Zywiec Porter - Zywiec Breweries PLC (Heineken)

brewcifix

Connecticut

2.39/5  rDev -39.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 2.5

A- This pours red-brown, but is opaque black in the glass. This porter has a great head on it's shoulders with pretty decent lacing.

S- Roasted malts, notes of honey, hay, and some distant chocolate sum up the nose on this one.

T- Deep espresso and roasted malts are subdued by extremely subtle hops, some sweetness, and a heavy alcohol finish. You can taste every bit of that 9.5% ABV for sure! My inner "beer snob" comdemns this. But, my manliness is inflated. I feel like this is putting hair on my chest, and I should be accompanied by some vikings or something. There's a lingering espresso-malt thing happening in my mouth that I really can't complain about.

M- There's a medium amount of carbonation (medium to high for a porter), with medium weight. If not for the heavy alcohol finish, I'd say the tongue weight makes this more drinkable than most fine porters.

Overall, this is a porter for men that want to drink like manly men. It isn't notably complex, and I wouldn't consider it to be among the best I've tasted. As I often say about beers in this category, (out of respect for beers in ANY category): I "wouldn't kick this one out of bed". It's tasty, cheap, and unassuming. Although, I prefer sophisticated, intelligent, beautiful women- I can enjoy the "tasty-cheap-unassuming" type on occasion. If there are better porters on tap or in the store- by all means: buy them. However, if you're on a budget, and nothing else is up your alley- do not be ashamed to give Zywiec Porter a try.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2013 22:23:42 | More by brewcifix

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

3.41/5  rDev -13.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A - A fairly dark brown, nice cocoa head with a ruby hue when pouring, Head is a 1/2 inch that seems to stick around for a while.
S - Nothing really stands out it smells of lager yeasts, some roast and a touch of chocolate but it's faint.
T - Well it doesn't taste like any porter I ever liked. Mild German hops meets some old coffee with a slightly chalky finish.
M - Best part of the beer it drinks like a black lager but hides the ABV so well. Wish the flavor was better also.

Overall for $2.50 I guess its not so bad. Wish I would have know it was Heineken before I got it since it has the classic "skunked" flavor even though it's a brown bottle...

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2013 04:25:46 | More by DrDemento456

Bear1964

Nebraska

3.54/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Poured from 500 ml bottle into a pint glass, almost jet black with a nice 3 finger tan head. It smelled rich,roasted and sweet...things I like in a Porter. Taste held roasted malt with a bittersweet edge also some metallic notes and alcohol/dark chocolate flavors after each sip. Mouthfeel was medium to heavy and was what I would expect for a Baltic Porter....I would get this again as a single ( $ 1.67 ) and recommend to anyone who wants to explore Porters for a good price.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2013 16:09:48 | More by Bear1964

Samuel906

California

3.58/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75

This was going out on a limb a bit for me; I don't venture to the import section of the bottle store too often, and I think this is my first beer from Poland. Overall I was very pleased, very rich full beer and absurdly cheap. Pours dark with medium head. Smells very good: chocolate and cinnamon and roasted malt. Follows with rich flavor as well. Chocolate and malt, hints of coffee. No booze. Very mild metallic taste. Only thing odd to me about this is that it is called a porter. I was expecting something a little lighter weight. Good all around!

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2013 02:40:03 | More by Samuel906

BaltimoreBeerLover

Maryland

3.25/5  rDev -17.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3

Poured from 500 ml bottle into wine glass

Appearance: Jet black with beautiful 1 inch tan head.

Smell: Spiced cinnamony malts, molasses, brown sugar, alcohol

Taste: Some dark brown sugar, boozy. Tastes less boozy as the beer warms, and the nicer flavors become more pronounced.

Mouthfeel: Alcohol taste really lingers for a while and dominates the flavors after the sip.

Overall: Good beer for the price. Worth trying especially for the value but probably wouldn't recommend. 3.2/5.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2013 02:23:51 | More by BaltimoreBeerLover

jlindros

Massachusetts

3.8/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Someone recommended this to me, so figured I'd give it a try.

pours a darker colored thick creamy 2 finger head that doesn't really fade, although leaves some nice lacing when it does, very dark brown beer with faintest hint of ruby light sneaking through.

