When I think of Russia, I think of vodka. Beer doesn’t strike me as a Russian drink, but here we are, reviewing and trying our very first Russian non-alcoholic beer.
This non-alcoholic lager from Baltika Brewery was Russia’s first non-alcoholic beer and won several awards in the early 2000s. Read on for our full tasting notes in this Baltika non alcoholic beer review.
A Quick Look At Baltika Non-Alcoholic Lager
Based in St Petersburg, Russia, Baltika Brewery is hugely popular in Russia and it is also the second largest brewery in Europe. First launched in 2001, Baltika non-alcoholic lager was the first Russian non-alcoholic beer to be produced.
It is currently the most popular non-alcoholic beer in Russia, and it is also exported to over 30 countries around the world, including the United States, Canada, Germany, and Japan.
As an early trailblazer in the Russian non-alcoholic beer market, Baltika 0 has earned numerous accolades at both national and international competitions. Notably, it won the silver medal in the Alcohol-Free Beer category at the 2006 International Tasting Contest of the Brewers’ Association.
However, since 2008, its award count has remained stagnant, possibly due to the growing presence of craft non-alcoholic beers in the market.
Baltika Non Alcoholic Beer Review
Looks & Aroma
If I didn’t know it was a non-alcoholic beer, I would have guessed it was a glass of tea or apple juice.
Baltika non-alcoholic beer pours a clear amber color with no carbonation or foam head. Neither of us had experienced a non-alcoholic beer with zero bubbles or even the tiniest foam head, so this was disconcerting.
On the nose, it continues to surprise us with the lack of beer aroma. Instead, it reminded us of apple juice with a note of vinegar (like apple cider vinegar).
At this point, we aren’t even sure if we are reviewing an apple juice or an alcohol-free beer.
Taste
(Insert shocked faces) Could this be the worst-tasting non-alcoholic beer we’ve tasted so far? If you watch our YouTube video, our faces say it all.
This lager tastes like a mass-produced beer left outside for a long time, with a vinegar taste that reminded us of apple cider vinegar.
The body of the beer tasted flat, and the reason is due to the lack of carbonation. It just seemed so incredulous, and we had to double-check the expiration date because we couldn’t believe that it lacked any carbonation (the label showed it wasn’t expired).
Baltika Non-Alcoholic Beer Ingredients
Baltika non-alcoholic lager is made from water, pale barley malt, malt extract, malt barley, and hops.
Baltika Non-Alcoholic Beer Calories
Baltika non-alcoholic lager contains 141 calories and 28.2 grams of carbohydrates per 470ml bottle. No other information about the sugar, fat, and protein can be found on the label.
Final Verdict Of Our Baltika Non Alcoholic Beer Review
What did we just drink? Maybe it was a fluke, and we got a spoiled product because the cap popped off really easily, and it looked a little dirty under the cap. If it wasn’t a fluke, then this might officially be the worst non-alcoholic beer we’ve tasted.
We’ll skip our usual rating system for this non-alcoholic beer because we think we bought a bad product that wasn’t refrigerated properly.
Where to Buy Baltika Non Alcoholic Beer
We found ours at a Russian supermarket in Portugal. If you’re in the United States, check Amazon to see if they currently carry it (it was out of stock when we last searched it).