Okocim Porter

Okocim Brewery
Okocim, Poland
Imported by: Stawski Distributing Co.
Chicago, IL

Available: IL, MI, KY, WI, MN, CA, NV, PA, MA, MD, MO, NE, WA, OR, IN

The town of Okocim was founded at the beginning of the 14th century along the main trade route to Cracow. The brewery was founded by Jan Goetz, the son of Viennese brewer Anthony Dreher.

ABV: 8.1
ABW: 7.8
Color: n/a
Bitterness: 37.5
Original gravity: n/a

One of my favorite beer styles, this lagered Baltic porter has good, solid roast character and is wonderfully smooth and warming--a real stick-to-the-ribs brew. Drink one and you won't need lunch, it is so filling.
- Fred Eckhardt

The beer pours thick and black as North Sea crude, raising a fine rocky tan head. The aroma is heady, a swirling blend of blackstrap molasses, coffee, chocolate and, improbably, barbecue sauce. On the palate, the beer is sweet, but not unpleasantly so--there’s just enough hop here to hold it together. The flavors match the aroma, adding plenty of caramel, and the beer manages a clean, clipped finish. The warm glow of the aftertaste gives away its strength. A fine old throwback of a strong Baltic porter, this beer is best paired with desserts or strong cheeses. Or get your fireplace roaring and settle back into your favorite chair.
- Garrett Oliver

Ruby to black; huge, rocky, coffee-colored head. When I tasted this for All About Beer, I noted a pronounced cinnamon aroma. Only after I had tasted it did I check back to my past notes, from a visit to the brewery in Poland. I had made the same comment then. The “cinnamon” must come from the yeast, as I do not believe that any spices are used. Oily, quite thick. Tongue coating. Cedary palate. Warming finish. Wonderfully soothing, at a hefty 8.1 percent alcohol by volume.
- Michael Jackson

Fred Eckhardt
Fred Eckhardt lives, writes about and drinks beer in Portland, OR. He is the author of The Essentials of Beer Style and Saké.

Garrett Oliver
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.

Michael Jackson
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.