Piast (Super Premium Barrel)
Browary Dolnośląskie Piast S.A.

Piast (Super Premium Barrel)Piast (Super Premium Barrel)
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From:
Browary Dolnośląskie Piast S.A.
 
Poland
Style:
European Pale Lager
ABV:
5.7%
Score:
79
Avg:
3.28 | pDev: 13.72%
Reviews:
20
Ratings:
20
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jan 13, 2007
Added:
Oct 12, 2001
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  1
No description / notes.
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Ratings by Todd:
Photo of Todd
Reviewed by Todd from Finland

3.48/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Presentation: 1pt 0.9fl.oz. brown bottle. No freshness date.

Appearance: Crystal clear, bright, pale yellow in colour. Pours a thick, foamy white head that sticks to the glass. Settles to a creamy whisp lace.

Smell: Light grain & floral noble hop aromas in the nose.

Taste: Smooth upfront with a light body. Malt sweetness is dextriny, with a slight touch of fruitiness. Big bready grain flavours follow, then mix with a mild citrus/lime hop sting, some herbal hop spice, then folds into the malt to create a tea-like flavours. Finishes has some soapy characters to it.

Notes: Not sure what it is with these Polish Euro-Pils that are attacking the US import market, but I like it. A nice switch from all the mainstream pilsner/lager beer imports.
Oct 12, 2001
More User Ratings:
Photo of BuckeyeNation
Reviewed by BuckeyeNation from Iowa

3.23/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Textbook amber with a fine sprinkling of particles that may or may not be yeast. I'm betting not. The rich, alabaster cap is the best part about the appearance. It has a quality look, both after the pour and as it deflates. As a bonus, it's a pretty nice lace generator as well. Piast (SPB) is near the top of the heap as far as EPLs go; at least in terms of its looks.

The nose, while better than most, is no world-beater. It benefits by smelling less musty than many of its co-stylists. Freshness matters, it seems. Grassy noble hops lead the way. More hoppiness would have been even better, but probably wouldn't have resulted in the next highest score.

This is one case in which the flavor profile is too balanced. Piast is a decent enough pale lager that needs a flavor hook. Pale malt and hops play a polite game of "after you... no, after you... no, I insist, you first..." so that neither one ends up taking charge. Moderately sweet, untoasted grain with a minimal grassy hop overlay is the extent of things.

A slightly greater than usual malt load results in a slightly more full than usual mouthfeel. A generous number of peppy bubbles keeps things hopping without crossing the line into annoying fizziness.

Piast (Super Premium Barrel) certainly looks the part of a quality beer, both before the top is popped and after. In the end though, it's just another in a long line of decent, drinkable, but ultimately forgettable, Euro pale lagers. If this one is Super Premium, I have no desire to drink the standard version.
Jan 13, 2007
Photo of Frozensoul327
Reviewed by Frozensoul327 from Michigan

2.87/5  rDev -12.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2
A: Medium orange gold color with a head of big-bubbled white foam. No lace. Medium low level of carbonation.

S: Typical Euro-lager aroma; mild malt character with a confused hop/skunky grain scent. A ever-present bread note permeates the nose.

T: Mineral water and malt characters. Watery, weak hops. Faint taste of biscuit toward the finish. Average for the style.

M: Little carbonation to tickle the tongue, otherwise, rather boring and forgettable.

D: Naw, i've already forgotten about this one, and i'm not even done with the bottle. Skip it. One, and i'm done.

Notes: Not a bad euro-pale lager, but a boring one, nonetheless. I'm not overly impressed with the style, and consider it to be a dumping ground for boring overseas beers.
Dec 29, 2006
Photo of jwc215
Reviewed by jwc215 from Arizona

3.35/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Pours light golden yellow with a fizzy white head that soon descends to a thin patch.

The smell is of grass and earthy grains. Euro-skunk is noticeable.

The taste is of sweet grassy grains. Malty with a well-balanced crisp, bitter, slightly metallic, floral hops. Finishes sweet. The taste is better than the smell.

The feel is a bit slick at first, but becomes dry. There is some body to it (a bit more than expected for style).

For the style, this isn't bad. But, nothing special either. Decent enough when looking for an easy drink or to wash down some kielbasa and sauerkraut or other Polish foods. Typical Polish lager sweetness lingers a bit.
Dec 10, 2006
Photo of Zorro
Reviewed by Zorro from California

3.6/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
In a Pilsner glass this is very much the poster child of the yellow fizzy beer that lagers have become in most minds. An unremarkable white head dances on top of the beer, nothing that notable.

Smell is clean and quite herbal and hoppy to my nose. Aroma is mostly grain and noble hops in a good way. Not spicy but notably bitter smelling to the nose.

Taste is grain and caramel malt at the beginning with just a bit of hop in the after taste. Hop bitterness builds fairly quickly and become a bit spicy by the second or third sip. Satisfyingly hoppy as the flavor settles down this is really closer to a German Pilsner than a regular lager.

Mouthfeel is OK.

