Tasting

How do you properly drink a Baltic Porter? Not ice-cold. At around 10 to 12°C (50–54°F), roast aromas and fruit notes unfold; at refrigerator temperature, the beer stays mute. A bulbous glass that narrows toward the top, such as a tulip or snifter, holds the aroma together.

To pour, tilt the glass and let the beer run down the side. Then set it upright in the glass so a head of fine bubbles forms. On Żywiec Porter, descriptions note the head is creamy, beige, and long-lasting.

Three beers serve as examples here. Żywiec Porter, listed by the brewery and in retail at around 9.5 percent, is considered the benchmark for Polish Porter. Okocim Porter from Brzesko stands in the same tradition, from a different brewery. At Browar Lubicz in Kraków, by contrast, you can see beer being brewed in the city once again.

A set sequence helps when tasting. First look at color and head, then nose the glass, then drink in small sips. Roasted malt usually comes first, then sweetness, and finally bitterness and warmth. A Baltic Porter is best drunk slowly, if only because it's strong.

The standard glass for a Polish Pils or pale lager, by contrast, is the kufel, a handled glass holding 0.5 liters. This measure belongs to the taverns and beer halls of Kraków and Żywiec. For Porter, people tend to prefer the smaller bottle and the tulip glass instead.