I’ve been going to the Volga a lot lately. Just got back from Nizhny Novgorod, and last weekend, together with Pasha Egorov (his report here), we went to Rzhev (where the Volga also flows, in case you didn’t know) to the Rzhevsky Brewery. For the first time we were there back in 2020, and I shot a video report. Since then not much has changed at the brewery, except that a couple of additional CKTs were added, but the range of beers has expanded. And just to have a beer with good people – why not?
By the way, do not confuse the “Rzhev Brewery” with a large plant “Ernst Klein Beer Brewery,” which is also located in this city. I’ll write more about the beer from “Ernst Klein”, because on the way we stopped at the company store and bought a few bottles.
Rzhev Brewery Helles (Russia, Rzhev) – 4.5/12 There was a distinct strawberry tone in the aroma and aftertaste, which is not typical for Helles, but I do not think this is a defect. Often such a flavor gives the malt from Weyermann, but here it was not. In the same beer, but poured already in the store, strawberries were felt much less, so it is more likely that the yeast gave it.
Otherwise smooth, clean, malted helle with a slight bitterness, as it should be. Rating “B”.
Zhigulyovskoye (Russia, Rzhev) – 3.7/11 The brewer also decided to deviate from the canon and added some burnt malt. As a result, the beer became darker than today’s Zhigulyovskoye. If we look at it from a historical perspective, this is just fine, but “in those days” the dark color of Zhigulyovsky was achieved with Viennese malt, not with roasted malt. Naturally baked malt also gave a light burnt flavor, which Zhigulyovskiy never had. Of course, it would be more correct to call this beer by some original name, but customers start to have cognitive dissonance.
Otherwise, like the helle, everything is clean, balanced and quite pleasant. The malt body is there, the light hops too. Rating of “B”.
Rzhevsky Brewer Wheat (Rzhev, Russia) – 3.7% alcohol. I’m not sure if the actual alcohol is 3.7%, as stated in the untappd, and I didn’t look at the label. But it’s a fine weitzen. Dense enough, fatty enough, just the way I like it. The aroma has a good banana tone, and in the aftertaste, a distinct clove. A head above most (especially inexpensive) German Weizen presented in our market. A- rating.
APA (Russia, Rzhev) – 4,5% alk. A quite correct APA. Aroma has pine tones. Taste has a malt flavor, a little sweet (but not sugary), in the aftertaste adds a light fruity tinge to the pine and Christmas tree. The rating is “B+”.
IPA (Russia, Rzhev) – 6/15 A similar taste and aroma profile, but more bitterness and accents shifted to the aftertaste. Naturally, a fuller, malty body with a little caramel. Rated B+.
Rzhev Brewery Stout (Rzhev, Russia) – 4.8/14 Stout with cranberry. I was immediately reminded of a similar stout from Bakunin, which I was given at Howard Loves Craft Bar. It was sour, but as the barmaid assured me that this was how it should be, because the brewer accidentally (!) put a lot of cranberries in it. Once again, beams of scorn and condemnation to the bar, “Bakunin” too, because they were the ones who confirmed that it was supposed to be that way.
In the case of Rzewski the brewer, there was nothing of the sort. Cranberry expectedly gave a slight tartness, well combined with burnt, but no sourness. Nice, drinkable stout, as it should be. Drank from the mug, which probably is not feng shui, but I was too lazy to go get other clean glasses. Rated “B+.”