Nose brings some of those Baltic region, like Polish style dark malts, a little roasty, very syrupy almost straight malt extract syrup or cola syrup, little molasses like sweet syrupy, light earthy root based aromas, faint hints of cocoa and vanilla.

Taste starts with more dark malts, again that similar Baltic region dark roasty kinda malts not the roasted malts you get in U.S. at least. Wants to be sweet flavors but doesn't get too sweet, cola syrup again, a similar to molasses kinda sugar extract but not the same, like another root or stalk based syrup extract. Cocoa comes out a bit more, little chocolate malt flavor, again with faint hint of vanilla somehow. Biscuity caramel malts in there, with a bit of a coppery malt flavor, and just a touch metallic possibly from slightly burnt malts, or possibly a yeast thing, as well as fluffy nougat and black malt. A bit of a spicy earthy hop presence, with some decent chewy bitterness. Light booze flavor coming through like a very light fusel alcohol. Finish is drier but sticky and syrupy, still a bit sweet, more warming slightly tingly booze, more nougat, caramel, cocoa powder, light roast all lingering, and a hint of a fruity flavor probably from the yeast, and plenty of bitterness lingering.

Mouth is a bit fuller bodied, fluffy carbonation, some warming slightly tingly booze.

Overall not bad, a decent true Baltic region Baltic Porter, not quite up to what some of the clean and full flavored beers that are made these days, but this is from 1881 so a great beer for that time I would guess. Still tasty and drinkable, I was expected extract skunky crappy beer so this was a pleasant surprise.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2013 21:37:09 | More by jlindros

bnes09

Illinois

4.18/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Dark chocolate brown and mostly opaque. Creamy foam on the pour and descent retention for the strength. Blotches of lacing.

Aroma of black cherries, prunes, dates and maple. Mild roasted coffee and pistachio nuts.

Sweet dark fruit flavor and thick malt character. Subtle, non-distinct roasted notes add a nice bitterness. Hint of earthy hops. Very well balanced.

Full bodied with lots of syrupy malt texture. Chewy on the tongue, no dry finish, and lingering malt flavors.

Very good porter.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2013 02:06:20 | More by bnes09

Darkmagus82

Montana

3.58/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from bottle into a pint glass

Appearance – The beer pours a deep dark brown color nearing black. Upon pouring there is a two finger tan foam on the top of the brew. The head fades slowly over time to leave a decent level of lace on the sides of the glass.

Smell – The aroma is heaviest f roasted malt, with notes of coffee and cocoa mixed within. Some sweeter aromas of caramel and dark fruit aromas of fig and plum accompany the more roasted nose flavors. With these smells there is also a faint grassy/herbal and alcohol smell

Taste – The taste begins with a drier coffee and roasted malt flavor up front. A cocoa flavor soon joins these with the other two flavors becoming even more pronounced on the tongue. Hints of sweetness begin peeking into the taste beginning with some caramel and vanilla and later becoming more dark fruit in nature. The beer never gets too sweet however with it maintaining a higher proportion of roast/dark to sweet. Toward the end the booziness of the brew comes to light with an alcohol flavor developing in the taste. Along with the alcohol flavor comes notes of a bitter grassy and slightly biting coffee bitterness that when combined with the rest of the flavors leaves a rather roasted and bitter flavor to linger on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – The body of the beer was on the medium side with a carbonation level that was quite average overall.

Overall – A pretty good Baltic porter with some nice roasted and more bitter notes.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2013 02:22:38 | More by Darkmagus82

barnzy78

Illinois

4.05/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

500mL bottle, this definitely needs an upgraded review from the 3/5 I gave it as a 'had' a few years ago as a rookie beer drinker (I have rated, without reviewing, everything I have ever drank -- for those 'ticker' naysayers!) =)

Poured roughly into a 25oz snifter, it's near-black with a tall, frothy, beige head, excellent retention and chunky lacing is left all over the glass. Aromas are pleasantly sweet with dark malts, raisin, plum, earth, slight smoke & spiciness, booze. Tastes are sweet and rich with plum, raisin, caramel, chocolate, mild smokiness, mellow roastiness, touch of spiciness & earth, booze is present but not quite hot. Mouth-feel is smooth & creamy, finishes clean. Overall, solid Baltic Porter! So glad to revisit this one, and for $1.79 a pint I definitely will hit it up again soon!

