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New to me:

Guinness 0

I’ve consumed a large quantity of regular Guinness over the last 25 years or so; often times in less-than-optimal conditions; often times with a lot of off-flavors.

I won’t go so far as to say that Guinness 0 is indistinguishable from the regular stuff, but it certainly tastes better and more like “fresh” Guinness than many of those flawed Guinness pints I’ve had in the past.

Galipette’s non-alcoholic cider is extremely good. I think that I actually prefer the taste of it to their boozy stuff, which is also tremendous.

reverber wrote:

OrthodoxEaster wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 4:43 pm Borjomi, an extremely salty, somewhat polarizing mineral water from the Republic of Georgia. It's popular in the whole of the former Soviet Union but is apparently just now making inroads over here. Good for digestion or w/a plate of kebabs

I lived in Azerbaijan for a bit and used to drink that all of the time. There is also a Georgian soft drink made from tarragon that I liked.
I was surprised to discover a grape soft drink there made from saperavi grapes - which are used for an outstanding wine. Concord grape flavor is an American thing, I guess?

Every time I visit Bulgaria, I try boza to see if I get it yet. So far, nope. It is a sweetened, very slightly fermented drink made from millet.

How did I miss this post?

Wondering where you lived in Azerbaijan, as I traveled around a chunk of it a decade ago. Mainly around Baku, Quba, and Sheki, plus to Gobustan and Xinaliq. I found it to be a really fascinating and dualistic country.

The Georgian tarragon soda is interesting, but a little on the sweet side for me. And yeah, there are some great, smoky, tannic red wines made from saperavi. (The grape's acidity plus plates of meaty Georgian food balance that out.) I'd have been very curious to try soda made from that when I was there. But I had no idea. I wonder if the saperavi flavor is mostly natural or artificial?

I've been to Bulgaria but I never tried boza. I do like kvass, the fermented-rye soda found in most of the post-Soviet world. Although the supermarket versions are usually cloying, whereas the homemade stuff and some of the stuff served from the tanks on the street can be refreshing and nice. But I'm not sure that kvass belongs in this thread; it's very lightly alcoholic (2%?), even though you see kids over there drinking it all the time. Ah, Slavs...

OrthodoxEaster wrote: Thu Apr 28, 2022 11:10 am

Wondering where you lived in Azerbaijan, as I traveled around a chunk of it a decade ago. Mainly around Baku, Quba, and Sheki, plus to Gobustan and Xinaliq. I found it to be a really fascinating and dualistic country.

I've been to Bulgaria but I never tried boza. I do like kvass...

I was in Baku for a year (wife was working on an engineering project, so I tagged along and taught at a British school). I did visit some other areas (the same ones you did). I never acquired a taste for kvass.

As for boza (another very lightly fermented beverage), the closest I can come to describing it is slightly sour creamed corn. I am in Sofia now and should probably give it another go. Took me the best part of two decades to get to the point where I could eat the feta here (I like the local version better than the Greek). Now I eat it with everything.

reverber wrote:Baku... I never acquired a taste for kvass.... As for boza (another very lightly fermented beverage), the closest I can come to describing it is slightly sour creamed corn. I am in Sofia now and should probably give it another go. Took me the best part of two decades to get to the point where I could eat the feta here (I like the local version better than the Greek).

I particularly like the Talysh food in Azerbaijan, which leans more Persian than Turkish. I also have funny memories of only being able to drink alcohol at some places during Ramadan after sundown. Which struck me as hilarious compared to say, Ramadan in North Africa, where entire towns are basically dry. I wonder if Xinaliq has running water yet and if the road from Quba is in any better shape now?

If you've tried decent, non-sticky kvass from a tank or someone's home, then it won't convert you.

That said, sour creamed corn sounds gross. But I'm really curious about this boza stuff.

My wife is a huge fan of Bulgarian cheese and yogurt; she likes the funk. I remember having homemade stuff in Rila that tasted like a sheep's stomach. Beyond grassy.