Armenia's best beer (Gyumri Lager)

Member Name: dangaroo

Product:	Gyumri Lager
Date:	19/05/09 (9 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Refreshing, quite strong in taste

Disadvantages: Not too many but it's not the best ever

There's great rivalry between Armenia's two biggest towns Gyumri and Yerevan. Beer of course is no exception and a chance for the northwestern provincial city to get one over on the capital. From what I've tasted, the one beverage from the Gyumri brewery that stands out is its 4.6% lager.

It pours a perfect golden colour and has a reasonable sized white frothy head, lookwise it's what I like to call "a television beer" - it looks the way that beers look in the adverts.

Tastewise, it doesn't leave a lot to be desired either. It's not particularly strong in flavour or alcohol but it's certainly thirst quenching and has no notable irritating tastes. It's finish is smooth and clean, there's a fine amount of carbonation that ensures the beer is alive but at the same time doesn't make you burp all night. Design wise, it is streets ahead of any other beer I saw there, tastewise it's a smidgin better than Kilikia Dark. There's a wonderful hoppiness to it which is strong but palatable.

However, with Kilikia being a Yerevan beer, it's not as common in the capital city and whilst it is available in most shops, you are unlikely to find it in the majority of pubs and clubs. I imagine the situation is quite different in the north of the country though. This one is definitely worth your time, just don't mistake it for Gyumri Classic or you'll regret it!

Summary: Armenia's best