Polish Beer

Polish Beer

There are 70 breweries in Poland (including 27 microbreweries). Most breweries in Poland are named after the city in which they were founded. Following World War II, after centuries of financial independence, most breweries were nationalized under the communist regime. After the collapse of the Soviet empire, market economy was introduced and many international beer companies moved in, and a period of consolidation followed. Poland might be considered a beer market with a high degree of enterprise concentration: three companies control 86% of the market share. Some traditional Polish beers (Polish: piwo) are Żywiec, Tyskie and Okocim although Polish tastes have greatly expanded, as shown in the introduction of porters and flavored beers (like the Karmi brand from Okocim).

In Poland, the growing popularity of beer from small breweries regional, grouped in the Association of Polish Regional Breweries (Stowarzyszenie Regionalnych Browarów Polskich) and with contracted brewerys. The beer produced by large corporations are losing popularity.