Other than industrial juggernauts like Stella Artois and Heineken, imported beers are not often seen in the Czech lands, with very few brews arriving from across the border to the north. Some non-spectacular Polish beers have previously shown up in bottles. But this week, Pivovarský dum is holding the Days of Polish Beer, with four brews from Poland specially chosen and brought in by the Bractwo Piwne, in conjunction with SPP, their cousins in the European Beer Consumers Union.

At the introductory event yesterday afternoon, a cellar full of Czech beer fans got ask questions about Polish beer culture (including Grodziskie) and try the brews, most of which will be around for the rest of this week. Here’s what’s on tap.

From the family-run Browar Amber in Gdańsk:

Amber Żiwe (6.2%). This is an unfiltered golden special that is clear enough to appear filtered, originally brewed at 14.5° though light as a Czech 11° in body (and less colorful to boot). It’s got a slightly minty hop aroma and a pleasant maltiness. Overall, quite nice — and, typical of many Polish brews, stronger than you’d expect.

Amber Kozlák (6.5%). This is an amber bock with a malty nose and a beautiful clear amber color (pictured above). In the mouth there are raspberry and plum notes and a slightly tannic, leathery finish. Really very good — so good, in fact, that it appears to have sold out immediately.

From Browary Łódzkie in Łódź:

Łódzkie Mocne (7%). Brewed at 15°, this is a clear, pale gold, strong lager with a fluffy white head and little discernible hop aroma. Easy-drinking, and probably much lower in alcohol than is claimed.

Łódzkie Glob Premium (4.5%). A clear gold Pilsner-style brew with a slightly thin, American-lager-style body, and a semi-dry finish with very little bitterness.

Thus, two highly recommended brews, two easy drinkers — and some news about Polish beer culture that directly relates to beer in the Czech Republic and anywhere else in the world.

For example, in a parallel to the recent takeover of the Czech Republic’s four Drinks Union breweries by Heineken, Bractwo Piwne member Krzysztof Jóźwiak noted that Heineken originally purchased 11 breweries in Poland, though they only have seven now. Four were shuttered.

As for Grodziskie, the legendary smoked beer also known as Grätzer, I asked about the rumor that it might be poised for a comeback. No news, our Polish brethren said. If Grodziskie is going to return, at least three members of Bractwo Piwne haven’t heard about it. There are not even any homebrewers in Poland who make Grodziskie, if I understood correctly, as part of the problem is that no one produces Grodziskie-style smoked wheat malt anymore.

The members of Bractwo Piwne will be around town all this week, including heading to the Czech Beer Festival on Friday, the festival’s opening day. The remaining Polish beers on tap at Pivovarský klub, however, probably won’t even last that long. If you’re curious, try them now.

Since the EU entry of Poland and the Czech Republic in 2004, many Czech brewers have been expanding their exports to the north, and just about every year a sizeable contingent from the Polish Bractwo Piwne comes south to check out the winners at the Czechs’ SPP beer awards. However, both cases are about Poles enjoying Czech beers, and the interest does not appear to cross the border in both directions: the Czech Republic does not import many beers of any kind, and certainly very few come from the land of Lech.

However, a few Polish brews have showed up recently at Pivovarský klub, so I picked up bottles of Perła and Ciechan Miedowe Niefiltrowane for a tasting.

Perła Chmielowa Pils (500-milliliter bottle / 6% ABV)
Pours a bright clear gold and quite fizzy with a loose white head that disappears within moments. The nose has only a slight touch of malt. In the mouth, a thin body is followed by a thin finish and just a hint of hop bitterness by Czech standards, in contrast to the “chmielowa” on the label. Despite being brewed at 12.2°, it ends up with a strong 6% ABV (versus 4.4% ABV for Pilsner Urquell). The alcohol is well-incorporated, but the deep fermentation reduces its heft: this is a fairly watery “pils” rather than the rich malt body of Pilsner Urquell or the similarly busty brews from Rychtář, Bernard, Opat or Svijany.

Ciechan Miedowe Niefiltrowane (500-milliliter bottle / 6.2% ABV)
This unfiltered honey beer pours a cloudy gold with a loose chalk head that dies quickly. The nose smells strongly of honey, most likely from the addition of “natural aroma” listed on the label. In the mouth, an initial sour bite fades to a lush saccharine rush and a medicinal flavor akin to that of honey-flavored candy. Compared to the Czech honey beers from Sentice’s Pivovar Kvasar and Rambousek in Hradec Králové, this is far sweeter and much more chemical in taste. The label says that this is Piwo Roku (beer of the year) 2006 from Browar Roku (brewery of the year) 2006.

