Kormoran: Wisnia w Piwie (Poland: Fruit: 5.2% ABV)
Visual: Lovely clear cherry red. Strawberry yogurt coloured inch of froth in a milkshake style. moderate carbonation, head leaves suds around the glass.
Nose: Initial clean lager, then cherries. Black cherry yogurt.
Body: Black cherry and glacier cherry.
Finish: Black cherry. Strawberry milkshake. Red cherry. Light clean lager air.
Conclusion: Ok, this may be short. This is basically alcoholic black cherry and cherry juice. Not really much else to add.
Ok, erm, well, this thing is a wonder on the eye. Seriously so. The head looks like mounded strawberry milkshake and the light plays though the deep red body wonderfully. The weissebrau glass seems to have definitely helped the aesthetic as well.
The fruit is fresh and sweet, though manages to keep away from being syrupy. The only real evidence of the underlying lager is in the feel and general air, it has that smooth edge drinking texture, and just some small thing of lager seems to lightly float over the other elements, hinting at a beer, but never really showing it.
Though, as I hope comes across on this blog, I am not one to decry something as “Not beer” for being different from the usual real ale, but I do like to get something out of the fact I am pouring a mild poison into my body, some extra flavor I can’t get from, say, fruit juice.
This does give a little, it is pleasant, just somewhat simple. It has none of the extra layers of the better fruit based beers, and nearly no hints of the lager. It is kind of like a not crap alcopop. Despite having tried them as a kid, I really don’t get alcopops – they seem to be for people who want to get drunk, but don’t like the taste that comes from making an alcoholic drink. It is pretty much the polar opposite of my worldview, but similarly I can’t get any outrage against them. This feels more natural than those alcopops, less sickly and sugary. So, I can see how it could definitely appeal to those who want to move onto something that tastes a bit better but without the other elements. As a beer, for me, it is not fantastic, however as just a drink it is kind of fun.
So, I would say offer it to people who like the sweeter alcohol drinks, and I’m guessing you could get a few converts, or hey, if you just want a bit of childish glee and fruit with no worries about a complex beer.
Background: Second of the Polish craft beers from Independent Spirit. Erm, not much more to say but that. So, erm, beer. Enjoy beer. Yes I do make several references to drinking as a kid. I drank from very early teens, and now I like to think I have a fairly sensible outlook on alcohol so I have no issues with that. It’s the faux “mature” culture that ties booze and getting pissed to being an adult and some messed up image of masculinity and strength that worries me.
