Like many countries around the world Poland has jumped onto the craft brewing bandwagon. Or so I've read. Here in Madison it's easy to find Okocim's pale lager and I see Żywiec's lager on the odd occasion but, by and large, Polish piwo doesn't demand much shelf space here in Madison. Chicago, on the other hand, is a different story. With its large Polish and Polish-American population, there is much more Polish beer to be had. Warka and Tyskie are a couple other brands that come to mind that are commonly seen down there. Plus you find porters and bocks instead of simply pale lagers.
My guess is that most of the brands I see on Chicago shelves are owned by larger breweries and likely ones that are owned by a multi-national conglomerate. But I've seen increasingly more Polish piwo in Chicagoland stores that aren't pale lagers labeled with familiar names. It's entirely possible that some/most/all of actually brands owned by bigger players but it seems like at least some would pass muster with the Polskie Brewers Association as being "craft" or "independent".
I am interested in Polish piwo not least because I am part Polish. But there's also the fact, or so I've read, that Poles smoke beer in a way that Americans generally do not. Alas, I've not yet found any Polish smoke beers but did recently come across a some goses from Poland and came home with one - Lulu Peach Gose.
When it comes to goses, I've become pretty snobbish about the salt. On one hand you've got those where it acts like the shake or two that one would put on a meal: it enhances the flavor of whatever you put it on or in. Over at the other side there are goses that taste salty or, rather, where you taste salt. I've not encountered one that, if left out, would attract deer, but it tastes salty. In between is my sweet spot. I like a fairly prominent mineral flavor. If you were to add just a pico-mole more of NaCl molecules it would actually taste salty. A sub-saline kind of taste, I guess you could say.
Owing to recent controversy about sexist beer labels and sexism within the craft brewing industry, I took especial notice of Lulu's labels. They all feature women but manage to portray them in a way that doesn't give you the impression that their underwear is at their ankles. I saw no words that could lead the drinker to think that, by consuming the piwo in hand, they would get laid by a comely Polish maiden. However, I can neither confirm nor deny the existence of a Lulu Boyz Instagram page.
Well, onto piwo.
Lulu pours a hazy light gold. Although my poor photography doesn't really get it across very well, a nice white head atop the honeyed liquid made for a very pretty sight. There were lots of bubbles inside while the head was alive with activity. I could hear the white noise of the fizz as bubbles burst. I rather like an aural component to my beer.
Moving on in the panoply of senses, the aroma was replete with fresh peach. (Peach pulp is used here.) It smelled really nice. Some lemony lacto and a touch of salinity were also present.
The taste was pleasantly peachy – juicy even, as is the new parlance. I was surprised at how mild the tartness was. A little citrusy with a mild tang. Nothing like many American versions which can also be used to remove calcium deposits from tile. Coriander lurked in the background along with a hint of graininess. On the saline scale, it was right where it should be with a good mineral taste but not really salty.
This is a 3.5% A.B.V. beer and was very light-bodied. But the recipe includes oats and so Lulu had a smoothness to it I've never tasted in a gose. It contrasted nicely with the tartness as well as the generous fizz.
Lulu tartens up at the end as the peach fades, though never entirely goes away. I even caught a little spicy hoppiness here too. Overall, a fairly dry ending.
A few spots and a couple short streaks were all my glass was left with.
While I grant you that this was a beer better suited for summer, it was very tasty nonetheless on an evening in the depths of winter. It was light and fizzy with a gentle tartness and plenty of fresh-tasting peach flavor. And they got the salt just right too. It made for a wonderful sweet and sour taste. The standard bearer for fruited goses, in my humble opinion.
Junk food pairing: Pair your Lulu Peach Gose with some salt & vinegar potato chips for an intense gustatory experience.
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