Manufaktura Piwna – Irish stout
Brewed by Browar Jablonowo
Style: Irish Stout
Wólka Kosowska, Poland
Jabłonowo Brewery is a brewery established in 1992, located in the small village of Jabłonowo, north of Poland. The Brewery is one of the few Polish independent, and family-owned, breweries in the country.
Initially, they only produced for the local market but over time, and with it great success, it expanded the range of its distribution, where now the brand can be seen all across Poland. It mainly specializes in lagers, dark beers, and flavoured beers.
Review: 500ml bottle of Marfaktura Piwna Irish Stout: 6.5% vol.
On the bottle, the lettering of “Belfast” stands out big and clear. Also “strong with stout” caught the eye……”Original recipe” and “1997”……all very interesting.
Comes in bottles, cans and even on draught in certain places if you happen to be so lucky.
On the pour I get the expected pitch black look of a stout, but with a smaller than expected head…….some activity here but it does die a death…which is a little disappointing.
Getting a very strong aroma of chocolate, very strong on the nose.
Very strong smell of chocolate and roasted malts, very strong. I like it, its inviting and pleasant on the nose.
Onto the taste……initial impressions are this is not too bad. As an Irish guy with a love of the Guinness I am naturally wary of stouts that try to match up, but this is alright, a tad bitter but that’s ok and I am getting the coffee.
Its a little overbearing with the harsh tones, and it would be nicer to get a more balanced brew, but as I said, it is ok. And you get a lot in the bottle, which is always a bonus.
Tastes a bit like treacle, all black chocolate syrup, with a molasses flavour. I like it. Coffee, chocolate and dark malts, all flavoured and strong.
I found overtime, it calmed down with the roasted bitterness less overpowering, very manageable, chocolate and coffee through out. Its a slow burner and the longer I drank it the more I grew to enjoy it. Did the business in the end, and I’d consider it good for a session.
Surprisingly decent, not bad for the style.
The physical side is not an issue for me, I just get on with it and I am well used to long runs and walks, and I do have a bit of a head for heights (I think!). No, what I will find daunting is the actual routes to the tops and trying my best not to get lost. You see, its not like Ireland and its small “hills”, a straight up and down, in Switzerland, you sometimes have to get to a mountain to get to another mountain…. you might have to climb up a few mountains to achieve the canton peak! Added to this is that the the top 11 have no set marked route or sign posts, you just have to figure it out yourself! And I seriously worry about getting lost and climbing the wrong mountain, or worse…… walking off a cliff edge! Which would be typical of me!
First one off the blocks, not too far from where I stay in Switzerland…………met up with a nice Swiss lad who showed me a good route to the top and when we had a break was kind enough to explain the canton history of Switzerland to me.
So yes we took the walking route, through the trees and wooded area, past small, very small waterfalls and trickles of water coming downhill, wooden steps some of the way to the top. A nice walk, a little steep and not easy, but was enjoyable all the same.
St. Chrischona, 522 metres, 1713 feet
Also I took the most direct route, beside the road for a bit of it and through a small village (Erlinsbach), which was a bit annoying with the noise of the traffic, and it took me about 20 minutes to find the actual Canton peak while at the top, did eventually. Four hours, in between all the photo stops and drink breaks!
Another Canton Peak down last weekend, this time the Hasenmatt at 1,445 m, the highest mountain Solothurn.
There was a bit of everything on my trip….. lovely farming scenery, nice walks through the forests, the Jura mountains with its stunning views, steep cliff hiking, sun and the rain, and finished up with a local beer, “Oufi”, which wasn’t great at all unfortunately.
Last weekend did the Jura Canton Highest peak, Mont Raimeux, 1,302 m. Took a 5 hour and a bit route starting and ending from the small town of Moutier, in the direction of Raimeux de Belprahon, to the peak, Mont Raimeux, then down to Le Petit Pre, through the woods, and right around to the town of Corcelles and back to Moutier.
Arriving early by train at Moutier, had a quick wander around the small town, and by 10 I was ready to start the hike. The trail to the peak was very easy to do, round and round a forest trail going up and up to the first port of call. Raimeux de Belprahon, after that through very scenic farming land in the presence of cows with their bells (does it not drive the cows mad?), eventually arriving at the top, where there was a bit of activity, with people chilling out, having lunch, and enjoying the views from the peak.
