When I worked in Poland 16 years ago I tried plenty of Okocim ("oko-cheem") but you never knew what you were going to get from the corner shops run by Zbigniew or Piotr out of their homes, their own fledgling first steps in capitalist democracy. They were subject to the vagaries of supply in a system that was somewhere between totalitarian and free, between market and black market. Pretty much the same standards of availability seem to apply here in Ontario now as, while we drink under the watchful eye of the LCBO, we still can't get this good beer consistently even though Okocim's Jasne Pelne, a light lager, and their Mocne, a strong lager, are both year round shelf space holders.

Those beers are nice enough in their class of general mega-brewed Eurolags but the porter from Okocim is something nearer the real stuff. Deep mahogany ale under a whipped chocolate milk head, this beer gives off scents of plum, dark chocolate, licorice and something almost leathery - perhaps from spicy Lublin hops. In the mouth, much more of a milk chocolate core with a subdued menthol framing by the hops plus some darker chocolate notes and plums and dates in the finish. A really well textured beer with silkiness and graininess in turns. Good value and good heft at 8.3%. Solid BAer support.