Komes Porter Baltycki
Along with Kormoran Porter Warminski, this is an archetypal modern-day Polish porter. Thick as thick, black as black, with light brown foam and a nose of figs, licorice, and savory roast. Leans a bit naughty-sweet, with welcome warmth and long-lingering tail of figs grilled over a fire.
ABV: 9%
Loc: Miłosław, Poland
Duck-Rabbit Baltic Porter
Brewed in America but big enough to be Polish, this winter release was a coveted item in beer-trading circles—at least a decade ago. Now it’s an undersung classic. Chocolate, espresso, and roast nuts show in the nose, while the full body carries a soft sweetness and restrained roast bitterness.
ABV: 9%
Loc: Farmville, North Carolina
Kormoran Imperium Prunum
Poland’s rarest whale is an extra-big Baltic porter aged on smoke-dried plums. Looks thickly viscous and oily in the glass, giving a nose of tangy stone fruit and mellow woodsmoke. Gentle, pruney acidity with muted roast, softly sweet, on full body and a long-lingering smoky finish.
ABV: 11%
Loc: Olsztyn, Poland
Pohjala Öö
Richly vinous notes weave through the nose along with fine cigar tobacco, wet leather, and dark-chocolate-covered sour cherries. The flavor evokes the engaging char on an artisanal rustic bread loaf and cocoa powder dusted on a dark chocolate truffle. Substitute for a Cabernet Sauvignon next time you grill up a thick steak—the rich Maillard notes are the perfect complement for quality meat cooked over an open flame.
ABV: 10.5%
IBUs: 60
Loc: Tallinn, Estonia