It was so refreshing that I stopped more than once to take it all in. I could have returned to Moutier much, much quicker, but what’s the hurry when one can have a lie down, drink a lager in a field under a tree in the midday sun, and let the world go by. Who needs a beach holiday, when you have the Jura! Bliss, was in the zone, ha!
But the negative, and there is always a negative, was that the last hour back to Moutier, via Corcelles, was directly under the sun, at its hottest, with no shade. That was a hard walk back to town, lovely views but hard all the same. Especially for the pale skinned Irish lad!
As for the route to the top. I arrived in the town of Schaffhausen early and after my usual hour wandering around the town, I started out walking beside a wide and easy pathway near the highway to the small town of Merishausen. From there I went to the church and from here you can get a route near the peak which takes you through some farmland onto a small very quite road, and then up to some smaller dirt roads leading to a wooded area from where you can find the peak. Near the end of the hike it started to rain quite heavily, which was a little annoying.
I got lost as it was raining heavy and missed the top of the tower from the distance the first time round as I simply couldn’t see its top with all the rain and mist. But put right, it was actually quite easy to find in the end. The views from the top of the tower are nice, even on such a misty day.
For most of the route I didn’t meet even one hiker, but sure enough once I got to the peak, hikers started appearing out of nowhere. So much so that when I got to the tower, there was about 10 to 15 people milling about. There are always people in them hills, somewhere!!
Santis last September in the rain, managed four “peaks” (Alp Bommen, Ebenalp, Ohrli, and of course the big one Santis).
Started late, very late, didn’t arrive at Wasserauen until 12.00, which was a bit mad, and despite meeting many on the long route who told me to turn around……..I eventually got the peak of Santis late in the evening, around 7, in the rain and the cold, but another canton peak gone off the list.
In early January, 2022, I managed to get another Swiss Canton peak under my belt.This time to the canton of Thurgau, and its peak of Hohgrat at about 991 m (3,251 ft).
First stop of importance was to be the old Abbey of Fischingen…….very quiet and not a soul around, free to wander in to the Church and be amazed at the artwork and beauty of the fresco’s, lovely…….
The sights you can get from the peak are great, you can see the dictatorship of Austria far off in the distance, and Santis closer to home. Sitting down for a rest, with my refreshments, was majestic……its why i love hiking….the views, the views!!!!
Schnebelhorn 1,292 m (4,239 ft)
Coming down the weather got better, and by the time I arrived in Winterthur for the football it was a lovely day.
The brewery logo is in the shape of a castle and Feldschlösschen means ‘small castle in the fields’ in German.
Bottle in nice red lettering and we are told its a dry hopped brew.
Straight from the fridge, the bottle all nice and cold, pours a very decent frothy white head and there is some good carbonation going on. Golden amber colour and the good sized white head……..which dies a bit, but overall its a good looking beer on the pour. 
Can be found from 5.8% to 5.6% ABV but I got mine in Poland from a supermarket at 5.2%, in a bottle but can also be found in cans and on draught. 
Not too bad on the looks department at all for a lager. Crisp look, clear and golden. 
The challenge is to climb to the highest point in all of the 32 counties of Ireland. Because some counties share the same highest point this means climbing to 27 points.
I am guessing as it is Ireland, it will be wet, windy, muddy and miserable. Not seeing many nice hot summer days at all. Also I am thinking there will be a lot of boggy land, and some peaks might be hard to find, especially the smaller peaks that people generally don’t tend to go to. I can imagine there will be a lot of bumpy back roads and getting lost down country lanes, but anyway lets see. 
Luckily there was a break in the weather and we finally got a good day for a change. I wanted to start the County Top Challenge and I read that Westmeath’s highest peak was in Mullaghmeen, through the Forest. It is 258 metres so its actually the lowest county top in Ireland. A good one to start with I think!
I went up the peak myself, up a small gravel path that leads right to the top. Up there I got to see the surrounding hills and lakes (Lough Lene) of North Westmeath. On a lovely day with a clear blue sky it was a lovely scene in the fresh air, reinvigorating.
Visited the passage tomb in Loughcrew, had not known about it before but was well impressed that this old, about 5000 years old, structure was preserved on the hill for all to see. Unfortunately the inside of the tomb was closed for the day for upkeep, but still a free walk around the site where I was well able to take in the splendor and significance of this ancient irish site.
The walkway was well laid out, a good loop around which takes about 3 k and I didn’t do as I was there for one thing and one thing only, to scale the heights of the county top.
