Polish Joak
Against The Grain Brewery

 

It's a light beer for the "meat and potatoes" kinda guy! For those times when conflicted between a beer and beef jerky. For when you feel like drinking smoked salmon. For those times wheat you want your beer served with a tooth pick- Against the Grain's got you covered.

But to the eye, there's no glimpse of anything out of the ordinary. Bright gold with only a hint of a haze. A light, fluffy wisp of froth decorates the crown of the glass- fueled by steady carbonated streams from beneath- the beer tricks the eye into thinking its just a pilsner.

But then, "wham"- the door closes on that little fairytale as a huge meaty whiff of hickory comes along and smacks you up side the face. Notions of campfire, grilled meats, charcoal, and teriyaki waft about the nose in both an appetizing and intimidating scent. Suppressed malt notes are cracker-like and lightly grainy, but largely succumb to the smoke.

But hold on, the taste is milder than the nose suggests. That pilsner-esque undercurrent is lightly sweet, dryly of bread, and with a husky barley taste (kinda like Grape Nuts cereal). A balance of hops is also present in floral detail early and spicy but balanced bitterness to finish. And then there's that cloud of smoke that presides over the taste- giving that hickory taste that's only really appreciated in aftertaste and not so much early on the palate. The beer is minerally and carbonic to taste as the dry taste takes hold and exposes a few rougher edges of the beer.

Light bodied, its easy to read a more robust feel from the smoke character- but those only exist in taste and aroma. The mouthfeel is crisp, clean, and lightly scrubbed with that mineral finish. Racy carbonation keeps the beer light until the very last sip, exposing only a mild peppery warmth and light grain-derived astringency to close.

Its the perfect beer for when you want your meat with a side of meat!

 

 

A: Against the Grain's interpretation of a gratzer, a near extinct style of sour smoked wheat ale from Poland and Germany, this ale pours a clear gold with a fizzy white head that dies away rather quickly.

S: Very light on the nose, presenting mild aromas of woodsmoke, wheat, minerals, lemon, and a bit of musty funk.

T: Notes of lemon, lime, grass, kumquat, straw, wheat, minerals, and woodsmoke fill the mouth. The finish is tart and sharp with robust notes of wheat, minerals, lime, and smoke supported by a bit of peppery, lactic funk.

M: Very light in body, but not quite watery. Incredibly dry. Carbonation is spritzy. Really easy to drink.

O: To me, this is a simple, straight-forward quaffing beer designed for hot weather. Taken as such, this beer is a resounding success. Considering Against the Grain's penchant for full-bodied, smoky ales, Polish Joak is not nearly as smoky or as heavy as one would expect, instead presenting mild hop and lactic yeast notes that are framed against a backdrop of smoked wheat malt. All in all, this is very subtle and refined. I could see this going well with smoked sausages or grilled steak. While I would have preferred a stronger smoke aroma and a greater degree of head retention, this is a worthy effort and one that I would recommend to fans of smoked beers and/or ancient, eccentric styles of ale.