not as much carbonation as you might expect from the initial fizz, although it is certainly evident. Almost no hope bite whatsoever on the end. Overall, extremely average adjunct type lager. There is an unfiltered version of this beer, and I would love to try that and see if it is better.