Warka Strong

Brewed by Grupa Zywiec
Style: European Strong Lager
Zywiec, Poland

500 ml bottle, similar to photo with the name "WARKA" where the word "STRONG" is and the word "BEER" where the name "WARKA" is.

Bottle poured an amber/orange brew with an average-sized, cream-colored head that left a wee bit of lace while fading quickly to a ring. Lightly vinous aromas were musty and touched with honey, supported by grainy malts and herbal hops. Flavor was predominantly sweet with a slightly-off vegetable middle and an odd, cloyingly sweet/metallic finish. Better than expected, though.

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Canned. An old gold coloured lager with little life. The aroma is sweet and a bit antiseptic. The taste is sweet and honey-like. Little body considering its strength. The alcohol is not at all noticable. Poor.

Bottle shared with HogTownHarry, GregClow, tupalev & jerc -- courtesy of GregClow. Pours a nice clear amber-orange colour with a spare white head. Fair lacing. Sweet aroma of caramel, fruit and alcohol. Flavour is also sweet: some caramel, fruit and honey balanced with grains and alcohol. Almost Scotch Ale-like. The aftertaste unfortunately is a bit harsh. Not bad, I was expecting much worse but it was pleasant.

Bottle from the LCBO - shared with GregClow (thanks), jerc, blankboy & HogTownHarry. Nice copper appearance, small white head. Not much in aroma at all. Sweet malt taste, slightly watery but surprisingly flavourful. Light bubbly mouthful. Certainly an interesting mix of alcohol and sweetness in there. Harsh finish detracts, but I was expecting standard crap Euro lager and this was a nice surprise.

Bottle (500ml) - shared with blankboy, GregClow, jerc at tupalev’s domicile - provided by GregClow. Poured very bubbly gold with an average slightly off-white head. Aroma sharply fruit-sweet, dusty, alcohol very aggressive after a bit of warming. First taste was a pleasing honey-sweetness with some grain balance, then the hops came in (medium), some fruity graininess, then the alcohol muscled in and stomped on everything else. Tangy and lively mouthfeel (mostly the alcohol), but too harsh on the linger - cut that booze burn down and this might be a pleasant lawnmower beer. (Extra point for the surprising honey note on first taste)

Bottle from the LCBO - shared with tupalev, jerc, blankboy & HogTownHarry. Very nice caramel-amber colour. Aroma of fermented fruit with some slight fusal notes. Flavour is interesting - starts sweet (brown sugar? honey?), has some breadiness in the middle, and turns quite bitter in the finish, but in a way that is slightly unpleasant. Alcohol is hidden at first, but after a few sips it starts to come through. It’s not great, but I think I expected it to be worse.

Rating Jun 2005, moved from wrong listing. Bottle. Golden yellow body, decent medium white head. Aroma is grainy, sweet and vaguely soapy but that’s not the right word. Flavour is sweet, mildly vegetal, barest note of bitterness. Average macro palate. Boring.

Excellent beer. High level of alcohol and sweet taste makes a powerful combination. Highly recommended!