No, not this one.
Not this one either.
But this one.
Kłobuk dark beer from the Mazury lakes region. You know the one, the one with the hamster on the front holding a table tennis bat and a loaf of bread, yeah?A dark, oaky strength to it with a bitter aftertaste (but not too strong in the after taste) A decent weight to it, so you feel it carrying on down the piping after you’ve swallowed it. Character at long last.
Not that I have anything against Polish beers. They’re certainly not as bad as most American ‘beers.’ But drinking Lech, Tyskie, Zywiec et al. Is a bit like only going out with sisters from one family – you see the similiarities more than the differences. To me the lack of flavour in the main brands speaks of depersonalised modern brewing methods – it’s possible to make any beer you want in any brewery, now – and a certain blandness of taste to the Polish palate which can also be seen in the ‘spicy’ food on sale in the country.
The beer market in Poland is strongly regional and saturated in the male segment so much of the innovation and new brands have been launched at women – Karmi, Redds (sweet, flavoured beers that I wouldn’t serve to my dog). Sadly the demand for different flavours is not yet strong enough to see different, local or microbrewery alternatives stocked at reasonable prices in most outlets, so together we’ll just need to raise it one beer at a time. So if you see Kłobuk, I encourage you to go for that Hamster and his loaf of bread and table tennis bat.
Good work Paddy, I am a dark beer lover myself and was so frustrated that last year I went and made my own! This year I may have left my run a little late, I should probably be doing a batch now. It is amazing when you look at Ukraine, Lithuania, Germany and the Czechs all have quality varieties of beer. Where as here it is a desert. I keep searching but haven't found anything outstanding from Poland. I will need to look for the hamster now.
ReplyDeleteSearch for the hero inside yourself, search for the hamster to drink! If you do make a batch then I claim dibs on that, at least a glass or two. Perhaps I can take you up ont hat offer from a few months ago and interview you for Paddy Podcasts Poland?
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