Much more drinkable that I would have predicted knowing its country or origin. A very competent lager in all respects and an acceptable Pilsner by taste. A beer I can recommend trying if you see it in your neighborhood.
Dec 03, 2006
Photo of oberon
Reviewed by oberon from North Carolina

3.41/5  rDev +4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Well I did a Polish spread today with some locally made sausage and perogies and beer braised cabbage I decided to pick up a Polish lager beer to go with it.Poured into a .5 liter stein a glowing light golden with a nice fluffy one finger head that dissapated quite quickly leaving a trace amopunt of lace,I really didnt care for the aromas somewhat skunked in character although it wasnt some toasted grain and as some others of noticed like adjunct corn.The flavors are better somewhat sweet and grainy with a little alcohol sharpness in the finish although I dont know the alc% it creeps up at lets itself known, a little biscuity and raw in the finish.Poland is vastly underrated in its lager production thats the conclsion I have come to they make damn good Baltic Porters and strong lagers this is better than average and quite food friendly,people try some Polish brews I think you'll like them.
Oct 22, 2006
Photo of DarkerTheBetter
Reviewed by DarkerTheBetter from Minnesota

3.18/5  rDev -3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
This beer poured a washed-out gold with an egg shell head and a slow, sparse carbonation creeping up from the bottom.

Smelled of watermelon rind and a dry biscuit with a dusty hops lingering in the background. Over all, there just isn’t all that much here to smell.

Tasted light with some sour oak, celery, light white flour and a sour tingly, peppery, dry hop that spreads across my tongue, starting with the edges and creeping toward the center with each sip.

The mouth feel was light to medium boded with a tingly carbonation.

Over all, I must say that this one was bland and compensated for its blandness by being really spicy.
May 28, 2006
Photo of TastyTaste
Reviewed by TastyTaste from Minnesota

2.88/5  rDev -12.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
500 ml bottle, no freshness date.

Appearance: Light gold body, not a very big head at all, just a small layer of froth. Not a trace of carbonation visible in the glass.

Smell: Grassy malts, corny adjunct. About average for a subpar euro lager.

Taste: Full malty flavor, lots of grass flavors, adjunct is at a minimum, A pretty middle of the road euro pale, maybe even a little watery.

Mouthfeel: Full and just about right.

Drinkability: I got what i was expecting, I guess it's about average for the style.
Oct 31, 2005
Photo of BrewMaven
Reviewed by BrewMaven from New York

3.85/5  rDev +17.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Aside from the ABV and the fact that BA calls this a Euro pale lager, I see this as the same as the few, slightly stronger "Mocne" brews I've sampled in the past.

It pours the same golden color, The white head was all but gone after I was not even halfway through the glass. Has the same malty nose and taste. I didn't find the finish bitter at all as some other reviewers have. Mouthfeel is substantial as was my liking of this brew.
Jun 27, 2005
Photo of RoyalT
Reviewed by RoyalT from Michigan

3.67/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Appearance – This one is a very light crystal clear orange in color with a nice white head.

Smell – The grain here is actually pretty smooth. It comes with a light orange syrup sweetness that I usually don’t care for but here it’s not bad.

Taste – The grain is a little rough around the edges but it’s definitely better than most lagers that I get outside of Germany. The orange sweetness stays reserved through the finish.

Mouthfeel – This one is a tad bigger than light-bodied with some bitterness at the end. It is easy on the palate and somewhat refreshing.

Drinkability – This is a heck of a lot better than I thought it was going to be.
Feb 16, 2005
Photo of Beastdog75
Reviewed by Beastdog75 from New Jersey

2.13/5  rDev -35.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5
Piast is another brew that is a product of the Carlsberg-Okocim "empire." The regular Okocim lager was a very nice pils-type beer, while Piast reminds me of an American "sub-premium" beer. It tasted like it was cheaply made with much adjuncts being used. This brew left me greatly unimpressed.

Piast pours a golden color with two fingers of foam that last for only around 20 seconds. The aroma of the beer seemed "soapy" to me, with some husky and grainy qualities. Some light skunk was detected along with a mild hop presence. The beer was thin and moderately carbonated. The flavor was "soapy" too. The rest of the flavor was comprised of of grainy/husky flavors and a grassy/haylike bitterness in the finish. Adjuncts were probably excessively used. The aftertaste is a bit dry with some cooked veggie flavors arrising, and the beer concludes with no alcoholic warmth.

It seems like some people enjoy this beer. Perhaps this beer doesn't carry over well into the states, or maybe the Carlsberg connection has affected the beer, but I can't say I enjoyed this one. I thought this belonged in the "Keystone" category.
Jan 04, 2005
Photo of BeerResearcher
Reviewed by BeerResearcher from Massachusetts

3.15/5  rDev -4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
16.9oz brown bottle. No freshness date.
It pours a clear gold with a fast fading bubbly head and very little lace.
The smell is mostly sweet and grassy, with a whiff of a dry malty aroma and a hint of citrus.
The malt has an overly sugary sweet taste. A grainy corn-like background balances evenly with a light citrus and hint of metallic hop bitterness.
The alcohol is noticed first in the mind and then on the breath, but really is well disguised in the taste department.
Overall this is an ok brew, but nothing to rave about.
Sep 01, 2004
Photo of putnam
Reviewed by putnam from Michigan

3.78/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
I didn't see anything on the label in a language I know indicating "super premium barrel."
"5.7% ABV", however, is declared on the front, so I assume this is the right file.

