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.

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. 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 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%. 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. 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 It’s a newer version of the original 1968 lager.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. 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.

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. 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. 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 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. 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.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. 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%! 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. 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 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.