Beer of the Week

This weeks "Beer of the Week" comes to us from Poland. I really enjoyed my last Polish beer, so I'm excited about trying this one. Unfortunately this weeks "Beer of the Week" tasting is an off site event, so you might have to wait until tomorrow to get the results. Here's the quick and dirty about the bottle.

It comes in a bottle.

The bottle is 500ml.

The bottle has beer in it, Polish beer, from Poland.

Apparently there is some sort of coldness indicator built into the label on this beer...not sure how that works, but I see a label...wow, mood beer!

Extensive testing shows that the Zyweic logo on the temperature indicator changes colour when the beer is cold (as opposed to not so cold). It turns kind of a pinky colour when the beer is ready to drink. Unfortunately it took me so long to drink my Zyweic that my logo went back to white before I was done

I am pretty much in the middle about this beer. I can't say I didn't like it, but I wouldn't rank it among my favourites. It had a strong after taste which sat in the back of my throat, growing stonger with every sip. I tried cleansing my pallet with wine, rye and Chinese food, but still the taste remained. I believe that this beer would appeal to those who enjoy a stronger European beer, or one with a home brewed taste.

I'm such a Heathen; I started drinking my Hockley Gold straight from the can. That is until I noticed in bold print "Best Served Cold in a Chilled Glass".

Well, Hockley Valley Brewing Co. You know best.

After my pour, I notice that the beer is not as clear as most beer I drink. Hockley is a small craft brewery from...Ontario, Canada. Hockley Valley to be more accurate.

On to the beer. Nice taste, slightly heavier than I usually drink. This would be a nice dinner beer (filling). Good with a burger, or steak. Mmmmm steak. There is not a strong aftertaste at all and it's fairly easy to drink. Kind of like a Keiths I'd say.

My Hockley Gold came in a 500ml can. Not sure if it comes packaged any other way as this one was a gift It's labelled Hockley Gold Premium Draught. It's not the type of beer I would drink all night, just have one and move on, but the one would be most enjoyable.

Did somebody mention food? For some reason drinking this makes me think that I should be in a pub eating wings or something. Yes, it's the Duke of Wellington all over again.

So, now I've searched the internet for a picture of my Hockley Gold can and all I find is a silver one (my can is white, red and gold). Don't tell me that I'm going to have to take a picture of this thing myself?

...John heads upstairs to take a picture of his beloved Hockley Gold beer can...

Hey, now I'm starting to taste apple (or is that crab apple) in my beer...cool! There is also sediment on the bottom of my glass, but that doesn't scare me, I've had 8 year old unrefridgerated Bailey's and lived.

I love Perogies, Cabbage Rolls, Polish Sausage and Polish women. Why then was I so surprised when I found this Polish beer so appealing?

Okocim is an import (at least to me in Canada). It comes in a 500ml bottle. The label claims 1845, which has given them 160 years to get it right. Okocim is based on a traditional polish beer recipe.

If I could tell the brewers of Okocim one thing it would be "don't change a thing". I love this beer. It is one of the best beers I've had in a very long time. I might just become a life long fan of this brew. I must truly thank Craig and Jackie for giving me this (as a birthday present). Of course, now I have a dilema. I have one more Okocim in my refrigerator...do I keep it to myself or share it? I have a feeling that I'll split the other Okocim with my good friends

To the beer, it was like a mild Lowenbrau, very easy to drink for a 5.5% beer. Yummy!