Beer Report - Eastern Europe 2004
Pod Samson restaurant, Warsaw
Zywiec $1.64 (I'll convert all zlotys, forint, and kuna into US $) .5L tap
First beer of trip! Almost as cheap as Czech Republic. Not bad. Pilsner Urquellesque. Good flavor, malt, and hop, with hop bitterness. Clean. Not a bad start, except she accidentally brought two! Looks like Jamie will sip on it and I'll polish it off.
Dizzy Daizy hostel, Warsaw
Lech Premium $.66 .5L bottle
I basically had a liter of beer at dinner. Took the bus back to the hostel and cracked open this (we have our own fridge). Fair malt presence and decent taste. I think Zywiec is a little overall hoppier but this beats AMS (American macro swill) any day, and for $.60, why not?
Tyskie -Gronie $.63 .5L bottle 5.7% 1629-2004 (on bottle label)
Slight skunk aroma taste. I can taste the alcohol slightly. A little cheaper tasting than the other stuff, with more alcohol. The taste isn't quite as good probably because the alcohol replaces some of the flavor. Very clear, nice golden color. It'll do.
Krolewskie Pelne $.74 .5L can 5.8%
Fair enough. Maybe slightly bitter in a less than preferable way, but not bad. Split it with Dave so it is our first joint beer of the trip.
EB Premium Quality Beer $ ? .5L can 5.7%
Drinking from the can. Reminds me of Krolewskie. Again, fair enough.
Okocim Mocne $.96 .5L can
Slightly different. Hint of alcohol but also a touch more malt flavor. Kind of nice mouthfeel and flavor. Would be nice to pour into a glass. Don't know alc %. [I would later learn that, as I came to suspect, "mocne" means "strong," and many brands had a mocne version of their beer.]
Pod Zubrem restaurant, Warsaw
Krolewskie $1.37 .5L tap
Had it in a can before. Going down pretty smooth. What can you say? Not the best but again, just fine.
Dizzy Daizy hostel
Tatra Mocne $.87 .5L can 7.8%
Nice. We are thinking "mocne" means strong, and we will confirm some time. Not bad. Stuff goes down all right. Little strong, but 4th beer of the evening so it's all good.
Warka strong $.93 .5L can 7.8%
7.8% alcohol. Sweet and strong. Hell yeah.
Okocim $.85 .5L can 6.2%
Who can tell? Many beers into the night... You know, it's pretty tasty, good, but we are all getting a little drunk and it's kind of hard to tell. We're talking about Chappelle Show episodes now...
Trzykafki hostel, Krakow
Piastowski - Miod Pitny $1.91 .25L bottle 13% 16/03/04
Date is when bottled? Made? Not very old, but very good. This could make a mead drinker out of me, and especially at the price for a little 8 oz bottle. Color is darker than most meads I've had, almost a light copper amber. Sweet honey aroma with a hint of fruitiness (orange zest?) Firm, solid honey taste. Mouthfeel is nice, medium with just a little viscosity. Gentle warming in finish from alcohol. I really like this. I don't know if I want to haul some around for the last two weeks, but I'd be tempted. I think it would just be too much work [and I did not bring any back...]
Unrecorded bar in Jewish quarter, Krakow
Pilsner Urquell $1.50 .5L tap
Well, I hoped it would be more like the beer in Czech Republic. Somehow it is a little more bitter. Don't know if totally intentional or if off flavor is developing. But if it is intentional, it's interesting. Nice to quaff a half liter before lunch.
Unrecorded bar, Krakow
Okocim $1.50 .5L tap
Almost tastes like the strong one. Goes down smooth. Nice malt flavor and hop balance. A decent Pils.
Okocim Mocne $ ? .5L tap
"Motts-nay" does mean strong, like we thought. This is better. Smoother, maltier taste, probably from more malt in the recipe. Even a slightly thicker mouthfeel. Little hint of alcohol too. Damn. Nice stuff on tap and probably 7.8% alc.
