Zywiec Porter

Brewed by Bracki Browar Zamkowy (Zywiec Heineken)
Style: Baltic Porter
Cieszyn, Poland

bottle: pint glass: aarrggg.... not sure I like this style at all. I’ve been avoiding this beer in the back of the fridge for a while now... The nose is all malts, slightly roasted but mostly sugary and warm. The taste has some sweet notes upfront, giving way to strong bitters and high esters... finish is bitter yet metallic. The balance is there and the brew adheres to the style... good, just not my style.

500 ml bottle. Pours near midnight black with a cocoa brown head. The aroma is sweet and sugary with notes of fruit and toasted malts. The flavor is huge, with a great balance of sweetness and floral, herbal hops. Tasting notes of sweet chocolate, toasted nuts, herbal liquorice, dried fruits, and a bit of a cirtus in the backend. It has a full mouthfeel but is not heavy. The finish is sticky and stays with you. Perfect beer for the winter months. A great value as well at about $2.00 per bottle.

Pours black with a nice tan head. Aroma is roasted malt, chocolate and coffee. Flavor is the same, roasted malt, chocolate, coffee and dark sticky raisins. This is a great beer and for $1.99 it’s a steal!

Great porter. It’s full and chocolatey. The malt flavor borders on perfection. The relatively high alcohol is superbly hidden in sweetness and an extremely creamy mouthfeel. It’s not heavily carbonated. The beer just tastes rich. It’s the sort of beer that I could drink all the time. I believe this is my first Polish beer, and I’m extremely happy with it. It’s dark and sticky, like a Porter should be. The flavor has big chocolate and caramel with a dry bittering hop finish. It certainly leaves a coating in your mouth, but it’s an enjoyable coating.

500ml Bottle: Aroma of malts, barley, light roasting, light tar, and a hint of chocolate. Poured black/very dark brown in color with a large, creamy, dense, tan head that diminished but lasted throughout. Clear. Lightly sparkling. Excellent lacing. Complex flavor is slightly sweet and lightly bitter. Tastes of roasted malt, slight smoke, tar, slight chocolate, slight molasses, and some wood. Medium body. Average texture. Average carbonation. Roasted malt, tar, and slight smoke finish. 9.5%ABV is completely hidden throughout.

500 ml bottle. Pours black with a thick creamy tan head. Aroma of dark roasted malt, dark fruits, chocolate, some licorice and biting saltiness. Flavor starts with a soft dark bitter chocolate character, gains a verysharp coffee and nutty quality. Finishes with some dark fruit and a crisp earthy hops. Medium to full body and a crisp carbonation. Pretty potent hides the alcohol well.. Nice

Bottle. Black, crema head that fades fast. Aroma of sweet coffee, cherries, roasted malt. Coffee and cocoa, baked and dried fruits. Sweet but not cloying, with a long complex bitter finish. Hides its alcohol very well (which is a bit dangerous). The overall impression is that everything works together here. A great beer.