Warka Strong - Browary Warka Sp. z o.o.

decimator

Ontario (Canada)

3.03/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

500ml bottle poured into a pint glass.

A - Poured a deep gold / light amber color with a 1" head that was gone quickly. Very little lacing.

S - Sweet & mildly fruity.

T - Sweetness upfront with a hint of citrus and a very mild bite of bitterness.

M - Average carbonation. A little sticky. The lack of a bitter aftertaste helps to hide the 7%ABV.

D - Drinkable yes but I find it's lacking some flavor.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2009 17:08:35 | More by decimator

ADZA

Australia

2.93/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

This beer pours a pale golden colour with nice carbonation that leaves a one finger head with average lacing,the first aroma i get is straight out malty honey not much else gets thru,it has an average mouthfeel with a honeyish,malty weak hop taste to it which finishes pretty smooth,this is definately i beer that im glad ive tried but wont go out of my way for it again.

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2009 09:48:22 | More by ADZA

jeffjeff1

California

3/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

My mom picked this up at the polish deli for me while picking up lunch.

Appearance- dark golden color, clear, good head but dissipates quickly

Smell- malt

Taste- malt, bland

Mouthfeel- thin, smooth

Drinkability- ok for an euro lager, probably won't buy it again

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2009 03:40:25 | More by jeffjeff1

civilizedpsycho

Michigan

2.65/5  rDev -19.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured bottle into pint glass.

Appearance: Pours a dark, golden color that is almost crystal clear. Provides a fair head, but it dissipates pretty quickly.

Smell: I found there to be a slightly funky malt aroma, very similar to a pilsner. Not offensive or anything, but merely average.

Taste: This beer is pretty smooth, but I think it is because it is somewhat bland. There's a minor bitterness in the flavor and I thought I could perceive the alcohol a little bit, but in the end, there's not a heck of a lot to this beer.

Mouthfeel: Thin and watery. It helps compliment the style I suppose, but I was hoping for a bit more in this area.

Drinkability: I'm not terribly impressed. This is a beer that I'm glad I tried, but I doubt will get again.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2009 16:03:05 | More by civilizedpsycho

nicnut45

Illinois

2.73/5  rDev -17.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Appearance- A deep yellow brown color pours about a fingers worth of head and settles into a nice lacing. The color is beauitful and the head looks nice sitting on top of the glass.

Aroma- A faint malty aroma. I have to keep agitating the glass just to get a whiff. It has your typical German lager smells but it is very faint. A suttle fruity aroma is present as well.

Taste- The hops in this brew is very suttle and I find it mostly dominated by sweet malts. The taste is very sweet and reminds me of apple cider. This becomes all the more appearant as the brew warms up. Not my cup of tea but for the style I guess its close to or right on.

Mouthfeel- I cant say there is anything offensive about the mouthfeel. Its cold and wet goes down smooth.

Drink- I wont buy it again. I guess if you want a high alcohol sweet tasting lager, go for it.

Serving type: bottle

08-10-2009 14:42:34 | More by nicnut45

RedChrome

Connecticut

4/5  rDev +21.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Clear liquid had a deep amber color. Inch and a half white colored foam faded over two minutes. Average amount of carbonation rising rapidly. Sticky lace webs.

Cereal grains are quite strong up front and have a hanging hint of alcohol behind them. A blend of sweet corn and burnt barley. minimal hops bitterness to the aroma.

Grain presence carries over from the aroma to the taste, but has a much stronger barley quality then corn. An overall fruitiness is nice in strength. Hops bitterness also is evident.

A bit on the watery side. Carbonation is at just the right balance. Tastes cling a while in the mouth.

A decent brew. Would work well with a fully loaded pizza. Surprisingly balanced in the style. Well worth a try if you can pick up a bottle.

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2009 02:56:03 | More by RedChrome

VictorEHuskie

Illinois

3.38/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

My friend offered this beer to me when I was over to his house for dinner. He warned that it was strong and boy he was not kidding. The beer had a hint of a sweet taste to it but the bitterness on the tongue made it clear that it was not something that I was willing to drink more than one of at a time. It had no real aftertaste. Definitely would recommend.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2009 01:48:10 | More by VictorEHuskie

jspruit

Denmark

3.3/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Got 500ml bottle from a friend visiting Poland and drank it back in Ireland.

Pours an amber bronze with fair carbonation and a 1 finger head. Lacing is maintained slightly throughout the drink.

Malt seems to be the main smell here with a hint of sweetness and caramel. No really dominant smells though and it is slightly weak in this category.

There is more in the taste of this beer than the smell, with the sweetness and malts and caramels again dominating. Not overpowering though. A hint of hops comes through too. I think that I would only have one of these in a session if I had my choice of other beers as well.

