Its Alma-Ata Time!

This post will mark our last full day in Kokshetau, KZ. On the afternoon of the 29th we're going to hop back on that little Russian commuter plane for a three hour trip to Almaty (with two babies this time!). While we have enjoyed our time here, and folks have continued to be very hospitable and friendly around town, I think you've noticed from recent posts that we're feeling ready to leave. And now, the time has come.

So, in celebration, its Alma-Ata time! This is the пиво(Beer) post I'm sure you've all been waiting for.

In my estimation, Alma-Ata is the Budweiser of Kazakhstan. You can find it in every store in KZ, it's made in, and bears the Kazakh name of the old capital, the big city, Almaty (=Alma-Ata in Kazakh). It's consistently average, but always light and refreshing on a hot day, and, not least, has a tidy red and white label! Just as Budweiser (at least for the next few months before InBev takes over) is synonymous with American Beer, so is Alma Ata the quintessential Kazakh Beer.
In beer drinking habits, Kazakhs are like Americans in that, until recently, they almost universally drank one or two styles of beer. For us Americans, it's the mass-produced American Lager that rules the market. Similarly, most beer you find in the cooler at the local store in Kazakhstan is either a Pilsner (light, dry, a good amount of hop bitterness but not much aroma, pale in color) or something like a Golden Ale (deep golden, malty, a bit sweet and usually higher in alcohol content than the Pilsner).

The Pilsners we've liked the best are the ones from Karaganda Pivovarenniy Zavod (Karaganda Brewery) and from Tian Shan in Almaty. The Turkish Pilsner Efes which is also brewed in KZ is a nice one too. When it comes to the golden ales, however, Susan just says no. She isn't very excited about the flavor that more alcohol gives the beer. Among the ones in this category that I like the best are the "Traditional" and "Strong" Ales from Karaganda Brewery. Tian Shan also makes a "Strong" Ale that is good. There are lots of others in this category available in the stores, but most are imported from Europe or Russia (Amsterdam and Baltic Beverages each make a whole series of beers one can buy in most stores here, for example). Good or not, they don't count as Kazakh beers for the sake of this post, so I won't say much about those.

Along with Pilsners and Golden Ales, most Kazakh breweries make a "Temnoe" or Dark beer. These vary in consistency, but the best of them are sweeter and stronger, and taste a bit like a Scotch Ale. Overall, I liked the Dark from Karaganda Brewery the best.

The most interesting beers I've had that aren't typical Pilseners or Golden Ales are those from the Aray brewery in Lisakovsk. The "Zhletnoe" (Pilsner style but more hop bitterness and aroma) and "Barchamnoe" (dark and sweet like a Scotch Ale) are particularly good. Cool labels too.

Unfortunately, even though I have poked my head into every little market and shop with a beer sign in the window, I haven't found beers from several of the countries breweries, especially those in Pavlodar and Shymkent. I'm hoping to find a few more of these in Almaty before we leave the country.

It's not ALL about beer, of course. The reason for the trip back to Almaty, now that we have completed the legal process and the adoption is final, is to visit the US Embassy there and do a bit more paperwork that is necessary to complete Jesse and Evelyns' application for US citizenship. Apparently, when we get on the plane back to the US, we will have both their Kazakh and US passports in hand. As dual citizens they will each have two passports to travel (and impress their friends) with until they're 18.

Exactly when we will get on the plane back to the US is still in question. Because of the mysterious delay I told you about last week that kept us waiting here in Kokshetau, we had to give up our infant-friendly, carefully chosen seats on the 29th, and in exchange we now have a position on the waitlist for tickets returning home on August 2nd. So far it doesn't look promising. We've been calling Lufthansa and our travel agent on a very regular basis over the past couple weeks trying to help our cause, but we are still waiting to get seats on the Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt to Chicago August 2nd. So far, so amount of pleading or sad stories has helped. Anyone have friends at Lufthansa? Anyway, with luck we will get on the August 2nd flight...otherwise, we will be spending a little extra time in Almaty too! There are no open flights till August 5th.

Once we get to Almaty, we will probably have only minimal internet connection. The apartments there typically only have dial-up and I don't see us hanging out in internet cafes with two squirmy infants. So, it may be a bit quiet here on the blog front. We'll try to post something at least once before we get home though!

See you soon!