Unrecorded bar, Bielsko-Biala
Tyskie $1.23 .5L tap 1629
Very nice pils, just right. Similar to good PU. Clean malt taste, nice hop bitterness, finely balanced. Sitting on street seating under an umbrella off one of the squares. This is about the cheapest tap beer over here yet, but not the worst.
Irish Bar, Bielsko-Biala
Absynthe $2.19 50ml
Smells strongly of black licorice. Tate is heat of black licorice. Warms the throat the belly. 55% alc. Made in Poland so maybe it is not the same thing as in Czech Republic, with wormwood. I like this stuff.
Palm Speciale $1.37 .5L bottle "top fermented" !
Holy crap, an ale. Tastes a lot like my homebrew. Dave agreed. Ha, made in Belgium. Mostly malty, like a good craft brew amber ale, really. Tastes like a lot of commercial beers I have had. Mostly about malt but in the land of a lager, it's a nice change of pace.
Unrecorded pizza place, Krakow
Kiper -Premium $1.09 .5L tap
An interesting spice note, maybe coriander. Sort of like a Belgian wit. But I bet it's supposed to be like all the other lagers, and if so, it is failing. Slightly Belgian ale flavors but it is not a Belgian ale.
One day we took a bus to the nearby town of Zywiec and toured the brewery.
Zywiec Brewery, Zywiec (i.e. the brewery is in the town by the same name)
Zywiec Porter $.96 .5L bottle 9.5%
First taste was robust, strong, roasted grain and I thought, damn, that is a very strong porter with a hint of alcohol. Then I looked at the label and saw 9.5%. That's why. I'd call this an Imperial Porter. Wow. Very tasty though and I am glad I finally tried it.
I was massively impressed with the daunting mash tuns. Check out this VIDEO 1.2 MB pan of the room.
I need one of these for my house.
These were grain holders like I thought, but actually the fermenters. See this MAP of the Brewery.
The bottling room (VIDEO 2.3 MB) was also enormous. This pan captures just one part of it. In fact, we didn't even see the entire bottling/kegging area so I don't even know how big it is.
Zywiec $.00 Free half liter with tour
Good stuff of course.
Brackie $.68 .5L tap
This is another brand that Zywiec makes. Can't beat the price. Not quite as enjoyable or smooth but decent. Something lingering in finish that is a little peculiar. Not all that unpleasant but I'm just saying.
Bielsko-Biala hotel
Tatra Pils $.51 .5L bottle 5.7%
Drinking slightly warm from the bottle so not the greatest conditions. I have no glass and no fridge so it is all I can do. Hey, it was cheap and tastes pretty good. Actually, after a couple more swallows there is a slight nuttiness to it, and a mildly long lasting bitter finish.
Jasne Petne Piwo $.33 (!) generic beer. .5L bottle 4.7%
What the heck? Better than AMS. It's warm and from the bottle, but man, can't beat the price and really not that bad.
Warka Jasne Pelne $.59 .5L bottle 6.2%
Pretty good, little spicy, a nice beer. I think I've had it on tap or maybe out of a can. Nice stuff.
Nirvana cafe, Bielsko-Biala
Ma(?)e (3rd letter is a Polish character, a cross between an l and a k) $.82 .25L
"Hot beer with honey and root spices."
Very, very tasty. I have to try to make this. Will have to ask about beer and spices. Rather hot temperature wise, and rather sweet. Probably a decent amount of honey. I'm guessing cinnamon for sure but don't know the other spices. The server confirmed cinnamon. He also said a little raspberry juice and now I can taste that. The other spice is cloves. This would be pretty reproducible to some degree and this winter I will have to mull some beer and try it. Use just a standard base beer (lager in this case).
Overnight train from Krakow -> Budapest
Ginger Beer $.78 .5L bottle 4.7%
Tastes a LOT like good ginger ale (not Canada Dry or Schweppes). Can't taste the alcohol. Not much like beer. I'd be surprised if it is a beer at all, by definition. But tasty enough.
Tatra Pils $.74 .5L can 5.7%
Drinking from can on rocking, rickety train. Can't beat it. Maybe a little maltier than some of the other lagers. I get a hint of alcohol too.
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