I haven’t got a chance to try this beer before. I’m talking about my today’s tasting target, which is Kraina Welesa from Perun Brewery. The brewery name and the names of all their beers are a reference to the Slavic mythology. I like the idea a lot, so it is time to taste one of their beers.
Let me start with short characteristics and parameters of Kraina Welesa.
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
BLG: 19°
ABV: 7,2% *
IBU: 70
Malts: Pilsner, Munich, Wheat, Caramel, Roasted Barley, Chocolate
Additions: Oatmeal
Hops: Lunga (PL), Sybilla (PL)
Yeast: S04
*Every source I checked, including the brewery website, shows the information about 8,2% ABV. But on the bottle I bought, label says 7,2%. I guess there is some difference between the batches. Anyway, I’m tasting the version with 7,2% ABV.
Looking at the parameters makes me wonder “RIS and only 19°BLG? Strange, there supposed to be like 23, maybe 24, at least according to the theory. Well, we will see, maybe I don’t know nothing about beer.”
Personally, I like the label a lot. Admittedly, Its style may be considered as bizarre, but I don’t care - quite opposite to be honest. There is one thing I don’t like - there is no specific information about used malts and hops. I found that information very significant, that’s why I would like to see them here.
The cap is modest - it shows only the brewery logo.
When poured into a glass, the beer presents very well. It’s simply tarry black, basically without any reflections. The head has coffee beige color and it’s thick, but unfortunately, it doesn’t last long and it almost doesn’t leave any lacing on the glass. After few seconds it’s almost completely lost.
The aroma of Kraina Welesa is not particularly intensive but stays there for the whole tasting period. It is dominated by coffee and roasted caramel. I can also smell quite strong dried plum and, unfortunately, some delicate alcohol, but to be honest, it’s not insistent and can be acclaimed negligible.
At first, there is a lot of dark chocolate and dried plums in the taste. In the end, in my opinion, the coffee takes over the domination (I felt like literally eating some roasted grains). The bitterness is quite pleasant, but I’ve got the feeling that it is not coming from the hops, but from the coffee, so information about 70 IBU seems a little bit exaggerated for me. There is no alcohol in the taste at all. The beer leaves a quite long roasted aftertaste in the mouth, but it seems to be very smooth at the same time. Very interesting feeling. The saturation is low, which only brings out the smoothness.
In my humble opinion, it is correct beer, but I’m also pretty sure it is far away from its the style definition. I think it is recommendable for the Stouts fans, especially for the beginners. But I would expect that the true RIS admirers may not be so enthusiastic about Kraina Welesa after trying it.
See how the www.ratebeer.com evaluates this beer
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