AleBrowar - The best beers from Poland?

Poland is country famous maybe for its vodka. It is not a typical beer nation. Not even close. But recently it's getting better and better.

This situation is caused mainly by the fact that more and more small, micro and flying breweries started their existence.

One of the best examples is AleBrowar - the flying or nomad brewery of three beerheads which is using small family brewery in Gosciszewo (a small municipality near Gdansk). It started about a year ago and - thanks to their skills - their beers became instantly famous. Their specialization is ale - style which is not so common in mainland european countries but style which is getting more and more popular there.

I was lucky enough to taste three bottles. Rowing Jack, Black Hope and Smoky Joe. The label design is just awesome. I love the names, I love the art style and mainly I love all the information on them. I know what I am drinking, I know how many IBU they have, I know alcohol percentage. Excellent job! These information I sometimes miss when I´m tasting beers from the small czech breweries.

The best beer from the batch is - without any doubt - Rowing Jack. Very fresh IPA with fruity smell, great white head, a bit hazy yellow color and the heavenly taste. I admit - IPA is my favourite style and this IPA is one of the best I have ever had. It´s pretty strong but you can´t tell it from the taste. No sharp alcohol tones. Fruits (mango, lime) in every sip. I felt in love with it instantly.

Black Hope is Black IPA - style which is even less known in the Central Europe. It is very interesting, strong beer an I liked it. It´s not so refreshing but it has its magic. You can sip it slowly and it feel good. It tastes like something between stout and IPA. Fruity tones with thick layer of malt taste. Nice dark brown color, white head and a bit bitter palate.

The last on in the batch was Smoky Joe - my first Foreign Stout. It was very interesting but I may need some more samples to fully appreciate it. It is a good beer - there´s no question about it - but maybe too robust for my personal taste. Deep black color, ligh brown head, very thick taste of coffee and chocolate. A hint of whisky. Just a small one. Long malty palate.

I became a big fan of this project and I can´t wait to visit some good beer shop in Krakow next week to have a chance to buy more of these great ales. And many many many bottles of Rowing Jacks! :)