Zywiec Porter

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

(bottle) Been meaning to try this one for some time, and finally got around to it. The beer pours black with a medium tan head that retains nicely. The aroma wavers between concord grape juice, dark chocolate, light roasted malt, and some subtle undertones of coffee. As this beer warms some dark fruits begin to emerge, and plum becomes the most notable scent. The flavor begins with a base of dark chocolate, roasted malt, and continues on with the roast and a light bitterness in the finish. Going by the aroma I thought this would be sweeter. Warming does bring out some of the sweetness I expect in a Baltic Porter, and the dark fruit turns up in this taste as well with some raisins appearing. Mouthfeel is really smooth, and the body is medium with just perfect carbonation. This is a very good beer, and it just furthers my belief that the Poles know exactly what they’re doing when it comes to Baltic Porters.

An under-rated beer. A great tasting portor with a nice after taste. Best enjoyed after it has sat on the counter for about 15-20 minutes. A nice dart pour with a thick head. Flavor is dark and complex...this chocolate, coffee with roasted malt. Very impressed with the beer liked it better than the london porter.

33cl Bottle from Beer Factory Athens. Pours deep brown with mahoganny sparks but almost black. Big beige head that lasts. Coffee, chocolate aromas with a pleasant alcohol touch. The flavor is of roasted malts, coffee , chocolate, raisins, some caramel among others. Pretty warming alcohol in the finish too despite hiding the 9,5% pretty well. Very nice and complex.

1/14/09 From the bottle. Aroma is caramel and molasses forward with a rasiny background. Appearance is dark brown with red highlights and a well maintained cream colored head. Flavor is rich, roasty and bittersweet with light alcohol and dark fruit. Mouthfeel is syrupy and warm. Overall, big and complex, a nice sipping beer.

Bottle. Pours black with a creamy tan head that left spotty lacing. Aroma of sweet roasted malts, coffee, dark fruit and chocolate. Flavor was quite sweet with dark roasted malts, coffee, molasses and a hint of dark fruit with a creamy mouthfeel.

Bottle. Pours near black with a medium-sized tan head. Smells a bit of cherries, roasted malts, and is kind of overwhelmingly sweet. Malty and a bit metallic, grains taste kind of burnt, but all this mellows out after the beer warms up. Mouthfeel is syrupy and overly carbonated. Not one of my favorites, but lots of alcohol in a cheap, very drinkable package.

Bottle. Pours a deep black with a frothy tan head. Aroma of grains, malt, and a bit of alcohol. Complex flavor, with plenty of malts, caramel, dark fruits, and alcohol. There was an off-putting metallic taste at first, but this went away as I drank it. The mouthfeel is distinctly overcarbonated. Solid, but a bit disappointing.

ok beer. Taste is a bit malty/smokey. The real story here is the value, for a 9.5% abv beer that is this solid 2 dollars a bottle is absurd. I am not really a fan of the taste overall but i’ll be damned if this isn’t one of the best value buys out there