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2013 04:46:08 | More by barnzy78

falloutsnow

Illinois

3.95/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

From: Binny's, Glen Ellyn, IL
Date: Best by 04/16/2013
Glass: Tulip

Zyweic's porter is dark and rich, heavy with roasted malt, molasses, and prune flavors, with some chocolate and coffee bean accents to widen the scope. A solid introduction to the style, since the beer seems to be fairly available wherever I've lived (and I've lived in many places). While perhaps a bit too full of ethanol and willing to showcase it, Zyweic's baltic porter is complex and enjoyable enough for the $1.79 I paid for it. Well worth trying, repeatedly.

Pours a 2cm tall head of tan to burnt tan foam, composed of small bubbles, with above average retention, lasting about two minutes. The head eventually fades to a thin cap atop the body, thicker and with some large bubbles remaining around the sides. The lacing the head leaves is excellent, coating all the sides of the glass with heavy residual foam in various interesting patterns. The beer's body is dark brown to black, opaque, holding this to a light changes nothing. Carbonation is not visible due to the beer's opacity. For the style, I really can't see how this could get any better.

Aromas are more reminiscent of molasses and dried fruit esters than of roasted malt and chocolate, but all are present. The scents begin with dried plum esters, which quickly turn into molasses, roasted malt, a bit of anise, ethanol, and hints of dark chocolate.

Front of palate is primarily full of fruit esters, with plum, prune, slight raspberry/blackberry, and a touch of molasses. This fades, fairly effortlessly, to a mid-palate of roasted malt, molasses, fruit esters akin to dried plums and dates, modestly noticeable ethanol, and faint coffee bean and cocoa nibs. Back of palate is of roasted malt, molasses, ethanol, and faint coffee bean/cocoa nibs, the fruit esters largely having faded except for some vague prune. Aftertaste is of roasted malt, modest coffee bean and dark chocolate, and ethanol.

Beer is medium to medium-heavy in body, with carbonation levels of mid-intensity, leading to a slightly fizzy mouthfeel that gradually becomes foamy and smooth across the palate. Ethanol can be felt across the tongue during sipping, and in the back of the throat and nostrils after each swallow. Closes quite dry, with substantial stickiness lingering across the palate. I would have liked to see lower, smoother carbonation to make this more sippable given its heaviness and ethanol content, and also "feel" less of the ethanol burning across the palate.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2013 20:55:48 | More by falloutsnow

BeardedBoffin

Minnesota

3.6/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

A bottle of Zywiec Porter pours a tootsie roll brown with a big foamy head. The foam has decent retention as this big beer slowly goes down. The aroma has a strong malt presence. The grain really comes through with hint of chocolate and dark fruit. On the palate some chocolate nibs prickle through. A big boozy center and finish herald what this beer is about. Some dark fruit sneaks in about midway but this beer really is about the alcohol. As others have noted, this beer isn't bad for the price ($1.49 in my case), but I would like to see a little more depth to mask the alcohol a bit.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2013 01:44:55 | More by BeardedBoffin

AWolfAtTheDoor

California

3.45/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

THIS IS NOT A BALTIC PORTER. If you know and enjoy the style, steer clear of this beer. This tastes nothing like a baltic porter. Just because this brewery is Polish, this is automatically a baltic porter?

Black with no light shining through it. Nice light mocha head. Lacing is actually pretty solid throughout the session.

Kind of a mix of roasted malt, chocolate, and alcohol on the nose.

Taste mirrors the nose. Roasty bitter malts, alcohol.

Well carbonated. I wonder if the carbonation is bringing out the alcohol more?

