Zywiec Porter - Zywiec Breweries PLC (Heineken)

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

TheDarkKnight

Delaware

3.75/5  rDev -4.8%

05-25-2013 00:08:13 | More by TheDarkKnight

MistahBeah

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +7.9%

05-23-2013 02:26:25 | More by MistahBeah

CB2maltygoodness

District of Columbia

3.5/5  rDev -11.2%

05-22-2013 19:17:13 | More by CB2maltygoodness

RockinRob925

Florida

4/5  rDev +1.5%

05-20-2013 12:52:14 | More by RockinRob925

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

DS31

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev -4.8%

05-18-2013 14:45:56 | More by DS31

DaveAnderson

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev -4.8%

04-27-2013 04:36:09 | More by DaveAnderson

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

beerhunter13

Ontario (Canada)

4.5/5  rDev +14.2%

04-22-2013 10:40:32 | More by beerhunter13

zenithberwyn

California

3.75/5  rDev -4.8%

04-18-2013 04:05:22 | More by zenithberwyn

JeffTheJuice

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +1.5%

04-17-2013 16:08:45 | More by JeffTheJuice

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

Asics

Washington

3.75/5  rDev -4.8%

04-14-2013 07:17:02 | More by Asics

Bromine

Florida

4/5  rDev +1.5%

04-12-2013 10:46:18 | More by Bromine

StoutItOutLoud

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -4.8%

04-12-2013 01:18:18 | More by StoutItOutLoud

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

magpieken

Australia

2.25/5  rDev -42.9%

04-08-2013 16:01:27 | More by magpieken

Gluteus_Maximus

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev +1.5%

04-05-2013 00:41:14 | More by Gluteus_Maximus

Skramer

New York

4/5  rDev +1.5%

03-31-2013 23:47:17 | More by Skramer

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

yoyo

New York

3.25/5  rDev -17.5%

03-27-2013 17:53:24 | More by yoyo

adamant1912

Michigan

4/5  rDev +1.5%

03-27-2013 17:48:27 | More by adamant1912

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