Zywiec – Poland’s best pilsner-type brew, with a 5.6 % alcohol content and 12.5 % Balling scale extract content, brewed for generations under the watchful eyes of master brewers, has won numerous awards and has been held up as a glowing example world-wide. 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. 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. The Żywiec logo includes all of the most important historical symbols of the brewery and Poland itself. Żywiec Beer's prominent front label displays a man and woman, who dance the Krakowiak, a traditional dance of the area of Kraków in historic Lesser Poland. This dancing couple is dressed in classic Polish folk dancing clothes. Kraków's coat of arms is represented with the crown in the middle of the couple. The coat of arms is also represented by the three spruce trees displayed on the bottom of the label and the year 1856 on top underneath the crown. The name Żywiec is placed on the red sash across the middle of the label with the golden trimming. The Żywiec logo is the most famous mark and brand of beer in Poland and the trademark of the entire brewery. You have to wonder what the world thinks of the US. I mean, you have some idea already … but when someone names their product O.K. Beer and markets it to Americans, it says a lot. O.K. Beer is brewed by Carlsberg Polka, part of the global Carlsberg Group. O.K. is one of their first US exports. It’s a Polish Pils, with pilsner as the world’s best-selling beer category.

Now let’s step into the hefeweizen category. This Polish beer is brewed in the German style. And Ciechan is often branded the best Polish beer in the wheat space. It’s a hazy beer with an ABV of 4.8%, pasteurized but unfiltered. The scent is intensely bready, but there’s also some fruit and spice. Mostly banana and clove. It’s traditionally top-fermented in open vats. This might be due to local popularity. Or because it was brewed in Poland between Tychy (a Polish city) from 2002 to 2011. From 2004 to 2017, it was brewed in Kaluga, Russia. It has an ABV of 4.4% and was first brewed in 1842, making it the first pale lager in the world. (Urquell is German for ‘original’.) The beer has Noble and Saaz hops and is brewed with soft water. 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. Since the very beginning, Żywiec beer has been brewed in only one place – the Archduke’s Brewery in Żywiec. When it comes to beer, we are uncompromising; this is why Żywiec is brewed exclusively from three ingredients: malted barley, hops and pure mountain water. Żywiec. Always from Żywiec. Doesn’t this sound like a beer after your own heart? It sounds so American! But it’s brewed in Wroclaw, the City of 100 Bridges. Browar Stu Mostów’s Halloween beer has 6.4% ABV and an IBU of 20. The base ingredients are lactose (milk sugar), roasted pumpkin, wheat malt, flaked oats, Columbus hops, and fresh coffee from Guatemala. It’s a kettle-brewed IPA.The brewery produces several brands of beer, usually pale lagers ranging from 5.6% to 9.5% abv, including Żywiec Jasne Pełne or Żywiec Beer, a 5.5% abv pale lager, which has been brewed in the town of Żywiec, Poland for almost 150 years, and Żywiec Porter, a dark porter once brewed in Cieszyn Brewery.

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%! 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 BialeBrewery ( 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.

means bison, and this is certainly a buffalo of a beer. It’s brewed by Kompania Piwowarska under the stewardship of Japan’s Asahi Brewing. Don’t mix it up with the Czech Zubr – same name, different beer. You could call it ‘Zubr-with-a-dot’ to avoid confusion.

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. Lech is a boozy pale lager but it also has several non-alcoholic versions flavored with acai, lime, pomelo, grapefruit, pomegranate, and mint. The premium version has 41 calories in every 100ml, along with 0.6g of protein, 0.8g of sugar, and 2.8g of carbs. It’s a sweet beer with hints of honey and a fast-fading head. This light-bodied beer has a grainy aroma. Zywiec Brewery, which had survived the World War II and the difficult post-war period, became one of Europe’s most modern beer-producing facilities in the 1990s. This DDH beer ( double-dry-hopped) has an ABV of 5.1% and pays homage to its staff. Specifically, its 2020 janitorial crew, including Dominik and Marcin, featured on the label. The beer uses US hops to impress American palates (Sabro and Simcoe). These hops give the beer its tropical forest feel with hints of lime and coconut. The yeast is SafLager. 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.