Overall this beer is OK. It's a 9.5% beer, and unfortunately you taste each and every percentage of alcohol in this beer. I wouldn't go out of my way to get this again.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2013 03:29:25 | More by AWolfAtTheDoor

mikeg67

New Jersey

4.03/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

500 ml bottle. Pours dark brown with thick, long lasting, creamy, brown head and nice lacing. Aroma is of bready malt, cacao, brown sugar and hints of dark fruit. Body is full and creamy. Taste is roasted, toasted malt, cacao, brown sugar, dark fruit and a good dose of earthy hops. Finish is long, bitter-sweet. Solid Baltic Porter.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2013 20:14:36 | More by mikeg67

rickyleepotts

Arizona

4.28/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 5

There are only two beers from this brewery on our list, and this one has been starring at me every time I open the fridge. This is one of my favorite beers of ALL time! I know, I know… I never say that. But I would put this one in my top 5. It's cheap, too. For a 9.5% beer that has been aged this long and has been shipped so far… for $2.39 (at Sun Devil Liquors) this is a great beer. Anyway, I am excited to be drinking another Żywiec Porter. I bought two bottles the last time I was at Sun Devil, and didn't even realize it was on the list. Glad I saved this bottle! Or maybe I just need another trip to Sun Devil Liquors.

In the Glass: Pitch. Black. This is VERY dark, and has a very nice frothy tan head. The lace is decent, too as the beer just hangs on for dear life as I swirl this around the glass. Funny thing is, I don't remember drinking this very often in Poland. The first time I had it I ordered it because I didn't know what it was… and immediately fell in love. It felt thinner in Europe for some reason. But that was a few years ago. Today is looks nice and thick. As always, we are drinking this right out of the fridge.

Nose: I immediately pick up some copper notes and then finish with some dark fruits/burnt chocolate aromas. I have had a few Baltic porters lately, but nothing compares to this. Until today I didn't realize the process was so intense. The aging and everything… but maybe that is what makes a porter a Baltic porter. A second whiff has me smelling some more intense copper notes and has me drooling for a drink.

Flavor: The flavor is, at first, weak and somewhat dry. Then as you start to swallow the expected porter flavors rush to the top of the tongue. This is WAY too cold, but a quick swish in your mouth will have your entire palate excited and ready for another sip. The copper notes that I was smelling are there, and they are obvious. Not like I am sucking on a penny, but close.

Mouthfeel: The mouthfeel is pretty boring, to be honest. I don't drink this for the mouthfeel. I drink this for the aftertaste. So let's just get to the aftertaste… the best part of this beer!

Aftertaste: A lot of Irish stouts claim to be "dry". They will even say "dry" on the side of the box. But very few are actually dry. This one… this one is VERY dry. The finish is so dry, I can see some people taking one drink and never ordering this beer again. But that is why I like it. I like the dry finish. That is what I like in a gin martini, too. I use extra dry vermouth when I mix one of those. Oh, and bleu cheese stuffed olives are the best!

The Żywiec Porter is a very nice porter that has a fantastic finish. The aftertaste is great, and it brings back memories of being in Poland. I will say, this beer gets better as it heats up. If I were to buy this one again (and I will) I will freeze a glass and pour it in room temperature. You don't want to ruin the flavor of a beer by chilling it. There should be a public service announcement about beer temperatures.

If you can get your hands on this, do. It's a great porter for a great price. Remember, it's 9.5% ABV! Bottoms up, people.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2013 20:48:47 | More by rickyleepotts

smakawhat

Maryland

3.54/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from the bottle into a nonic pint glass.

Real nice appearance on the pour. A big billowing head, makes four fingers easily with nice settling and giant clumpy character. A very light mocha color, clumps and whipped lacing abound. Body color is classic dark walnut black, and very light and wet coming out of the bottle, pretty solid looking brew.

Nose is quite grainy but a little small too. There's a gassy carbon dioxide presence, almost quinine tonic, but more like salty club soda. Hints at spritzy characters.

Palate hits with a simple roast, but some nice light banana estery senses. Finish though is a little ferous, quite "steely" and metallic. The hop angle is a bit punched out with this metal bitterness also. The body is nice and silky and solid, with a hint of wet to go with it. Aftertaste lingers and is a sort of salivating wetness feel.

