Poznań, as with Poland at large, spent a good part of the 20th century relying on a bland mass-market of Communist-era beers, a fact of life that drove many locals into a different bottle - vodka and bimber (Polish Moonshine). That all changed in the new millennium (around the year 2010), when a tidal wave of locally-produced craft beers washed into the major centers. Thus, today in Poznań, you'll find numerous brew pubs, microbreweries, multitap bars and bottle shops preaching a crafty gospel.
After years of boring beers, cheers to diversity!
Local Breweries & Beers from Poznań
Of course, when it comes to Poznań beer, one name looms large and that's Lech - the city's major label beer, which is practically ubiquitous around town thanks to its sponsorship of the local football side. That being said, there are other options that far exceed it in every regard, and we mention it here more as a courtesy.
In case you didn't realise, it's worth noting that Poznań features a large brewery right in its city centre, which plays an indelible role in the city's cultural life. Although no longer a site for the brewing of beer, Poznań's Stary Browar (Old Brewery) is certainly a great place to enjoy one; the redeveloped 19th-century Hugger Brewery is today an essential destination for art, shopping, drinking and dining.
Although Stary Browar has moved on from beer production in its modern incarnation, the redevelopment of Stare Koszary - a 19th century complex of brick military barracks west of Poznań's centre - includes the city's new premier brew pub - Ułan Brewery. In addition to brewing their own range of award-winning old school and new wave brews on-site, Ułan also features delicious locally-inspired pub grub, two stages for concerts and events, six billiards tables and plenty of teles for watching sports. Taking a more international bend, Rozlewnia sports a great selection of beers that you’ve never heard of, shipped in from Ukraine, Lithuania, and the Czech Republic!
A small selection of Rozlewnia international beer selection in Poznań.
There is plenty of good beer to go around, as the immediate region surrounding Poznań is loaded with small but excellent craft breweries. One of the absolute best in the entire country is Browar Golem; though a contract brewery, the label is based in Poznań and their vast and diverse portfolio of beers can be found in most shops and many multitaps in Poznań.
Just northwest of Poznań is Browar Sady, which produces craft beers for a number of brands, as well as under their own name. Keep an eye out for Browar Moczybroda and Tey! beers, which are also produced locally in Sady. Finally, Browar Za Miastem is a Poznań brewery near the airport whose large portfolio of craft beers enjoys widespread distribution, particularly in major supermarkets like Carrefour, Lidl, Kaufland and Auchan.
If you're a beer fanatic looking for a specific brand or brew, or just have to know exactly what's on draught in each of Poznań's multitap pubs, there's actually a website and app for that: ontap.pl - further proof that Poland's beer culture is headier than ever. Na zdrowie!
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