Franconian Beer Message Board

OT: Poland

Posted by Jason on 2014-04-23 11:20:10

Just back from 4 days in Poland, split 2 in Torun and 2 in Poznan. For anyone interested in great beer and two contrasting yet fascinating cities, I would recommend a visit. Torun is mostly famous for being the birthplace of Nicholas Copernicus and has a number of worthwhile monuments to him, but it is also a beautifully conserved medieval city, in it's original layout and untouched by the war. It's main architectural claim to fame is the abundent red brick Gothic buildings which are really very impressive. It is a small city, roughly the size of Bambergs altstadt, easily enjoyed in a day, though it has a great beer bar and a beer shop to warrent an overnight stay. Poznan is much larger and has a lot less in the sense of beautiful buildings, though it's rynek (main square) is a real highlight. It is also a more vibrant vity with a University population and a great bar scene.

Polish beer is enjoying the green shoots of a brewing rennaissance similar to the other, less well-known brewing countries of Europe and the world, with a growing number of microbreweries producing American and British style beers using new world hops etc etc. Personally I enjoy as much the more traditional Baltic Porters, huge beers of 7-9% alcohol, dark, rich and dangerously drinkable. The more traditional Polish styles (mainly pale lager style beers) can be hit or miss. As Polish beer isn't as exported as some it is difficult to choose the right brewery and beer without some preperation. Either way there are a large variety of beers from across the world in both of these cities well worth exploring.

Torun has Krajina Piwa, an underground bar with 4-5 beers on tap but 4 fridges bursting with Polish beer, very strong on Baltic Porter, but also carrying progressive breweries Pinta, Ale Browar, Kormoron and local brewery Olimp. Poznan has 4 or 5 excellent bars, but 2 of them are really special. Amore Di Tropica is an underground bar that is also associated with superb beer shop Centralia Piwa. I had an unfiltered and unpasteurised 12 degree from Pivovar Rychnov (Czech) on tap which was excellent. They also carried a number of Polish mircos and more traditional beers on draft and bottle. The Setka pub nearby has 16 beers on tap and a huge range of bottles, both local and from across the world. It is also a really good pub with an atmosphere to rival the best I've been in.

Poland may not be everyone's idea of a holiday destination but if you like beer, history and maybe something a bit different, it's a reasonably cheap long weekend. Good beer sits at around £1.80 a 0.5l, but that's the top end. Hotels are cheap as are local restaurants. Krakow is a must visit for beer and history, but heavy tourism can be a drag in high season. I would thoroughly recommend Torun and Poznan, plus Gdansk is equally beer friendly and has a history to match.

OT: Poland by johnratcliffe on 2014-04-23 13:24:54