Warsaw packed

The 2025 Warszawski Festiwal Piwa wasn't my first Polish beer festival in a football stadium: readers may remember my extolling of one in Wrocław back in 2019. This one, though impressive, wasn't as much fun, and I think a lot of that has to do with holding it in October rather than June. Sitting in the shady stands on a warm afternoon is pleasant in a way that shivering in them on a chilly evening just isn't; and while Wrocław spreads the brewery stands across the concourse outside the ground, Warsaw crams them in to three floors of indoor space that really wasn't designed for such a thing. It was densely crowded, difficult to navigate, and short on places to perch one's glass, never mind sit comfortably. As a result I probably didn't get through as many beers as I otherwise would have, you'll be pleased to hear.

There was, however, no shortage of interesting beers to try from the 1100+ menu, and a general youthful energy about the place that can be lacking at beer festivals here in the post-craft era. I'm not sure it was entirely wise to open my account on a chilli oatmeal stout, but I did, though opting for the 10cl option -- smallest of the three standard sizes available across the event. This is Naga Jolka, from the plainly named Piwoteka brewery. There's not much spice in the aroma, but the pepper kicks in properly soon after tasting. The 7% ABV base beer is nicely smooth and quite sweet, but you don't get long to enjoy it before the chilli heat hits, and starts to build. I enjoyed it, though I always have to warn readers that this is a personal quirk of taste, and if you don't like chilli stout in general, this one won't convince you otherwise.

We will be covering several black IPAs today. There were lots of them available, and it was only a concern for diversity of coverage that I didn't systematically try them all. First out is Proszę Ja Ciebie ("I'm Asking You") by Browar Zakładowy. Riwaka and oats feature in this, though it's very much a classic black IPA, albeit a dark brown one. There's an enticing herb and spice aroma and a light tarry or smoky bitterness before the hops go full IPA and break out the fresh citrus and stonefruit. I don't require the bright topnotes in one of these but it's a very pleasant surprise when I get it. This 6.6% ABV example balances the dark and light side of the style spec in magnificent fashion.

That emboldened me to go straight for a second one: Dziki Wschód's Mroczny Blask ("Dark Shine"). It's a weaker affair, at 5.5% ABV, and nothing like as impressive. The roast side is good, and there's a substantial bitterness which tastes of savoury thyme and basil, with a dose of oily aniseed, for a Fisherman's Friend effect. What's missing is the fresh hop bang. As I say above, a brewery can get away by simply adding extra hop bitterness to a dark ale, but the best black IPA shows some level of fresh new-world fruit or flowers. This one was OK to drink as a serious and bitter dark ale, but even if it hadn't been immediately preceded by a top-notch black IPA, I'm not sure I would be singing its praises.

A rye IPA follows, called Żytko, by Browar Kazimierz. In my experience, these are usually amber-coloured but this one is strangely golden and offers a juicy aroma with a slightly sharp edge. The flavour is juice first and pith second, but still all citrus. That means the rye doesn't make much of a showing: no grass and no pepper. There's a little New Englandesque vanilla, keeping it within the bounds of contemporary IPA fashion, but if that's what I had wanted, there were plenty of better-labelled options. I liked drinking it, but the disparity between what I expected and what I got took some of the shine off.

I spent a while perusing the menu of Stara Szkola -- a brewery named not for its brewing methods but because it's in an actual old school. It seems to specialise in wild beers with wilder botanicals, which all looked fascinating. Unfortunately, very little of the fun beers advertised on their board were actually available when I visited, so I settled on the rather plainer Koryciński lager. Koryciński is a type of traditional cheese although there's no indication that any kind of cheese-adjacent farmhouse methods or ingredients were used in it. It's very good, however, having an exceptional clean crispness despite some haze, and lots of spicy, grassy bitterness with a generous shake of white pepper. It's a kind of hopped-up kellerbier, I guess, and though unfiltered and most definitely rural in origin, has a rare precision which makes it a delight. I'm now feeling quite regretful that I didn't go back later, to check again if the more involved beers were on.

From a beer steeped in national tradition to one that most definitely isn't. A lot of breweries had ice bocks available, and many of them were "iced" versions of their other beers. And of course, it's October, so here comes AceBrowar with its Iced Naked Mummy pumpkin beer, in a "coffee and cream candies edition". Just a small one, please. Though it's a hideous murky brown, this turned out to be quite tasty. The texture is smooth and creamy, befitting its 13% ABV. It smells like a carrot cake and tastes like coffee cream chocolates, so pretty much exactly as described, once you discount the pumpkin as contributing nothing. A little more autumnal spice would have been beneficial, though there was plenty going on besides, and no harshness or excessive heat. While very much an unashamed novelty, as an after-dinner sipping beer, it works very well. Bonus points for me never having tasted anything quite like it before.

We return to drinking classic styles next, with the delightfully-named Sick Boy Brewing, and Reverie, their Flanders red. 30 months in Tempranillo barrels for this one, finishing at 6.5% ABV. It's a light and zippy chap with tart red cherry notes backed by some sweeter raspberry. There isn't much of a contribution from the oak, but too many breweries ending up making these harsh, so I approve of an error on the side of caution. There's nothing here that you wouldn't find from an accomplished Belgian brewer of Flanders red. Simple as that.

