Perlowa Pijalnia Piwa

 I’ve always had something of soft spot for Perła. A few years ago I’d travel across Warsaw to drink the draught version of the stuff. On every trip to Lubelski we’d stop in Ryki on the way home and fill the boot (what little there is in a Mini Cooper) with bottles of Zwieryniec Pils, as it was only distributed in Lubelski so Ryki was the closest place to get it. The times certainly have changed. But even though Perła is now almost a beer of last resort, drunk mainly because a corner shop doesn’t have anything better, I was very much looking forward to checking out the bar at the site of the former brewery and the promise of small batch beers that aren’t available anywhere else.  
Although there were no more than a dozen people in the place that Saturday afternoon, service could be most charitably described as relaxed, ten minutes to get a menu, and double that to actually get a badly needed Zwierzyniec Pils. But the barman was friendly and clearly took pride in his beer, politely describing the bog standard Perła as “Euro-lager”. Yes, curse those Europeans and their standardised mass market rubbish, how about some Polish beer instead?
Good things do come to those who wait
I opened the innings with a pszeniczne, which turned out to be an excellent choice. It was very pale and completely clear, with a thick head that died back quite quickly but left very strong lacing. The first thing on the nose was ripe bananas, then dry cloves and lemon citrus notes. It was very carbonated, but finely carbonated, which gave a fuller mouthfeel than the average pszeniczne. Flavourwise, there were rather sweet cloves which faded quickly. It got drier on the follow and then bananas arrived again on the finish, but this time greenish bananas. Unlike quite a few other pszenicznes, Perła’s versions isn’t at all cloying; instead it’s very refreshing and I’d very happily have another three or four. I honestly believe that if this was on tap at any craft beer bar you care to name with a hipster name and logo the punters would lap it up, especially at this pricepoint.
A Pszeniczne I'm very much looking forward to having again
It’s always interesting to see big breweries stepping outside of their comfort zone and trying to produce new beers. On the one hand you have to congratulate them for trying something different, on the other hand you wonder whether they’d be better sticking to what they know. And all to often the results are just a slightly different flavour of coloured flavoured water with vile chemical notes (yes Zywiec APA, I am talking about you). Anyway, Perła’s American IPA was a bright copper colour and, unlike pretty much every other AIPA I can think of, completely clear. The nose didn’t have anything like as much hops as you might expect, or want, from an AIPA. Frankly it’s a bit of a pity to put four different hops (cascade, amarillo, centennial and simcoe, apparently) into a beer and then dial them all down so much that none of them can be properly enjoyed. The main part of the very mild aroma was caramel from the malt (also four different malts, according to the barman). Nice, but not really what you’d associate with American IPA. There was virtually no carbonation in the fairly oily thin mouth. The flavour was quite dry and became very bitter on the finish, with quite a dollop of alcohol arriving at the very end. All things considered it was a decent effort, but I can think of quite a few American IPAs I’d order before this one.
American IPA and Dunkles Bock: a mheh and a winner
Dunkles Bock really is not one of my favourite styles of beer but this one was very reasonable indeed. A dark shade of amber, it was again completely clear, although given the long lagering time that was much less of a surprise here than with the previous two. The wonderfully bready nose was sweet and rich, with lots of malt and virtually no hops at all. Strangely sharp on the mouth with very fine carbonation, the taste was nicely malty, sweet and bready, with just a little hint of bitterness balancing the sweet flavours. Sweet and slightly spicy on the finish, this was a lot better than the AIPA but not quite as good as the Pszeniczne. In terms of the acid test, yes, I would certainly have a couple more.
Baltic porter: another winner
Very much the apple of the barman’s eye was the Baltic porter, which he proudly told me, three times, had been allowed to mature for a year before being put on tap. And it was quickly clear why he rated the stuff so highly. A dark ruby colour, but noticeably lighter than other Polish Baltic porters. The aroma was also lighter than other Polish Baltic porters, rich but at the same time slightly sharp, sweet and with a suggestion of liquoirce, a theme that carried on with the flavour. There were noticeable amounts of warming alcohol in the thick mouth and the carbonation seemed to increase on the follow, which was odd. All things considered this is a very sound effort and certainly one of the better draught Baltic porters I’ve had anywhere.


It's worth coming just for the food

To go with a very decent lunch of slightly fatty bacon I ordered a second flight of samples, so as to try all eight of the draught beers on offer: a seasonal Zwierzyniec, another of the excellent wheat beers, and a pair of Perlas (an export and a Chmielowa). Apart from the wheat beer, none of them were particularly memorable. The summer Zwierzyniec was noticeably lighter than the classic version I’d enjoyed earlier but lacked the bite of a pils and so wasn’t as refreshing. Both the Perlas were fresh and crisp, but ultimately just “Euro-lagers”.
Second flight, not as good as the first but still decent
In short, I can certainly recommend PPP. While the choice is a fair bit more limited than most multi-tap bars, it’s good to see an established large-scale brewery that’s turning out decent beer. And then there’s the food, which was some of the best I’ve had in any bar anywhere. I liked the place so much that next time I visit Lublin I may very well stay in the apartments upstairs.
Perlowa Pijalnia Piwa
Bernardyńska 15A
Tel: 81 710 12 05
Daily, noon – midnight

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