I'm glad that I tried this, but I'd like to try other types of this style to compare to, and will probably try other Polish beers before coming back to this one.

Serving type: bottle

06-12-2009 07:09:11 | More by jspruit

laituegonflable

Australia

3.13/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours an amber colour with a slow bead, bit of head that goes astray. Quite nice lacing. Meh. The lacing saves an otherwise dull-looking affair.

A strong, almost bourbony nose with a thick, dark toffee sweetness lurking there. A slight bread yeast character belies the Euro lager hiding behind this otherwise pleasant, malty nose.

This is quite smooth drinking on first impression, with a lagery yeast character but notes of honey and pancake mix blending with a slight earthiness. A bit too sweet for my liking with a thick, buttery mouthfeel and a strong malt flavour. A slight bitter tinge at the end rescues it from a honey ale sickliness. I definitely couldn't drink a lot of this, oh and alcohol is not all that well hidden, but it's not overpowering.

This is a remarkably average sort of beer, with it falling short on a lot of its aspects. Decent, but certainly not fantastic.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2009 04:06:23 | More by laituegonflable

lacqueredmouse

Australia

2.53/5  rDev -23.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Clear burnished golden coloured body with a frothy, but ultimately collapsing head of off-white foam. No visible carbonation. Lacing and retention are moderate. You can hear the crackling of the head as it dissipates.

Light malt-grain notes on the nose, a little rustic and organic. Not a huge amount on it, just grains, dust, a little earth and grass. But pleasant enough in its way.

Not much on the palate, a little sharp metallic note falling away to honey sweetness. Leaves if finally with the thin, unpleasant flavour of sugar water. Not big, not exciting, and not particularly pleasant. Mouthfeel is ok, but it doesn't have much to work with.

It's like pale, insipid, alcoholic lolly water. The hops that it needs are noticeably absent, and it ends up very reminiscent of a sickly alkoholfrei bier.

Not a fan.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2009 23:05:43 | More by lacqueredmouse

ColoradoBobs

Colorado

3.13/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Six-pack purchased at a LITTLE liquor store in Westminster, CO -- the only one in the area open on a Sunday evening -- owned and operated by a young couple from Poland. We stopped there because there was a sign on the outside reading "We sell Polish beers," and I was looking from some Okocim Porter -- which they didn't have. So, I got this instead.

Moderate pour into a goblet yields a huge white head (four full fingers!) over a tawny golden clear body. Head fades to nothing very quickly.

Smell is mostly roasted malt, and a little bit of floral hops. Not much going on here.

Taste is pretty much like the smell -- not a lot going on. Pleasant enough for what it is, but it's not all that.

Best part of the beer is the mouthfeel: pretty slurpy for a lager.

Drinkability is okay.

A lager on steroids.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2009 04:23:44 | More by ColoradoBobs

spycow

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

500ml bottle poured into a Pilsner glass.

A: Poured smoothly into the pilsner glass with almost no head and non-existent carbonation. Nice clear deep brown color.

S: Smelled of coffee, carmel, and toffee with a faint hint of something else sweet.

T: First sip went down well. The slightly sweet taste came out along with the hints of carmel and toffee. It isn't overly complex or bitter. Left a light pleasant aftertaste that finished well.

M&D: It continued to go down well. Coated the mouth lightly and easy to drink. The alcohol content was not that noticeable for 7%. You could easily drink a few before they caught up with you.

Would recommend trying especially at $1.50 a bottle. If the belgian strong ales are little expensive this is a nice alternative.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2009 05:51:24 | More by spycow

cagocubs

Illinois

3.43/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

While walking by the polish beers I caught a glimpse of Kazimierz Pulaski, American Revolutionary War Hero. With a bottle label that cool I decided it deserved a try.
Warka poured a pale orange kinda burnt orange that looked like it wanted to turn light brown. Nice inch white head that dissapates quickly and leaves no lacing. The smell was grainy, bready, with scent of alcohol present. It also had a sweetness smell I have difficulty labeling almost like juicey. Tasted of sweet caramel with some nuttiness, the 7% wasnt detectable in the taste. The mouthfeel was smooth with nice coating. The drinkability would be high if it werent for the fact that its a strong euro lager.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2009 01:05:22 | More by cagocubs

Pete0403

Ontario (Canada)

3.65/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3

500mL bottle poured into a glass

Appearence: Honey brown colour, coarse white head collapsing to a film leaving very little lacing. Nicely effervescent.

Smell: Alcoholic, a little yeasty/bready, caramel and some low level esters

Taste: Not a strong as I expect from a 7.0% beer. The alcohol comes trough along with a bit of caramel. Hoppiness and bitterness are noticably absent. There is a tiny amount of afterbitterness though along with a pleasant linger.

