Polish brewery Okocim used to have a fantastic Baltic porter available in the US, but I haven’t seen it in years. That said, Zywiec also has a nice rendition if you like Baltic porters. (Looking online, Ratebeer rates the Zywiec version higher than the Okocim, but Beer Advocate rates them the other way around; I remember preferring the Okocim version, but they were very similar, and the Okocim was my introduction to the style. Looks like it is “retired,” at least according to Beer Advocate.)
That happens to a lot of porters I’ve noticed. I just don’t think there are enough of us porter drinkers.
Negra Modelo for me, followed by Cerveza Leon, which are both only dark in color but not in character (they’re both Vienna style lagers).
Lately I’ve been enjoying Delirium Nocturnum and Troubadour Obscura. Both are pretty heavy going with strong flavors - excellent with rich food (roast beef, pork belly, that sort of thing) but not your casual drinking dark beers.
Whoa. Eight or nine of those and you’ll start to feel it.
I’ll be popping open a Bad Luck Banana Porter when I get home. I’ll let you know how it goes down…and if it stays down.
I thought Baltic Porter was a name Deschutes used. didn’t know it was a type of porter, until I read your post. Ignorance fought, and thank you.
Zywiec is the largest Polish brewery, and by far the most popular overall throughout Poland
If a cafe or restaurant has only one beer, (or more commonly only sells one brand of beer but carries several different styles of that brand) seemingly 95% of the time it will be Zywiec.
Naturally, Zywiec is the one Polish beer that I flat out do not care for, as the flagship brew, Zywiec Jasne Pelne (pale lager) has a distinctive bitter finish that is overpowering to me compared to other Polish lagers or pilsners, almost all of which I will drink with pleasure.
Warka, Okocim and Perla are all large brewers here, and all make excellent basic lagers and pilsners, as well as several different styles each of speciality beer.
Baltic Porters are too heavy and filling for me, but it is a popular style with many brands to choose from around here. (Perla makes a Porter Baltycki that is supposedly really good, at 9.2% ABV)
It was like an alcoholic chocolate-covered banana smoothie, with a strong aftertaste.
Sounds like a hard pass for me.
Yeah, it’s a high-alcohol, sweet type of porter that is a bit more similar to a Russian Imperial Stout than a British porter. They’re a bit syrupy sweet for my tastes, but every once in awhile on a cool fall or cold winter day, they’re nice.
We get a few Polish and other Eastern European brews in stores. I’ll look for those breweries you mentioned. I like Baltic Porter, but made the mistake of starting with Sinebrychoff. I have to go to Louisiana to find it, and things like Thomas Hardy’s, and Uerige’s Altbier, but they’re worth the trip.
Staying in Houston, Brash brewery, as mentioned upthread, makes excellent stouts—including the Vulgar Display of Power already mentioned—DIPAs, basically anything heavy and full throttle. If you visit their taproom, bring a love of coin-op arcade games and 80s punk (Misfits, DRI, etc…), along with a thirst for beer.
I like a Guinness when I’m in the mood, but a Negra Modelo’s always nice. My favorite is St. Pauli Girl Dark, but I haven’t been able to find it lately. Is it gone from the U.S.?
I like the Lion Stout from Ceylon. A nice flavorful beer that’s not exactly common, but oddly turns up in places you don’t normally expect exotic beers.
Also if you are in a place with a decent sized Russian community, keep an eye out for Baltika #6, a lovely Baltic porter. (Actually, all of the Baltikas are pretty good!)
Guinness from the tap, best drink ever. It is almost too good to be called beer.
Not from the bottles, that stuff is Satan’s spawn.
You learn something new every day.
Baltika is so ubiquitous all over the Ukraine that I always just assumed it was a domestic Ukranian beer.
Now that I know it is Russian, given the history between Russia and Poland, it makes sense that it isn’t more popular here, although as the various varities that I drink on my visits to Ukraine are typically only around 4% ABV, and virtually all mainstream, mass-produced Polish pilsners and lagers are 5.5% at a minimum, maybe that is even a bigger reason it isn’t more widely available around here.
Sometimes I wish I still drank like I did years ago, but that urge passes quickly. I keep a sixer of Negra Modelo in the fridge, which usually takes us about six months to drink. It’s a good all-around import and goes well with chili.
I’m drinking the Guinness 100th anniversary export stout. For some reason the local store had it for $3.99 a six-pack! I bought one thinking maybe it was old, but it tasted fine. So i bought 2 more.
You need to try the stuff in a can. It’s not just a canned version of the bottle; it has their “widget” which dispenses the nitrogen when you open the can. It’s actually very, very good.
This thread has been very helpful to me. Every time I see the title I agree wholeheartedly and grab another one from the fridge.