Wrocław is known as The Polish City of Beer, and for good reason.
Home to some of the earliest brewery sites in the country, the city has always enjoyed a favourable geographic position between Germany and Czech. For this reason, Bavarian Wheat Beer is just as inherent to Wrocław's brewing traditions as Czech Pilsner. Dating all the way back to medieval times, beer has been lucrative trade in Wrocław; so much so in fact, that in the 14th century the local city government and the church had set up breweries on their own premises. This actually sparked a sort-of turf war in 1380, where both sides vied for control of the market, and ultimately people were killed in violent brawls.The Polish beer industry sadly experienced a significant drop in the 19th and 20th centuries, prompting the flooding of vodka into the market as a cheap reliable alternative to the unimpressive beers that were being churned out of state-owned breweries. However, following democratic change and a conversion to capitalism in 1989, the industry was reinvigorated by possibilities coming from the west and, after 30-odd years, beer has finally returned to its reigning position. Combining a rich brewing tradition with Wrocław's young, creative environment has made the city the ideal spot to sample craft beer in Poland.
Local Breweries & Beer from Wrocław
As craft beer culture has exploded in Poland in the past 10 years, today there's healthy competition between the city's modern microbreweries and numerous craft beer pubs for who draws in the biggest crowds (not who can put the most heads on stakes). When it comes to local beer, here are the most important names you need to know (and try):Browar Stu Mostów: an excellent award-winning brewery/brewpub just over the Warszawski Bridge northeast of the city centre. In Wrocław Old Town you can visit their flagship multitap bar on ul. Świdnicka - Browar Stu Mostów na Świdnickiej, and also find their ales in numerous local bars and shops.
Doctor Brew: a local brewery whose flagship pub Doctor's Bar can be found on ul. Św. Mikołajska.
Widawa Brewery: Also keep your eyes peeled for beers from this local label in Wrocław's bar and shops; their brewery is located just east of Wrocław.
Of course Wrocław has several other microbreweries (and we list them all here), including three right on the market square: Browar Złoty Pies, Bierhalle (with franchises around PL), and the famous Spiż Brewery - known perhaps more today for its beer garden than the quality of its beer.
No matter where you are in Wrocław, you won't have to look far to find delicious Polish craft beer. Below we list the city's most notable multitap bars and craft beer culture spots. If you're a beer fanatic looking for a specific brew, or just have to know exactly what's on draught in each of Wrocław'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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