Next up, something described plainly as a "dark Brett beer" which sounds like just my sort of thing. Darek Otwórz is from Moczybroda in Poznań and is 5.3% ABV. We're on the spice and perfume end of the Brettanomyces spectrum, with cedar wood as the dominant flavour. Add a sprinkling of cinnamon to that, a little ripe peach and some light caramel, and you have a fascinating and delicious beer; another one where I've not tasted its like before. Even though there's loads going on, it's not overly busy and all the various elements are suitably restrained. I approve of the concept and would like to see more breweries trying it out.

I was trying to be careful about the consumption of imperial stouts as there were loads of them. Also, the choice of either 10cl or 30cl wasn't ideal: I would have liked an option in the middle for these. Anyway, I succumbed to temptation with Black Celebration #4 from Browar Sarabanda, a Warsaw-based client brewer. It's a good example, if a little lacking in distinctive features: good for the drinker but harder for the writer. So, a sweet chocolate and caramel aroma leads on to a fairly bitter flavour, of filter coffee and sticky liquorice. That settles after a mouthful or two, and more of the caramel side begins to come through. Maybe it's the context, but it reminded me a little of Baltic porter, in the effortlessly tasty way it balanced sweet density with herbal bitterness. Regardless, it's a very satisfying drinker, making excellent use of its 10.2% ABV.

I felt I needed some hops after that, and Hopkultura's bar seemed to have the goods. I opted for Firestarter, a 6.5% ABV New Zealand-hopped hazy IPA. It's a workmanlike presentation; perhaps not the best of what the Kiwi hop characteristics or New England IPA style can do, but the bases are covered. A fresh stonefruit aroma starts us off, while the flavour mixes a heavy dankness and sharp grass with a slightly incongruous vanilla buzz. The hops reassert themselves in the finish, adding a peppery bite. While there aren't any nasty off flavours here, I don't think the hops are a good fit for the style. I wouldn't drink this again, but it wouldn't at all put me off trying more of Hopkultura's range.

Time for another black IPA, I reckon. zGryfus Black IPA is a collaboration between Gryfus and Sady and is a big 7% ABV, with a heavy texture to match. Despite this, it's dark red in colour and smells of Turkish delight, so I was expecting to love the flavour too. That turned out to be a little more muted; bready rather than hoppy, and lacking in punch or any significant bitterness. There's a certain growing tarriness instead, and the floral side does put in an appearance at the finish, so it's nearly brilliant but just misses the mark. I am being overly critical, however, and was happy to find another very good black IPA, even if I had to adjust my expectations somewhat following the first sip.

Pivosky had a full menu of differently-hacked Baltic porters, and while I generally don't agree with doing that to classic lager styles, it did provide an opportunity to test my prejudice. And so I picked Imperial Baltic Porter: Cannabis Infused, because I do like a bit of peppery hemp character in a beer, when it's done well. This was a strange one, however. There's a weird herbal thing going on -- not cannabis but a range of medicinal plants of the sort you might find in a Victorian-themed toothpaste or shampoo. "Root beer" is in my notes, likewise cinnamon and clove, but there's more to it than than. Though 10.5% ABV, the base beer is quite light, and there's no stickiness, which is a mercy. I knew this was a gimmick going in, but didn't know quite what kind of a gimmick. It's OK, but once it's done its thing in the first taste, it has little else to offer.

On one lap of the hall I spotted a cherry black gose and made a mental note to go back for it later. When I did, I discovered it's called Big Balls, and is by Harpagan. This is a mere 4.6% ABV, and I suppose I should have expected it to not resemble gose much. The watery cherryade aroma shouldn't have been a surprise, nor the obvious cherry syrup behind it. The rest was good, however. I've had black "gose" before, and the mix of dark beer chocolate and roast with the thirst-quenching savoury spritz works very well. And so it goes here. The end result is something that's as silly as its name, but fun too. If you don't have a sense of fun about such things, it's best avoided.

For the rest of my time at the festival, I was a guest/prisoner of the extremely hospitable Jedlinka brewery. First came a much-needed palate cleanser called Jedlinka Lite: a lager of 3.2% ABV. It must be quite a challenge to make a good lager at this strength, but they've pulled it off well, giving the beer a light and wholesome haze and adding a lemony kick from some Citra hops. That builds into an assertive but not harsh waxy bitterness and leaves an aftertaste of lemon meringue pie. It is multitudes more complex than beer like this usually is, and would make for a perfect fridge-filler, especially in summer.

Jedlinka also contract brews Thai Lager, created for a Thai entrepreneur based in Germany. This is a 5% ABV job and uses "Thai ingredients" of which I couldn't find the details, but I suspect lemongrass is heavily involved. It has a straightforward lager-grain aroma with just a hint of citrus. The texture is smooth, supporting quite a sweet malt-driven flavour. I'm guessing they've held back on hops to let the added ingredients shine through, and that's in the form of lime zest, crystallised peel and grapefruit marmalade. The bready depth of the base beer prevents this from tasting out of place: it's a bonus seasoning more than a gimmick, and it creates something very enjoyable.

And my finisher was from their PortHard series: described as a sherry-barrel aged ice wild imperial Baltic porter. I'm not even going to try and unpack all of that, and if "wild" is meant to signify some mixed fermentation, I definitely didn't get any of that. The main feature is a spiced wine or vermouth flavour, mixing with rough and sappy oak and retsina-style boozy resin. Freeze-distilling has brought it to 20% ABV and there's a definite back-of-the-throat burn which comes with that. Somehow it all manages to hang together into a coherent experience, and still taste like a dark beer rather than a liqueur or fortified wine. However, it was probably for the best that I ended proceedings with it.

That's my full compliment of Polish beers, but there were a handful of foreign ones too, via some importers and agents. I'll come to them next.