This was written whilst on a city break in Kraków, Poland. If you are a fan of my blog, you will now know that I love to try things I think are unique or I haven’t tried before whether thats a particular brand or style of beer. This one stood out as a Slovenian Pilsner, I have never had a beer that was brewed using hops from Slovenia, so I thought why the hell not try it. During the course of this I will unravel the beers history, the pour from the can, the taste and aroma and my verdict which may surprise you.
An experienced home brewer and a graphic designer are in brewery. The history.
Founded in 2015, Brokreacja is the brain child of experienced home brewer Mateusz Górski and graphic designer Filip Kuźniarz who is responsible for the vivid designs that really stood to me whilst browsing the beer selection. Their first brews were in a restaurant-brewery in Szczyrzyc, which is 50km away from Kraków. They gained notoriety for pushing boundaries on what they brewed whether it is a barrel aged beer or ones that are heavily hopped.
Older than Craft is a pilsner brewed using hops from Slovenia called Styrian Wolf and Styrian Kolibri. It has an ABV of 4.8%. Interestingly, this was brewed to celebrate the 15th anniversary of ‘Legenda’ which is a taphouse called House of Beer. This taphouse is a prominent craft beer hub in Kraków even before the ‘Beer Revolution’. The name Older than Craft could honour this fact.
A stereotypical pilsner pour
When pouring into a glass the colour of golden straw really stood out to me as this is reminiscent of a stereotypical pilsner. Crystal clear, golden and full of carbonation. A foamy head forms at the top which left a bit of lacing down the glass. The overall presence of this beer invoked a feeling of brightness and invitational.
A Slovenian taste and aroma profile
When taking a wif of this beers aroma I noticed a malt backbone which gave off gentile bready vibes. I think the addition of the Slovenian hops (Styrian Wolf and Styrian Kolibri) gave off tropical and herby flavours which a hint of citrus zest. Overall, this smells of a fresh, herbal and fruity pilsner
When I tasted this, straight away I noticed a clean sweetness similar to a light biscuit. Mid taste, I could sense the bitterness of a typical German Pils. I also noticed some herbal spice, citrus zest and a slight tropical tone. Afterwards, I was left with a dry, refreshing taste with lingering citrus bitterness. Overall, this is a very decent pilsner that has a unique taste especially from the Slovenian Hops.
What do I think of this beer?
This beer was very unique and refreshing. For a pilsner in which most are usually ten a penny, this was brilliant. I was shocked by the depth of flavour presented by what I assume is the Hops from Slovenia. This had a unique tropical taste to it. I would recommend this beer to anyone in Kraków exploring the craft beer scene. My overall verdict of Older than Craft is a strong 4.5 out of 5.
Where I purchased this beer?
I purchased this beer from a street market called Mural in Kraków. This contained numerous different food vendors along with a unique craft beer selection. I think I paid around 20 polish zloty or roughly £4.
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