Porter Baltycki by Polish brewery Trzech Kumpli shines at the 2021 London Beer Competition with the title of ‘Best in Show by Country’. With 91 points and a gold medal under its belt, judges at the London Beer Competition named it to be the Best Polish Beer of 2021. 

Now in its fourth year of proceedings, The London Beer Competition continues to bring forward some of the world’s best brews to beer aficionados and buyers. While most beer competitions only look at the quality of a brew, the London Beer Competition also takes into consideration its packaging and value for money - focusing on how we, the drinkers, pick our favorites. 

Like every year, beers from across the globe were tasted by top-level buyers from retail and bar chains, cicerones, journalists, and brewmasters. Some of the names on this year’s judging panel were: Jacopo Mazzeo (drinks journalist and consultant), Harry Meadows (Brewer at Ramsbury Brewing and distilling Co.Ltd), Lolly Watkins (Beer sommelier and DrinkTV manager). 

Along with the standard gold, silver, and bronze medals, the London Beer Competition also crowns beers with special category awards like Beer Of The Year, the Best Beer by Country, and more. 

Trzech Kumpli’s Porter Baltycki, with a commanding flavor of licorice and the warmth of the chocolate and caramel, won over judges and redefined the essence of a true Baltic Porter. The moderate bitterness of the Polish hops and a mild touch of sweetness from the molasses delivered the needed zing to name this beer a winner. 

Trzech Kumpli beers on tap at Wezze Krafta bar, source: Facebook

The story behind Trzech Kumpli

Trzech Kumpli brewery was conceived in a kitchen in Tarnów, where Piotrek and his two friends from primary school took their first steps in homebrewing. While the first batch of brews wasn’t up to their expectations, the three were learning something new and the beers were getting better by refining the process to select malt, hops, and yeast, how to run the fermentation,  and how to plan their nano production.

In July 2014, Piotrek brewed the first commercial batch in a neighboring artisan brewery. His idea was to work in a contractual system, to use big breweries’ spare production capacities while learning how to eventually move to an independent brewery. During the next few years, they brewed in four different breweries, to finally find a home in Browar Zapanbrat in 2017. 

Today Trzech Kumpli along with Browar Zapanbrat is a craft-beer-obsessed group of 16 people. The team says “We still feel the same excitement we felt in that kitchen years ago. Truly, brewing is like a virus, once it’s in your bloodstream there’s no getting it out”.

For Trzech Kumpli, quality is the first thing they look at. “We don’t rush, we don’t cut corners, we pay attention to the smallest details. Beer is to be flawless, exactly how we would like to have it. Our main goal is to brew world-class quality beers”.

The Team, source: Website

The team at Trzech Kumpli has many ideas they are working towards, from easy, everyday beers, to stronger ones and those aged in oak barrels. But most importantly, their focus is on building their own brewery in Tarnów, Mościce district, where their shop is located. 

The beers

The team of 16 brews over 55 beers ranging from classics like award-winning Porter Baltycki, sour brews like the Imperial Berliner Weisse With Raspberries, alcohol-free beers like the IPA Unplugged, and many more. 

Trzech Kumpli Beers, source: Instagram

The brewery’s flagship beer is the Pan IPAni, which is a play on Polish words: Pan I Pani translates to Mr. and Mrs. The beer is known to be a ‘best of both worlds’ styled beer, with the lightness of wheat beers combined with the enticing bitterness of a classic IPA. Expect prominent citrus, mango, and pear aromas intertwined with delicate floral notes. 

The beer was named by Co-owner and Brand Manager Irmina. According to her, “Pani IPAni tastes great and has many lovers, but it’s a special beer for me personally, mostly because of the time of its origin. It was our breakthrough craft, one that strengthened our position on the market, got new fans. Pan IPAni was made with love, somewhere between folding laundry, walks with kids, and cooking dinner. It made us believe that we can do it, that quitting our jobs was a good idea. It’s amazing to hear that it is now a classic, a drink that converts many people to the world of craft beers.”

Your next brew ought to be from one of the brewery’s many crafts, which you can shop for from their online store.