Mouthfeel: Nice thick body, warming, mouthcoating, very nice.

Drinkability: Very drinkable but the high alcohol content will add up quickly.

This is one of the smoothest strong beers I've ever tasted. I wish there was a little more hop aroma and bitterness but it's still a really good beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2008 00:16:25 | More by Pete0403

IBUnit63

Massachusetts

3.4/5  rDev +3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

BBD 07.11.2008 - hope it's November 7 rather than July 11...either way, 500 ml into BMS mug...

Very clear, silvery copper bronze body. Moderate, quick carbonation rises to 1-finger head with muffin tunnels and light latte hue that comes and goes. Moderate lacing.

Heavy perfume of silage - almost sweaty. Malt effect is slightly steamy with boozy sweetness on deep background. Slight lager crispness.

This is almost rather pleasant-tasting. Viscous sweetness of amber-ish/caramel malt but a slight nutty background as well. Hops are restrained as is whatever silage-inducing adjuncty ingredient noticed on the nose.

Mouthfeel is a little sweeter and boozier than desired but not offensive like something in a 40 in a brown bag on a stoop or anything. No noticeable aftertaste, with the exception of that slight silage tone intermittently.

So this is essentially Euro-macro-malt liquor? Hey, I've had much worse. The mild grainy sweetness must go well with pierogi.

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2008 10:00:42 | More by IBUnit63

Offa

California

4.35/5  rDev +31.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 5

This is another very tasty Polish strong lager.

Golden amber, it has a medium, off-white head steadily shrinking to a thin, foamy top.

The aroma is grain, cooked brown rice, bread crust, grapes and grape juice, hint of hay, and a perfumy sweetness, with a faint, musty alcoholic fruitiness. It's quite nice.

The taste is also very nice, with bread, a hint of herbs and pine, light fruit mix, grapes, bread crust, and a light smokey-woody quality in the finish. It has a flowery quality and is zesty but in feel becomes a bit watery and flat by the finish. Otherwise, it's quite good, with plenty of nice flavour, if a bit on the sweet side. It has a light bitterness but could use a bit more. It's smooth and easy to drink and stays interesting.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2008 05:20:47 | More by Offa

Rayek

Colorado

3.53/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I'd never even heard of this until I saw it on the menu at a Polish restaurant. It was served to me way too cold, so I let it warm a bit before consuming.

A: Pale amber color has good clarity. Carbonation is semi-active, with very tiny bubbles. Off white head is rocky and has excellent retention. Left spots of lace.

S: Interesting aromas of toffee, grapes, pepper, cloves and alcohol. The sweeter scents dominate.

T: Rather wine like. Nice toffee and grape flavors up front, with a faint chocolate note in the background. Clove laden bitterness provides just enough bitter to keep this beer from being too sweet. Finishes very dry, with a nice alcohol warmth.

M: Medium body has the right level of fizz. A little slick on the tongue.

D: This beer packs a wallop. One 500ml bottle was enough for me. Definitely not a session beer in my mind. Worth a revisit.

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2008 15:19:11 | More by Rayek

beerthulhu

New Jersey

3.65/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Poured a clear, coppery-orange with a 1 finger creamy, eggshell white head that was moderately lasting settling to a slight fizzy covering that left faint trails of lacing. Visible carbonation ws medium strong.

S: The nose yielded dried orange peels, citrus hopping and some light dry toasted caramel and alcohol.

T: The initial flavor was tart oranges, with a dry toasted caramel with some alcohol. There is a strong sense of lemons and oranges that blend well together providing a sweet and spicy flavor along with fruitiness (apples, melons). The finish finds some spicy alcohol fusels and juice-like fruitiness that is sweet and quick to leave the tongue. Overall sweet, fruity, with an alcohol kick.

M: light, oily slick on the tongue and was very smooth with almost no carbonation presence felt despite its strong showing.

D: A pleasant surprise, making for a solid recommend and drink. Definitely one of the better and stronger beers ive had out of Poland and worthy of a buy and try.