It’s interesting to note that the two Polish brews are quite high in alcohol, compared to similar Czech beers, and I should point out that this is just a random sampling of what showed up at the local bottle shop — I’m certain there are even better surprises hiding in Poland. Like Ron Pattinson, I’m hoping for the return of Grodziskie, described in Michael Jackson’s Beer Companion as “an extremely pale golden beer, with a faint haze of sediment, a dense white head, and a surprisingly light body,” and with “a sourish, sappy, oaky aroma (like a box that had held smoked herring), and a smoky, dry, crisp palate.” Mmm, smoked herring boxes…

Checking out the neighbors can give you an interesting perspective on things at home. Next I’ll be writing about a syrupy new 10% ABV lager from Velké Březno that seems to be brewed exclusively for the German market, as well as an interesting dark beer from Slovakia. And if you’ve got a recommendation for a good beer from Poland or anywhere else, please drop it in the comments box.

The always-great Good Beer Blog has an interesting post from Alan on brewing under license and a recent article about the Pilsner Urquell which is brewed in Russia. Unlike Pilsner Urquell, Russian journalism doesn’t have such a great reputation, and this article seems more than a bit sensationalistic, starting out with the premise that Russian beer drinkers are being cheated (it’s right there in the headline, folks).

Two things caught my eye: the article says that the Russian version doesn’t taste as good as the original, claiming that it uses Russian water and hops. Second, the article quoted a company spokesman as saying that Russia is the only brewer of Pilsner Urquell outside of the Czech Republic.

That definitely seemed strange, as everyone knows that Pilsner Urquell started brewing under contract in Poland several years ago. So I picked up the phone and called Pilsner Urquell’s press spokesman Jiří Mareček, who said that yes, Pilsner Urquell is brewed under contract by a Czech brewmaster in Poland (at a dedicated brewery in Tychy) and in Russia (at Kaluga, south of Moscow), but that the Polish and Russian versions are only sold in those countries and not exported elsewhere. The Pilsner Urquell in this country and everywhere else in the world is from the original brewery in Plzeň, aka Pilsen. He added that the Czech brewmasters export both hops and barley to the breweries in Russia and Poland, and clarified via email that the licensed Pilsner Urquell in Russia uses 100% Czech Saaz hops, just like the brew back home, contrary to what was reported in the article.

Points of contention: the licensed brew is made with Russian water, so if you’re buying a can of Pilsner Urquell for the famously soft water of Plzeň, you’re out of luck. And while the original says “Brewed in Plzeň” on the front, the Russian and Polish versions say “Born in Plzeň,” which might lead to confusion.

Personally, I can see both sides of this issue. I’m keenly interested in beer as a local beverage, with local roots, and I have no interest myself in drinking any Pilsner Urquell that doesn’t come from Plzeň. However, the Russians might not be making out so badly: a story quietly making its way around Czech beer circles has it that the Russian Pilsner Urquell was the winner of the brewmasters’ in-house quality-control tasting, besting the Polish version as well as the Czech original.

If the Russian Pilsner Urquell actually tastes bad, I can understand why people would be disappointed — but no one is forcing them to ever buy that beer again.

Of course, if the beer is good, does anyone really care where it’s made?

And on a macroeconomic level, isn’t a local product — even one with a foreign name — a lot more desirable than an import?

Not to get too far out on my contrarian limb here, but there’s also an environmental aspect that no one ever seems to mention: the vast amounts of energy that it takes to ship beer all over creation. One would imagine that Greenpeace and Al Gore would sign off on the Russian-brewed Pilsner Urquell, at least for local, Russian beer drinkers.

I’m not saying I’m crazy for licensed beer. I always found it strangely sad that at one time much of the Asahi in Europe was actually brewed at Prague’s Braník brewery, despite the fact that it presented itself as a Japanese beer. And after InBev closed the Braník brewery last year, nothing stopped them from brewing Braník across the river at the Staropramen brewery, but still calling it Braník.

But what if the Russian-brewed Pilsner Urquell is actually the best golden lager in Russia? Would brewing under license really be so bad?

Here’s a solution for everyone, no matter where you are: buy the best locally produced beer that you can, no matter what it is. And if it’s not good enough or not what you want, let the breweries know what you prefer and buy that.

Vote with your wallets. And vote every day.