Views are not so great at the peak as there are some trees obscuring. I suggest for the views go back to the gate to where the bench is and that’s where one can get good views of all the surrounding hills and counties. The clear day that was in it I was lucky to see Sligo and Benbulbin.
Winterthur is a German speaking city in the Canton of Zürich in northern Switzerland. With over 110,000 residents it is the country’s sixth-largest city by population.
Zurich: Schnebelhorn, 1,292 metres, 4,239 feet
Once I got settled in, and after my pint of Smithwicks (was just ok!), ordered some food………..cheesy chips (the healthy option) , and a pint of Brew Dog Punk IPA, one of my favorites, poured lovely and cold………….with my dinner, it went down very well.
Ordered a Guinness, as you do, and a cheese burger for something to eat. Served with a smile, and the food came quick enough. Food served quick is always a bad sign, and to be honest the burger wasn’t the best, looked good but was a bit soggy and wasn’t as filling as it should have been. The Guinness was not the best too, but I’m not going to take marks off for that…..outside of Dublin its generally hit and miss….. I also ordered a Spitfire ale and it was fine.
Staff working hard, especially one Irish man who I assumed was the bar owner, but later found out he was just part of the staff, but boy was it impressive to see him work the tables, pull the pints, and generally work his ass off…..all with a smile and some good Swiss German to boot. Workers like that are diamonds…….
The club was founded in 1896 by students of the local school of engineering and following a fusion with two local teams, it was called Vereinigte Fussballclubs Winterthur between 1929 and 1946. They enjoyed their best success in the early part of the 20th century winning the Swiss Championship three times (in 1906, 1908 and 1917), before consecutive relegations in 1931 and 1934. They played in the lower leagues until regaining promotion to the Nationalliga B in 1950. They have since stayed in the second division for most of their history.
The club play at Stadion Schützenwiese, a short walk from the centre of Winterthur, since 1896. In the 1980s the ownership was transferred to Winterthur council as the club faced financial problems. The council are responsible for any maintenance and upkeep of the ground. While once boasting a capacity of 14,987 before 2009, the stadium now holds 8,550 seats, 1,900 of which are seated. The more hardcore supporters of the club stand at one end, which is known as the Bierkurve. Away supporters are housed at the opposite end of the stadium to the Bierkurve.
Finally managed to get some beers and took my place in the main stand, at the back……………..good views of ground, but I have to be honest, with all the supporters packed in, it was way overfull, and with supporters spilling onto the walk ways and exits it was potentially very dangerous as everyone was on top of each other on a steep stand…….
At half time, made my way to the area behind the goals where all the ultra fans hung out……….again packed, but not as steep or hazardous, and more fun as the songs were going and atmosphere a plenty.
Here is the video of my hike and visit to FC Winterhur 
During World War II , the abbey was taken over by the Nazis who had the temerity to melt the brewing vats, the bastards! Luckily possession was restored after the War, but unfortunately the monks had to start everything afresh again as so much was destroyed. 
Can come in 33l or 75l bottles, or on tap if you are lucky enough to be in Belgium, and only from about 20 or so elite hostelries after having met the brewery’s strict criteria! Named Cinq Cents in the 75l bottles 
The aroma has a very piercing smell, very strong on the nose, slightly citrusy and fruity esters, very strong, very yeasty with spicy hop aromas.
Bitter tastes, urgh. Hoppy bite, very much so. Over more sips it becomes more manageable but its not very nice, not one to enjoy. Fruity tastes found, orange peel and citrus. 
Can come in 33l or 75l bottles but not on tap. Known as Première in 0.75l bottles, “Red Cap” in 0.33l. Bottle conditioned, in that Chimay Rouge is a high fermentation beer that re-ferments in the bottle, “beer fermented in the bottle”.
Getting caramel and brown sugar especially in the aftertaste, it lingers and hangs around on the tastebuds. 
Chimay Bleue which in the large 75 cl bottle is called “Grande Réserve, bottle conditioned. 
Left the second one on the fridge for a bit to see if it made any difference to the pour. It did, much better on the pour, still though not getting the Chimay tulip glass full, which is a tad bit disappointing, and a much smaller head than the first bottle. Still creamy though and pitch black in colour. Looks very smart…
The yeast is also strong, hitting you near the end, bit light headed after these two bottles. I think if I had a good few of these in a pub I’d be off my head and I might even enjoy them! Very strong! 