Serving type: bottle

07-08-2008 23:44:43 | More by beerthulhu

cyrenaica

Ontario (Canada)

2.13/5  rDev -35.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

500ml bottle
7.0% ABV

I tried this beer on February 11, 2008 after purchasing from my local LCBO outlet. The poured a translucent gold colour with a slight reddish tinge. The head was thin, and white, and there was quite a bit of effervescence. The aroma was rather weak, nothing at all that comes to mind aside from some grassy hints. The mouthfeel was light. almost watery, and little carbonation. The taste was very grassy was well, with some malty hints.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2008 05:29:00 | More by cyrenaica

bobsy

Ontario (Canada)

2.93/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Amber body with a nice off-white head gives this Polish lager a pleasing appearance. The aroma has grainy notes mixed in with lemon. The initial flavour impression is of sweetness, with bunches of caramel malt. Thankfully is settles down after the first few sips and becomes better integrated into the overall taste, which although still sweet malt heavy, now reveals a husky graininess and a slight bitter kick in the finish. Probably still too much sweetness to earn more than an average mark. The mouthfeel is full and satisfying...easily the heaviest I have come across in a lager. The carbonation is about right for the drink and prevents it from becoming too cloying. Pretty drinkable, and a pleasant surprise.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2008 00:32:58 | More by bobsy

TheDeuce

New York

3/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Warka Strong...continuing my beer tour of Poland.

Pours a hazy dark gold, fizzy head rises up, smells of more fusel based alcohol, grains and hops as well. Body is a little muddled, taste is strong, nice hoppy kick near the end. The beer has character is well constructed, I enjoyed drinking it and it was fine but there was nothing unique or exciting about it.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2008 17:45:15 | More by TheDeuce

spointon

Illinois

3.7/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Had this one from a 500ml / 1 pt 0.9 fl oz brown bottle.

A= This beer pours a nice golden amber color, perfectly clear, with light to medium carbonation levels and a small 1/4 inch white head. The head quickly died and left zero lacing down the glass.

S= The aromas of this lager beer are very muted (as in almost not there at all). What I can detect are scents of maltiness and light caramel. No detectable hop smell.

T= This strong lager is sweet! The malts and hints of caramel gang up and overpower any hops that may have been added. Despite the high abv, there is very little alcohol at the finish.

MF= This brew is lower carbonation, slightly heavy and thick. Has almost an oily buttery feel.

D= I really like this beer, but that sweetness keeps me from wanting more than one. If it was only slightly less sweet, the high abv would make it a killer session beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2008 02:55:45 | More by spointon

sweethome

Illinois

3.7/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Brown bottle, gold label with Pulaski on the label.

Pour is bright gold, very think white head. Light nose of straw bale. Sweet entry, typical german maltiness. Bigger than many polish lagers such a Zweick - similar malt profile - just kicked up. Alcohol is present. Fine hop bittering on the finish can't quite overtake the sweet malts.

A hop flavor of fresh cut grass develops late. A fine polish lager. A bit sweet, understated nose - but full bodied, warming, and flavorful. A well constructed beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2008 04:16:45 | More by sweethome

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

2.65/5  rDev -19.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Exactly midway between tangerine and goldenrod. A crystal clear appearance suggests that this might be a reasonably well-brewed Euro strong lager. A 'best by' date that is still far into the future says that it will definitely be a fresh one. The sawdust colored lid looks decent enough and doesn't leave much lace.

The nose is just okay for the style. It's predominantly pale malty, with a hint of background caramel, and is mildly hopped with what is probably Saaz. Thankfully, medicinal alcohol is at a minimum.

Since Warka Strong is the second highest scoring ESL on this site, I expected more. Its only real positive is that it tastes much less strong, much less fusel alcohol-like than the typical version of the style.

More hops would improve things quite a bit. WS isn't that sweet and isn't in need of a bitter counterbalance, but it could use a huge influx of flavor. What better reason to add more lemongrassy hops? The lightly toasted, thin caramel malt backbone can't carry the flavor load all by itself.

The mouthfeel is a few notches too light for the style and is lacklusterly bubbled to boot. More mouth excitement would help make this beer more interesting and more drinkable.

Me Tarzan. You Jane. Warka Strong. Actually, the beer isn't very strong and it isn't very good either. I almost wish the alcohol was more prominent. Malt liquors and Euro strong lagers need to be ballsy to be good. This one is simply boring and forgettable.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2008 14:17:13 | More by BuckeyeNation

hopman333

Illinois

4.18/5  rDev +26.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I live in a polish neighborhood in chicago so I try alot of polish beers. This one is a real treat.

The appearance is that of a rich lager ( a bronze / golden hue), very clear.

The smell is well , kind of like Bailey's irish cream, in a good way. Lot's of specialty malt indeed. think of Munich malt with a dash of whiskey.

The taste start's out bitter on the tounge and then upon the swallow the malt seem's to unravel itself to reveal a firm bock like character. Very nice and not too sweet and never cloying. A slightly nutty / fruity character with a slight hint of vanilla to round out the flavor, maybe a touch of mollasses as well. Carbonation is perfect.

This is one helluva beer. Wish I would have tried it sooner. By far one of the best polish brew's I've ever locked my lip's onto. A must try for bock lover's. My bottles said best by 6/ 2008 so I know it's fresh. Very very good. Dont pass this one up

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2008 00:56:47 | More by hopman333