Davra Varniuku Dark Beer

Davra Varniuku Dark Beer. Alaus Darvkla. Family Brewery. Anno 1993. Tamsusis Alus Tamsus Kai Varna Nakti. (I have no idea what most of that means. I think "alus" means "beer.") 

 Talpa 1 L. Alk.  5.2 % Turio. 

So, it occurred to me that their are no beers from Lithuania here in Ye Olde Bitter Nib. Why? Why not? It's not that I've never had a Lithuanian beer. According to BeerAdvocate.com, I had reviewed 6 Lithuanian beers from 2003 to 2006. Since then, zip, zilch, nada. Did my love of trying out Lithuanian beers just up and die? 

{To those who do not know: I began taking notes on beer and posting to BeerAdvocate in 2002. I started this blog in late 2010, and occasionally repost old reviews when and if I have an opportunity to try that beer again.}

And then I found this bottle. A full liter of dark lager from the Davra brewery of Sigutenai, Lithuania. I fell in love with this giant bottle and the amusing bird on the label. Any time you put a hat on an animal, and then show him smoking, I am charmed. I  paid $7.49, before my employee discount, took the bottle home and I will drink it immediately because it won't fit in the fridge. (Maybe on the bottom shelf of the door, but that's full.)

Clear, dark brown color, slim, off-beige head, slips down in no-time. 

In the nose: nutty, caramel-y, just a little bit o' sweetness, mostly malty. 

In the mouth: Caramel malt sweetness shows up first, but is held in check by minor hop bitterness. Slight suggestions of cocoa and a hint of nuttiness enters the picture. Clean, almost creamy, definitely smooth, malty, and quite tasty. The distributor described it as "hearty", but it's not quite that. Close, though, close enough. 

And now here's my confusion. On BeerAdvocate, I find this listed as a European Dark Lager. And it certainly tastes like one. On Untappd, I found a Varniuku Tamsusis by UAS Alynas, a different brewery, listed as a Dark Ale. Some people checked into that beer along with pictures of the Davra bottle that I have, those appeared to be from Americans, even one Minneapolitan. Someone named Ivan K., though, has what appears to be the correct bottle. 

The entry for Varniuku Tamsus by Davra Alaus Darykla is called a Dark Ale, too, although this tastes more like a lager than an ale. Perhaps they have different ideas about what an ale is in Lithuania. Also, and this is why I am going down this rabbit hole, the European Untappd users share pictures from bars with a very disturbing image. Two different people at a bar in Vilnius called Republic No. 4 posted pictures of a wooden statuette (or perhaps plastic?) next to some tap handles of a bird creature in a tri-corner hat (or maybe it has a hot dog on it's head?) holding one of  it's tits, with the Varniusku Alaus logo beneath. Who is this? Why? Does it have any relation to the pipe-smoking bird on the label? Is it his mother. or wife? Aunt, mistress? It certainly bothered Nick S.. who comments:

"Wrong...so wrong....reasonable beer, though." I'll use Andy S.'s photo, from a month later (a few weeks ago), because it doesn't have Nick in it, and I want to give him his privacy. I wonder if they're related, the S. brothers, hanging out in Vilnius, drinking the bird boob beer. 

And it is reasonable. And I have nearly drunk a liter of it. Hail, hail, Lithuania, you have some decent alaus. And some weird damn birds. 

(If anyone knows the story behind the birds, please drop a comment.)