Beer in Warsaw

Artezan The great and the good of the Warsaw beer scene assembled last night for the “beta-test launch” of an eagerly awaited (and long-awaited) new pub. It was a veritable who’s who of zythophiles, but one of the toilet windows was left unguarded and I was through it like a rat up a drainpipe for a couple of lightning pints before anybody realised they’d been infiltrated by somebody who can often only tell Red Bull apart from Russian Imperial Stout because one has more bubbles. And if opening night (and every night after) is anything like the soft launch, this is going to be a cracking addition to Warsaw’s craft beer line up. "One of each please barman!" Design-wise it’s all quite modern and very clean lines, rather Scandinavian, with lots of light-coloured wood and bright colours. It’s a refreshing break from the hipster-inspired shabby chic look that so many places are trying to get away with. Clearly more than a couple of quid has been spent and more than a l...

Yes, I do still need to write up my notes from a trip Plzen, but in some of the few moments not filled with work, the boss and I dropped into Jabeerwocky and Brewdog last weekend to see what was on offer. First up was a pint of Art+9 from Stu Mostow. After absolutely loving the Art+8 strawberry Berliner Weisse in Wroclaw, particularly at the Stu Mostow brewery bar, I had high hopes for this one, described as an Oatmeal HopTart, and it didn’t disappoint. Quite a full mouth for the strength (3.7%), presumably that would be the oats, it was packed full of tropical fruits with just enough sourness to keep it interesting and make it hugely refreshing. My only regret was not getting a photo, but that does provide a cracking excuse for another pint very soon. The boss went for a Przedunkelniczne by Bednary, as it was described on the board as a pszeniczne and she was in the mood for a pszeniczne. But, as the name suggests, it’s actually a dunkelweizen and so was rejected on the grounds that ...