Live beer
Posted on 16 May 2009
This widely available Polish beer (whose name Żywe simply means ‘live’) is brewed by Amber, a largish independent brewery operating in Pomerania, near Gdańsk. It is unpasteurised and makes a marketing slogan of having (rather exaggeratedly) a five-week best-before date.
I really enjoy this beer, which I rank at the top of what’s currently available in Poland. It is made in an intermediate style: far richer than a lager (6.2% alc.) but less substantial than a Belgian blonde, it comes closest to some richer style of Czech beer, such as Velvet which I’ve in the past enjoyed while in Prague. Only faintly hoppy, it has a medium-bodied amber flavour and very good intensity – courtesy of the non-pasteurisation perhaps. My only mild criticism is that it tastes a bit too sweet: after a bottle I feel like having had a slice of apple pie. This is available in most grocery and liquor stores in Poland – check it out.