Overall this starts off pretty good, but the aftertaste really sort of lets it all down unfortunately. It's at least drinkable and I could have this again for the right price.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2013 23:58:29 | More by smakawhat

elNopalero

Texas

4.45/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Another nice find from the Russian market!

This pours a midnight black slash ruby in color with cocoa colored creamy foam atop it. The aroma has notes of coffee/espresso dominant with some smooth dark chocolate and a light roast. I pick up some vanilla hints as well, lending this beer almost an affogato (ice cream + shot of espresso) characteristic.
This has a great flavor. Really, a smooth, full-bodied porter, full of those fantastic flavors.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2012 08:30:46 | More by elNopalero

GeckoPunk

Connecticut

3.68/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A - Poured into a tulip glass. Color is black with a creamy khaki head that left a good amount of lacing on the glass. I held the glass up to the light and only the edges permitted a small amount of light to penetrate a dark orange-brown color.

S - Dark fruits (burnt currants and figs), typical porter malts/caramel notes.

T - Sweet beginning, but left a bitter bite on the end. Alcohol notes aren't hidden as well as possible. Again, dark fruits, roasted malts, slight caramel, no coffee, no chocolate

M - Not too creamy or thick. Moderate-to-light mouthfeel. Good carbonation.

O - I drank a Black Boss Porter prior to this beer (both Polish Baltic Porters) and I am left a little underwhelmed I had this one afterwards. If it came down to recommending this beer, I think I'd pass. It's a good strong beer, but it has too much of an afterbite that doesn't appeal much to me.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2012 23:56:48 | More by GeckoPunk

maskaggs

Indiana

2.95/5  rDev -25.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Pretty typical for porter. Generic roasted / nutty scent and flavor. For those who like enormous amounts of foam, you won't find a lot going on here. It wasn't a problem for me, but some look down on that kind of beer. Not a game changer, but worth it if you can get it for $8 or $9 per sixer.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2012 05:36:08 | More by maskaggs

Beastdog75

New Jersey

3.98/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I was only familiar with the normal Zywiec lager, which is a pretty standard Euro-style lager. Zywiec Porter comes as somewhat of a surprise, because this is a pretty nice beer and I was wasn't expecting something as nice and complex from what is pretty much one of Poland's top macro-breweries.

This brew pours a dark black color with only maybe a faint hint of translucence, and a big light tan foam head forms and retains pretty well. The head started to thin out about halfway through the beer, but left some decent lacing behind. The aroma was of dark, roasted grains with a bit of a chocolate smell. Some notes of lighter, breadier grains and some fruity notes came through as well. The mouthfeel contained a moderate amount of carbonation. Although reasonably smooth, I guess I expected just a little bit more. The big roasted malt flavor is the predominant flavor along with a somewhat sweet chocolate type flavor. Some hints of coffee and a bit of a generic burnt taste are present, as is a small amount of alcohol flavor. I detected a herbal/floral hop bitterness in here too. The finish is a little dry but not too much, with the roasted flavors lingering on. Overall finish was cleaner than expected, with a hard-to-pinpoint flavor which I could best describe as buttery being present. The beer finishes out with some light alcoholic warmth.

I was definitely pleased with this beer. A good fall/winter brew. I could see pairing this with some Polish cuisine. Zywiec Porter is certainly worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2012 03:50:59 | More by Beastdog75

JRdaSconnie

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

500mL bottle bought at Binny's on Army Trail in Chicago. Chilled and poured into hotel lowball glass.

S: Pleasant bitter chocolate fading to milky chocolate. Light coffee roast. Lightly roasted, Munich/caramel grains. Good start.

A: Jet black. Khaki pillow of foam. Drops to thin layer. Sticky lacing. No legs.

T: bitter chocolate and coffee. Munich-is malt, similar to smell. Full herbal hop flavor with not quite balancing bitterness. Clean yeast. No ethanol.

M: Moderately full, enhanced by fluffy foam. Roasts and hops dry out the end.

