Marko (22181) reviewed Agram Stout from Pivovara Medvedgrad 11 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7
Again, at the tour/tasting/dinner hosted by the generous people at Medvedgrad. Tap/nitro. First off, this, I felt, was more akin to the porters than to the stouts I’ve had so far. The line between the two styles is quite blurry, but still, generally, who cares - it’s the first dark ale in Croatia. And, unlike the pale, this is a genuinely nice beer! Clear darker cola body with a creamy tan head / nitro head. Aroma... light and creamy, raisins, light sticky notes of strawberry, dark maltiness. Nice. Nice creamy taste, roasty, sweetish, grape gum drops? I’ll revisit this one soon to elaborate on both accounts. I do hope that this goes well with the people - it deserves to!
Marko (22181) reviewed Svijetli Ale from Pivovara Medvedgrad 11 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6
On tap & nitro at the tour/tasting/dinner at their Samoborska brewpub/brewery. An extremely generous gesture from the brewery folks (very cool people in general) towards the representatives of the craft & homebrewing beer scene in Croatia, hats off and huge thanks.It’s been a decade since I got into (craft) beer. The Croatian scene has grown slightly during that time (without real progress) then shrunk again dramatically and then, finally, in 2013, started to grow and develop exponentially. It’s been a long wait for a brewery to do a pale ale and/or a stout, and Medvedgrad finally delivered, after teasing us for some time with promise of 2 seasonals released at the same time. A ballsy move on paper, and much appreciated one, as people are, in general, getting more and more aware and knowledgeable now that those styles are getting more and more readily available after we joined the EU. My hopes were high - Medvedgrad was known to do some very good stuff (for the style in hand), but I’d expected anything... Despite the name - this is a golden ale... and the color, quite clear, reflected it. Medium sized thick white head / nitro head on the other version. The aroma wasn’t the hoppy burst I was secretly hoping for... slightly, just slightly fruity (melon?), vaguely malty - husky. Not entirely bad, but a letdown. The taste was even more so. Empty, malty, sweetish taste, vague caramel maybe. Very light bitterness near the end, more noticeable in the aftertaste, showing a touch of the herbal hop profile (from Aurora I guess)... They wanted to make a beer that was akin to their Zlatni Medvjed - which is a very good lager with a distinctive hop profile. The situation being like it is in the country, where beer culture is and was being ruined by the macros, they needed something that wouldn’t offend the lowest common denominator and would sell. And they overdid it, making a beer that’s as plain as can be. Using Styrian Goldings and Aurora, especially the former, they could’ve made something bolder yet still very appealing to the general populace. Ale yeast does not magically create a special beer - but it can help. There are true enthusiasts and knowledgeable people in the brewery. and I hope that they take this as a lesson of sorts and, as the awareness of the craft beer culture grows, release something bolder. The reception might actually surprise them. Despite several tries now (Black Turtle, Sabaja, Kabinet, perhaps Oldbridž...), Slovenians seem to remain the only ones in former Yugoslavia who do proper Pale Ales, having to follow in the wake of Human Fish. Let’s hope that the next generation of micros delivers - or that the old ones take the plunge and slightly risk making something with more flavor than what the average Joe here is used to.
PivoMan (6512) reviewed Dva Klasa from Pivovara Medvedgrad 11 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 4 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 5.5
Bottle pours a hazy coppery / orange color and a small white head. Aroma is expected wheat and grainy, slight dust and yeast. Not the best. I generally don’t like wheat beers but this one is actually OK. Not too sweet, not too wheaty and slightly bitter. Drinkable but I still prefer other styles.
PivoMan (6512) reviewed Grička Vještica from Pivovara Medvedgrad 11 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 4 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 6
Pours a coppery / light brown color with a substantial off-white head which quickly settles down to only a small cover. The aroma is pretty weak - some hops and malts, and initially some yeast. The taste is pleasant. Although advertised as extra strong, the taste is pretty mild, slightly sweet and just a pinch of caramel. The finish is neutral, prehaps only slightly bittery. Drinkable and tasty.
Iznogud (14627) reviewed Mrki Medvjed from Pivovara Medvedgrad 11 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 6
On tap at Ro&Do, Zagreb. Pours hazy amber with white creamy head. Malty sweetish. Drinkable.
Iznogud (14627) reviewed Grička Vještica from Pivovara Medvedgrad 12 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5
On tap at Medvedgrad, Zagreb. Pours hazy dark amber with lasting white head. Medium body, caramelish flavor. Best Medvedgrad beer in my opinion. Bottled version is not as good.
Iznogud (14627) reviewed Dva Klasa from Pivovara Medvedgrad 12 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6
On Tap at Medvedgrad, Zagreb. Pours cloudy orange, fruity aroma, small to medium head, medium body. Not bad but the problem is Medvedgrad beers lack consistency so the quality can vary.
Iznogud (14627) reviewed Crna Kraljica from Pivovara Medvedgrad 12 years ago
Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 6
On tap, at Medvedgrad, Ilica. Pours dark brown with brownish head. Roasted malts, caramel, maybe some coffee.
ogivlado (19466) reviewed Božićno Pivo from Pivovara Medvedgrad 12 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7
On tap at Pivnica Mali Medo, Zagreb. Whoa...three new beers within just few months from Medvedgrad. This one is Christmas one and it’s really pleasant surprise. Dark brown coloured, medium to big beige (even pale brown) head, fruity caramel nose with hint of alcohol. Slight roasted malt (pretty sweet), caramel and dried fruits with notes of alcohol and fruits in the finish. Not bad at all, one of the better Croatian dark beers I’ve tried recently.
Marko (22181) reviewed Božićno Pivo from Pivovara Medvedgrad 12 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
2014:This is available starting yesterday. 2014’s edition retains the stats, but is leaner, less sweet, but also slightly less complex - malt-driven and straightforward, making me just a tad less impressed than last year, though it’s still a tasty strong lager, and I’m not changing the score. 2013:At the Ilica location yesterday. Well well well, after the dunkelweizen, things seem to be getting even more serious. An 18° dark/black lager, nice! I felt that it was slightly under-attenuated at 6.9% - perhaps they didn’t wish to have a beer as strong as their Grička Vještica (15°, 7.5%), to encroach on its "strongest beer in Croatia" marketing point... Eh, who knows. This poured a murky cola body with a greyish beige thick lasting white head. Strong, lovely strawberry jam aroma, making me think it could be spiced, but it claims not to be. The taste is sweeter than it should be (as one could’ve guessed by the statistics), but nice, coffee notes, strawberry notes - the maltiness here is quite good actually. Now the problem would be the off bitterish notes, dry, in the background. Heavy, just a touch messy, but quite respectable beer. 3.45 really.