You might not know it, but Poland has a strong brewing tradition. Its sales volumes are Number Three in Europe after Germany and the UK. Maybe Poles just drink more, but if they’re buying that much booze, their local brans may be worth a try. So let’s explore the best Polish beer – both commercial and artisanal. And if you have any brews to add, let us know! The Best Polish Beer List 1. Zywiec Biale Tyskie Polish Lager has close to half a century of continuous brewing heritage. It’s a pale lager with an ABV of 5.2% with 3.2g of carbs, 0.9g of sugar, 0.6g of protein, and 43 calories in every 100ml. The beer has earned itself two beer awards (Grand Prix and BBIA). It’s a beautifully balanced beer – the perfect midpoint in malty girth and hoppy bitterness. The fine carbonation makes this beer smooth and creamy top sip. It’s a pilsner so the hoppy front is well-executed. The nose is mostly malty but the hops introduce a bit of citrus and florals. And that trademark bitterness is tinged with notes of lemon and lime. There’s some breadiness in there as well. And though the head is gone in minutes, there’s a little lacing left. Lagers are often pale-yellow but you can also find darker ones like Łomza Ciemne. For now, let’s focus on the lighter sibling. This beer has an ABV of 6%. It’s a newer version of the original 1968 lager. Its squat brown 330ml bottle stands out on shelves. And it’s brewed by Van Pur. It’s a light-bodied beer with medium fizz and a thin head – roughly a quarter inch.

Brewery ( pronounced Zhi-vietz; Polish pronunciation: [ˈʐɨvjɛt͡s] ⓘ) is one of the largest breweries and beer producers in Poland. Founded in 1856 in the town of Żywiec, the brewery manufactures pale lager with a 5.5% alcohol volume. Grupa Żywiec S.A. consists of five main breweries: Żywiec Brewery, Elbrewery, Leżajsk, Warka Brewery and Browar Namysłów. Currently, the Dutch Heineken Group (Heineken International Beheer B.V.), with a 99% shareholding, has control over its major operations. The brewery has the capacity of producing 5 million hls a year, making it the largest brewery in Grupa Żywiec. You know about champagne. And we’ve just mentioned plums. But did you know there’s one about beer too? Grodziskie (sometimes called Grätzer) is a traditional beer from Grodzisk. And yes, some describe it as Polish Champagne. Both for its fizziness and its regional specificity. This clear carbonated beer is smoked in oak barrels and built off wheat malts.This Polish bison beer – which was previously named Dojlidy Beer – has an ABV of 6%. It was first brewed in 1768 and changed its name when the brewery rebranded. It has a younger sibling – Prażubr (steppe bison) – which is unpasteurized and has a lower 5%ABV.

In Poland drinking is a communal affair. Whether you are attending a special event like wedding or simply popping over to your family friend’s house for dinner, it is likely that there will be a crate of beers or two involved. People from Poland are often said to be able to handle their drink, which is a good job since some of their beers range up to whopping 9.5%! Despite the fact the brewing industry has existed in Poland since the Middle Ages, in previous years it was almost impossible to find a Polish pub with draught beer. Today this is a much different story, with most pubs having a variety of beers on tap, as well as bottled alternatives. Although vodka has always been considered the traditional alcoholic beverage, Poland also produces a fantastic selection of beers ranging from 2.5 to 9%. Most tend to be pale lagers, which are popular with the locals, as well as in other countries around the world. Brewery began distribution to other towns of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1913. In the 1990s, the brewery was acquired and modernized by Heineken International.This pale lager is brewed by Kompania Piwowarska shepherded by Asahi. It’s the same group that produces Żubr and Tyskie. But Lech is a sub-brand with its own premises – Lech Browary Wielkopolski. The beer has varying potency depending on which market it’s intended for. The American variant has an ABV of 4.9% but other country versions hit 5.2%. Zywiec is one of the best-known beer brands in Poland. The brewery began in 1856 and was savvy enough to survive both world wars, the Nazis, and nationalization. Today, the country is full of macro and microbrewers, including Grupa Zywiec, a subsidiary of Heineken. In the 1950s, Zywiec offered beers directly targeting the Polish diaspora in the US.