O: Really a nice porter. Think this is my first Baltic Porter and I like it. Very clean, malty, roasty, just underbalanced (in a good way) by hop flavor. For the price it is hard to beat and I'll buy again.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2012 01:05:20 | More by JRdaSconnie

Greywulfken

New York

4.03/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: pitch black pour formed a 3-finger wall of dark tan mousse-like head with low-hanging lace

S: stout-like smells of chocolate malt and espresso coffee

T: bittersweet; dark malt and bitter hops; dry cocoa and foamy espresso

M: presents alternating sweet and dry moments, richly bitter, some tingling and then some coating; otherwise, thinner/lighter body than I expected

O: I like to think that this is a fair represntation of the style and its tradition. So I appreciated the beer as much as I liked it.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2012 00:57:36 | More by Greywulfken

TheSixthRing

California

3.83/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance - Pours near jet black with a bit of brown peeking through around the edges. Head is light tan and 2 fingers thick with decent retention. Resulting lace looks silky, and is thick and sticky.

Smell - Really subtle aroma. Hints at cocoa and a bit of earthiness.

Taste - Starts with some bitter baker's chocolate, backed by some deep roasted malts. Midtaste comes through with a bit of sugary sweetness, subtle heat and a bit of smoke before finishing with a zing of acidity and a waning bitterness.

Mouthfeel - Full bodied. Somewhat syrupy. Low level carbonation; somewhat silky.

Overall - I'm not too familiar with the Baltic Porter style, having only one previously, but this one seems like a good one. As a basic porter, it's certainly strong. For the price I paid, it's a definite future buy, and it's peaked my interest in this specific style of porter.

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2012 01:15:03 | More by TheSixthRing

Kulrak

Australia

4.33/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours black and thick. Can't see a damn thing through it. Not much head, but what is there is tan and likes hanging onto the glass. Smells sweet, malty, roast coffee, some notes of.. cookies. Not much hoppy aroma, but it's a porter, that's more or less the style. Tastes very sweet, malty, chocolate cookies, slight bitterness on the back end so it doesn't finish too sour. Mouthfeel is heavy and creamy, very nice. Overall, it's a great porter with lots of flavor and you can't really taste the high alcohol. I'll be looking for this one again.

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2012 11:34:33 | More by Kulrak

SmashPants

Australia

3.45/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle: good quality embossed brown bottle, slightly stylish standard label.

Appearance: awesome black beer with a coffee-brown thick head with good lacing and retention.

Aroma: lots of roast malts - molasses, brown sugar and breads. Fair old alcohol hit.

Taste: Jesus! That alcohol hit is enormous! Fairly sweet with back-up bready malts.

Aftertaste: the alcohol whack takes longer to dissipate than the sweet and malt flavours.

Mouth feel: medium body, rather smooth, medium carbonation.

Overall: very interesting porter, quite sweet but with a variety of malts. The 9.5% ABV certainly rears its head, but not in an unpleasant way.

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2012 10:05:19 | More by SmashPants

MaximalC

Illinois

3.55/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours the color of burnt molasses with a modest tan head. Bubbles of carbonation coat the length of the glass, giving it a cola-like appearance. Aroma smells mildly of dark fruit, alcohol, and a hint of chocolate. Flavor is strongly alcoholic, accompanied by dark fruit and a metallic twinge. Warming reveals some coffee and anise as well. The front end is a little on the fierce side, but drinkable.The saving grace here comes on the back end, where a wave of bitter chocolate and smoke sweep the palate clean. The metallic flavor never quite goes away though, which is a little off-putting. The mouthfeel is interesting--slick and moderately viscous, which suits the style well, but the relatively high carbonation mitigates the body some and negates what could have been an excellent mouthfeel. I have limited experience with Baltic porters, but I've found them to be an interesting animal, and this is no exception: rich, roasty, and flavorful, but infused with an industrial character that confuses more than it charms. Zywiec Porter comes off as a beer I want to really like, but ultimately leaves me merely bemused.

Serving type: bottle

06-20-2012 01:41:14 | More by MaximalC