beer guide latvia - Labs alus

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brenguļu beers
gaišais 5.6% (pale lager)
tumšais 5.6% (munich dunkel)
both draught only
You love them or you hate them - there is no other option. For some it is the best Latvian
beer, for others - a diacetyl bomb, promting discussion whether the buttery taste, quite
often found in Brenguļu brews can be regarded as brewing fault or part of the national
taste preference.
If one wants to know what a traditional Latvian miestiņš or a homebrew is, after trying
Abula and Krāslavas beers - both Pale and Dark, quite good impression could be formed.
Abula (Brenguļu) Tumšais
ABV 5.6%, Munich Dunkel
The original beer that for long time was known mostly locally, but its fame spread fast
soon after the Soviet Union collapsed.
Tumšais is murky dark brown with thin, almost
non-existent lacing and full of very small carbonation
bubbles. Aroma reminds of sweetish straw,
slightly reminds of a farmhouse.
Taste is malty sweetness, quite similar to the Pale
with more alcohol leaving a thick layer of sugary
coating. Mouthfeel is thick and even slightly creamy,
certainly not loaded with carbonation. Despite the
ever present sweetness it suprisingly has a very good
drinkability.
Brenguļu Tumšais is a dark country brew at its best,
especially if compared to its direct competitors -
Madonas and Krāslavas and a golden standard for
many Abula fans out there.
Abula (Brenguļu) Gaišais
ABV 5.6%, Pale Lager
This is not the original beer as Abula Gaišais (Pale) was developed later in the 90s, before
that, only its dark brother was brewed. The beer is neither filtered nor pasteurised,
it is not bottled as well, so it would be difficult to bring to back home. Try visiting any
draught beer shop to buy this beer in plastic bottle that will hold for a couple of days.
Also quite many bars in Riga carry this beer on-tap as well.
Abula Gaišais pours yellow golden with a small and foamy head that fades rather soon,
aroma is faint, almost non-existent.
Taste is sweet. Almost a blow of sweetness that lets out some minor herbal bitterness
after a while, but sweetness certainly dominates; it is not cloying. At the end of the glass
notes of alcohol and faint yeasty flavours
can be felt as well, overall the taste does
not seem to be a very pleasant experience.
One more disadvantage is that the quality
of Abula/Berguļu beer is not consistent,
its taste can be rather varied from
time to time and it often feels that the
beer has not been matured enough. It
is not that I always enjoy such games,
especially taking into account its rather
elevated price and restricted availability.
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