PUB VISIT - 
BROWAR 
SPÓŁDZIELCZY

Pub location - Gdansk Wrzeszcz, Aleja Grunwaldzka 190, Poland.

The whole story started with the bottle of Babskie beer from Spóldzielczy Brewery (http://beerlander.blogspot.com/2016/07/babskie-style-cherry-russian-imperial.html). Just to keep the long story short it was sour like crazy. After posting the review on the blog, Spóldzielczy has invited me to visit their pub and try again. They were confident that the problem was the particular bottle, not the beer itself.

First of all, I have to admit that I brought some support (just in case they want to beat the sh... of me for the first review:). They didn’t.

Second – they have really provided free samples of all their beers on tap, but later we have paid for a beer. So be assured – the review is really not affected.

Spóldzielczy pub is located in the revitalized garrison between Wrzeszcz and Zaspa (two districts of Gdansk). There is no brewery there and the beer is brought directly from Puck. You can get your beer not only in the pub itself, but can seat outside on grass using one of the sunbeds they provide, and… hey, they have a special whole where you can put your beer, so it is unlikely to spill it. 




The pub itself is clever combination of old walls and ceilings with some modern touch. Very nice. 
What really is impressive is the tap. Or rather the TAP. 22 beers at the same time. Their own production and guests. Really, really nice. The bartender understands a lot about the beer and can be of a great help if you have no idea what to take. There is also one more unusual thing – on top of the 0.3 and 0.5 sizes, this pub will provide the 0.15 (if I am correct) trial size at a very moderate price, so most of the people will be able to find a beer they like. Finally, they also have very impressive selection of the bottled beers (including USA) – but they will have their prices. 
Just to summarize the pub itself – for now I have been visiting quite some multi-taps and brewpubs in the 3City Area – and this may be the best of them (by far).

But how about the beer?

Let´s start with the infamous Babskie (not on the photo) – just to remind you it is cherry imperial stout. I have to admit, that directly from the tap it tastes way better than the bottle I had. I still do not buy the explanation that bottles may be different, but the quality increase is clearly there. I would never try the bottle of Babskie, but if you get it from the tap it is nice to try.

Skrótowe – is an American Pale Ale brewed with an addition of the Nepal Ilam tee.  It seems that adding tee to beer is trendy and also the effects are not predictable. If rated as a beer Skrótowe would be interesting beer with low CO2 and clear aromas of toffee and jasmine. Interesting to try, but not necessary an everyday beer. However, if considered as a tee (it is not a joke) and drank at a bit higher temperature it could be the most interesting tee-based drink on the market.

Podwójne – Fruit Wheat Ale, with addition of raspberry and pineapple. This beer could really become iconic for the brewery. Usually, I do not really like wheat beer, but in this case I could get used to it. Pineapple is mostly gone, and raspberries are doing the most of the aroma. Obviously all the sugar was used for fermentation and what is left is a bit sour, but not too much and the overall effect is refreshing and satisfying. For me – wheat of the year.

Ratownicze – in my opinion the weakest beer from Spóldzielczy. American Pale Ale with low aroma, bitterness and CO2 content. Bit tasteless and watery.  

Ósemkowe – Imperial IPA with great fruity aroma, solid bitterness and nice carbonation. Some malty notes are providing nice balance for the alcohol taste. Another highlight in the portfolio. In fact, this one is so good that I have continued with it for the rest of the evening.

Flagowe – India Pale Ale. Not really fruity aromas, not very bitter as well. In fact, quite pleasant in drinking, but will not blow your head. May be a perfect option if you just want to get a proper beer and not spend time going over all beers on the multi-tap (in case its the only beer you know).

All together? Really nice brewery with a lot of interesting beers to try. I will be back.