Zywiec Porter

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

Serve in English pint, Shaker, Snifter

50cl bottle. Near black color with an ample tan head that has plenty of life in it. Smooth aroma of cocoa, raisins, and some salty licorice. The flavor is big on roasted malts, lots of chocolate, some oats and vanilla; really smooth with a slight alcohol kick in the bitter chocolate finish that cuts the sweetness and finishes clean. Not too thick or sticky, and has enough carbonation to let it slide over the tongue efficiently. This is really drinkable and damn tasty; so smooth and balanced.

.5L bottle, best before 4/14/08, served in an English pint glass. Pour is very dark brown, nearly black, with one finger of lt. brown head. Very fragrant aroma of cocoa and a bit of diacetyl. Big bitter roasted flavor with a hint of dark fruit. Alcohol isn’t detectable in the flavor but creates a lot of warming. Has a long semi-dry finish. Quite smooth for a beer of this gravity and like noted previously big ups for it only being $2 a bottle.

Bottle. Dark, almost opaque black with a thick foamy off-white head. Dark roasted malts, dark fruit, chocolate. All the hallmarks of a good Baltic Porter. Mouthfeel is a bit oily, body is not overly heavy or syrupy. Great balance and complexity make this one a "Wow". I would buy again.

500ml bottle. Black toffee color. Moderate, lacy head. Mellow dark malty aroma. Big and rich, but not as rounded as an Imperial Stout or Barleywine. Sugary sweet not unlike a Dunkel. A lot of alcohol warming, but it still remains completely drinkable. A great example of the style. Lots of chocolate roastiness. Bonus points for only being two dollars a bottle.

Bottle. Dark brown, almost black, with very little head. Some pleasant metallic edginess. Also bourbon in nose. Coffee, toffee with dry finish. This beer rocks--what a nice surprise!

500. Black. Dense, tall, creamy dark tan head with lots of bubbles and lots of mousse. Gorgeous. Big fat dark-fruit-y liquoricey nose. Creamy medium body. Perfectly placed carb. Chocolate, dark fruit, tiny bit of roast, and some stinging herbaly anise flavors on the mid-palate. Long strong dark finish. Great, great stuff.

Not terribly impressed with this one. Black pour with a brownish head. Smokey malt aroma. Flavor is roasted coffee, alcohol, and maple cured bacon. I don’t know where the bacon came from. Maybe it was a bad bottle.

Very dark reddish black beer with a nice aroma of plums, raisins, glue, slightly of cinnamon and grapes.
The flavour is sweet, slightly fresh & sourish. The aftertaste is of cocoa and malty-bitter.
The mouthfeel is nice, softly fluffy.