Aroma of aocohol and dried fruit. Dark black with no head. Flavors of fruit, licorice, port, and alcohol. Full bodied. good.

2002 bottle, 330 mL Pours a very dark black with some deep garnet tones. Small beige-tan head that dissipates quickly. Aroma is of moderate strength, some dark brown sugar, strong malt and some alcoholic fruitiness. Bottle conditioned! Big malt flavor balanced by a wonderful subtle hops flavor. Has that even, smooth lagered taste and is very creamy towards the end on the mouthfeel. There is a medium bitter chocolate flavor on the palate that I particularly enjoy. Biggest complaint is that it seems like a bit gratuitous use of alcohol; dosen’t need that much. Alcohol adds an astringent bitterness that does not go as well with the vinousness in here. Rerate. I knew I badly needed a rerate on this one. Last bottle I had was WAYYY too cold when I drank it. This one I had at about 58 degrees. Still a magnificent pour and big creamy mocha colored head. Aroma: Ok, so last time I had it I was in a smokey bar, and it was served extremely cold. Smelling it now makes me wonder about some of the other beers Ive rated based on samples in smokey bars. This aroma is intense. One of the few times I’ve nailed down precisely what I’m smelling; that being banana chocolate chip pancakes with real maple syrup. Almost exactly alike, but throw in a bit of hazlenut coffee, I guess. It’s big, pervasive and lasting. Flavor to match, extra full, maple, caramel, brown sugar, hazelnut, coffee. Sweet, sticky and full. Terrific!! Alcohol not a problem and actually adds to the fullness. Glad I went back and rerated, but then, I knew there was something wrong with my first sampling. It seems this isnt bottle conditioned, just not heavily filtered. 9/5/10/5/19

2005 bottle, 500mL Light lacing, fair retention on the light tan-mocha head. Deep burgundy, black chocolate colored body is clear, no sediment, force carbed, filtered. Heavy DMS nose (peppery, dill-like hot dog condiments and sauerkraut). Flimsy texture, highly overcarbonated, persistent and strong alcohol in flavor. Some remnants of what it used to be, but it is bullied by multiple brewing flaws. The texture, one of its previous strong points, suffers from filtration. DMS leaves somewhat, as it breathes. 6/3/6/3/10. Rating is for this version, which seems to be the current incarnation. Didnt finish the bottle.

Nice moka head which collapses but maintains, leaving a lace behind. Nose of licorice and chocolate. Locrice and moka coffee in the mouth, with some residual sugar, rich mouthfeel with malt bitterness at the end. Wish they still had it (or the Okocim) at the LCBO. Thanks to CapFlu!

Pale beer with a foamy head and plenty of bubbles. Light hopped aroma with a dry mild and refreshing flavour. A great refreshing beer.

Clear black color, brown lasting head. Aroma of coffee, salami, roasted malts, bready, fruity. Very complex. Slightly alcoholic and bitter palate. Strong beer.

Probably one of the best lagers i've ever tasted. Nice grainy aroma, with a good balance in hops and grains. Refreshing soft taste, indeed not much bitterness but that's why it tastes so good! --- Beer merged from original tick of Żywiec on 29 Oct 2017 at 18:19 - Score: 7. Original review text: Prima pilsie om mee te beginnen