Beer, Mad Dogs and Kwas

06/27/2012 09:59

Beer

I’m very curious to see what our expert Bob thinks of Polish beer. I don’t believe that Poland was ever really known for its beer, or “piwo” (pee – vo). It’s always been more noted for its vodka. The truth is that, regardless of where you are in Europe, it’s very hard to match up with Belgian or Czech beer. Nevertheless, I do like Polish piwo very much and lament the fact that it’s so hard to find here in the States. It may not be Duvel, Chimay or Fin du Monde, but beer-heads still give it the thumbs-up, for sure. When we’re in Krakow, I believe that the best ones to try are Zywiec and Okocim. If you really want to go local, you can ask them to give you “piwo z sokiem,” or beer with a squirt of juice. It makes it slightly sweeter and also gives it a nice color.

Mad Dogs

I know that we’ve talked about about mad dogs before, but until you’ve tried one it doesn’t hurt to repeat things and whet your appetite. You’ve got to let the dog bite you at least once. What could be more enjoyable than a double shot of vodka sandwiched between several squirts of Tabasco on top and thick raspberry juice on the bottom? I’m not really planning to drink much when we’re in Poland, but I have to tell you that I’ll definitely do one or two of these, and there better be a few volunteers beside me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OKjA0n4oEg

Kwas

Finally, something that is more or less non-alcoholic, and kind of strange to boot. As far as I know, kwas (kvas) is a uniquely eastern European drink. They say that it might have a very low amount of alcohol in it, but it’s so low that people give it to children much as they would a glass of cola. It’s got a very strange taste, but I like it a lot and usually have a bottle of it on hand at home for those times when I get a little bit of east European nostalgia. Kwas is dark brown in color, due to the fact that its primary ingredient is rye bread. It’s pretty easy to make. In a nutshell, you need to bake some stale brown bread, then soak it in water and let it sit for about half a day. Next, you strain it and add yeast and sugar, then let it sit. Eventually, it gets strained again and raisins are added for flavor. It sits this way for several days, and finally gets put into a jug. It’s actually a process somewhat similar to producing beer, though the alcohol content is ultimately less than one percent. Anyway, it’s the kind of thing that you either really like or don’t like at all. You can definitely taste the bread and yeastiness of the finished drink, but it’s also refreshing on a hot summer day. Well worth trying.

Here's a picture of a kwas wagon in Ukraine. Much like the ubiquitous beer wagons there, people come to fill up glasses and jugs with fresh drinks on a hot summer day. It's kind of like an adult version of the ice-cream man!