Honey gold and not a lot of froth. The aromas burst from the container as it is poured - strongly floral and tinged with notes of sweat. It expands easily on the palate with a fruit cocktail of melon, mango, marischino cherries and pineapple. A bewildering assault of heavy hop artillery on the finish points it in a very dry, very persistent finish.

A bit of a puzzle for me to review. It does possess a speedy, reckless charm. Yet it also exhibits the heavy-handed, crude power-calculations of so many American beers. I'm eager to read the other reviews.
Jun 10, 2004
Photo of WesWes
Reviewed by WesWes from New York

2.91/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
The beer pours a pale gold color with a thin white head. The aroma is really basic. It's full of pale malts and not much else. The taste is quite awful. It is pale and metallic with a watery finish. It has some bitterness, but nothing major. The mouthfeel is decent. It is a low bodied beer with good carbonation. This is an average lager at best. It's one and done for me.
Jan 31, 2004
Photo of JMH_
Reviewed by JMH_ from New Jersey

2.55/5  rDev -22.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
your basic eastern euro lager here. i say eastern euro as (and i don't know what it is) i find that eastern euro lagers have a more bitter and a more metallic taste than those of western europe (peroni, heineken, etc). that said, this is a below average brew. it looks and smells like a euro lager (plae yellow, high carbonation, slight skunky smell) and has a taste like i just described above. i'd rather a ton other lagers, both domestic and foreign over this one. it's not the worst brew in the world, but not a beer that i can recommend.
Aug 07, 2003
Photo of NeroFiddled
Reviewed by NeroFiddled from Pennsylvania

3.51/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
A brilliant yellow-gold body is topped by a frothy bright-white head that holds well, buoyed by an active carbonation. It maintains a thin surface covering throughout most of the glass and leaves some nice lace as well. The aroma is limited but displays some sweet malt, dimethly sulphate (DMS/cooked corn), and background herbal hops. The body is medium/full, and the median carbonation is zesty on the tongue and leaves it lightly crisp in the mouth. The flavor displays a sweet malt that's well-backed by a firm bitterness and some herbal/spicy hop flavor. An obvious use of adjunct cuts down on it's grainy character, leaving the malt sweet but lifeless. Its long finish starts only semi-dry with lingering sticky sweet malt that lays in the mouth, but eventually dissolves to reveal an underlying bitterness. A basic Euro-lager, albeit with a bit more strength and some decent bitterness.
Feb 03, 2003
Photo of mzwolinski
Reviewed by mzwolinski from California

3.04/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
One of the lower-alcohol level Pilsners of the surprisingly large number which have recently showed up at my local liquor store. Clear and well carbonated, light gold in color with a somewhat creamy head. The aroma first struck me as very grainy, with a slightly sweet malty undertone. As it warmed, however, I read another review on here which described it as "soapy," and from that point on, sure enough, soap was all I could smell. Odd. Taste has a big lime hop bite with significant bitterness in the finish. Again the finish is a bit soapy, quite dry. I doubt I would drink this again.
Nov 06, 2002
Photo of John
Reviewed by John from New York

3.85/5  rDev +17.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Clear light gold. Nice looking, sticky head that turns into a thin creamy layer of foam. Light aroma of pale malt and cereal. Steady percolation of bubbles in the tall pils glass. Smooth and lightly malted flavors combine with a welcome spicey hop to form a well balanced and flavorful pils. This beer is incredibly fresh too, considering the distance traveled. Went extremely well with my cajun char-grilled tuna steak.
Aug 21, 2002
Photo of WilliamPhilaPa
Reviewed by WilliamPhilaPa from Pennsylvania

3.86/5  rDev +17.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Another good Pilsner from Poland. Pours a very big white foamy head and dies quickly, and doesn't leave to much lace at all.The body is light with a clear yellow / gold color. The taste is pretty smooth with a lightly sweet malt base and a nice peppery / spicy hop bite. I enjoyed this brew, but I feel that -Okocim Zagloba- is a much better Pilsner from Poland... I had that a couple of days before the Piast. Still another good one though. Good Piwo from Poland!
Apr 07, 2002
Photo of Jason
Reviewed by Jason from Massachusetts

3.26/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Fluffy quicky turning over white head from the hard carbonation.The big forceful carbonation is a bit braze on the palate. Yeasty aroma with some pale grainy undertones. Light metallic flavours with yeast on the tongue, hops are stiff and straight-line bitter all the way. Grain runs down the taste buds quick and fierce with help for the carbonation. Mild fusel alcohol flavours show off the raw character of this lager. Finishes close to all the way dry yet a twinge of sweetness is left. A lager with a kick and more flavour than a malt liquor ... go figure.
Jan 23, 2002
Piast (Super Premium Barrel) from Browary Dolnośląskie Piast S.A.
Beer rating: 79 out of 100 with 20 ratings