Pivovar Saris
Velky Saris, Slovak Republic
Imported by: Euroconn, Inc.
Cleveland, OH
Available: CT, OH, AZ, PA, IL
Beer has been brewed in the Saris region of east Slovakia since the Middle Ages and records of the Brewers’ Guild from 1506 expressly state that brewers in Saris maintain the right to brew from time immemorial.
Alcohol by weight: 3.6
Color: 12
Bitterness: 30
Gravity: 1048
Fascinating. Great head structure and retention—a beauty to behold. The grandly aromatic Saaz hops make an invitation one cannot resist. One sip is quite convincing, immediately capturing our attention. There’s a touch of an almost “grape” finish here, but it could also be my lust for seconds driving my enthusiasm. A pleasing and very welcome beer. It’s nice to hear from Slovakia!
This beer has a deep burnished gold color that stops just short of amber; a fluffy white head floats on top. The aroma is cleanly bready with a light whiff of floral hops. On the palate, the firm bitterness is broad across the tongue, eventually giving way to reveal a thin malt center. It’s dry as a bone and has a long finish, the bitterness lingering like quinine. Not a bad beer, but still oddly disappointing. There’s not quite enough malt, and the bitter scours where it should crackle. Still, a nice partner for grilled sardines.
The beer pours with a good head and a deep golden color, perhaps suggesting the use of a malt broadly in the Vienna style. Honeyed, malty sweetness in the nose, but the palate is drier. The malt is of a character that imparts dryness as well as sweetness. The dryness seems dusty—a touch of cellar character? Hop bitterness runs throughout the beer, but there is a curious lack of structure. No beginning, middle or end.
Fred Eckhardt lives, writes about and drinks beer in Portland, OR. He is the author of The Essentials of Beer and Sake (USA).
Internationally recognized brewer and expert on traditional beer, Garrett Oliver is the brewmaster of the Brooklyn Brewery and the author of The Brewmaster's Table.
Author of Ultimate Beer, the Simon & Schuster Guide to Beer and numerous other works on drinks, Jackson has created legions of converts to fine beer.
