What’s better than drinking beer? How about celebrating beer? There are plenty of places around the globe that turn our favourite beverage into full-on parties; Oktoberfest in Munich is of course the big one, but there’s also lesser known ones in almost every destination you can think of! There’s Pilsner Fest near Prague, the Craft Beer Festival in New York City, La Paris Beer Week, and Toronto Beer Week. It’s always Beer O’Clock somewhere, right?
In Poland, there are three annual events that every Polish beer lover looks forward to, all of them in or near Krakow and dedicated to celebrating the best local beers. If you’re a beer fan with Krakow in your travel plans, get yourself to one of these awesome Polish beer festivals!
Do you know your Polish beers? One of these is not like the others.
Krakow Beer Festival (Krakowski Festiwal Piwa)
Late May. This is one of the biggest beer events in Poland, started five years ago to promote original Polish regional beers, as well as to educate beer fans about traditional brewing techniques. During the festival, participants can sample about 40 different types of beer, some of them with memorable names like the Black Cat or the Bison.
Birofilia Festival at Żywiec Brewery
Third weekend of June. The program of this festival near Krakow includes beer contests as well as brewing demonstrations and tours of the great Żywiec Brewery Museum. Local guides take visitors travelling back in time as they learn about the interesting history of the home of Poland’s most famous beer: Żywiec.
Krakow Wreaths Festival (Krakowski Festiwal Wianki)
June 21. This holiday is named after the pre-Christian tradition of making wreaths and celebrating summer solstice, the longest day of the year — but it’s also a perfect time for beer tasting! In Krakow, breweries are among main sponsors of this huge event, and beer is available all night long. What could be more pleasant then drinking cold beer on the bank of the Vistula River on a hot summer’s night?!
Thirsty for Krakow now? We’ve got you covered!
Poland’s “Big Bear” beer tastes like mountains and stars“Let’s reach higher.” That’s what Agnieszka Łopata and Andrzej Czech said to each other one day before they moved from the city of Krakow to the wildest Polish mountains, the Bieszczady, which run along the southeast of Poland through Ukraine and Slovakia.
After all, there could be no better location for a creative, environmental engineer from Krakow and a native highlander with a PhD in renewable energy to launch a brewery.
They followed a path shown to them by the Ursa Maior (Big Bear) constellation, which led them straight to a small, isolated village called Uherce Mineralne — where eventually they created a regional brewery named after that same constellation.
Of course, all this did not happen overnight. It took years of hard work and sacrifice. It’s hard to believe that these two enthusiasts went from living in a tent in 2004 to running a brewery. And back then, neither of them had even thought about producing beer.
Bottles inspired by the Bear | Photo by Ursa Maior Brewery
Historians say beer was first discovered by accident, in ancient Mesopotamia, and the same miracle happened with Ursa Maior. Agnieszka Łopata, the founder and head of Ursa Maior Brewery, started her beer adventure by buying a small brew kit for home production off the internet. Everything that happened later was a fairy tale and an avalanche of events. Domestic brewing in the bathroom and kitchen was so inspiring that after a few years, her brewing became the well-known Bieszczady Beer Factory, where the ancient song of the mountains can co-exist with modern brewing technology.
The rules imposed by the legendary Bear were, from the beginning, very simple: everything must be local and ethical. This philosophy is not limited to just brewing; even the beer boxes are made in a nearby mill with waste wood, and the property’s grass is left to grow freely so as not to disturb its wild inhabitants. Ursa Maior is also a promoter of local artists, especially those inspired by the art of iconography and mountain music, and hosts many regional initiatives from concerts to art exhibits.
Ursa Maior beer is a unique product made by passionate locals, and is strictly connected to the Bieszczady region. And while you can try it on location in the brewery, you can also find it in plenty of local shops around Poland — as well as in the Ursa Maior pub and store in Krakow’s Kazimierz district, where you can buy bottles inspired by the Bieszczady area.
Want to try it for yourself? Our Made In Krakow tour takes travellers to the Ursa Maior pub to sample some of their beers, alongside tasting boards. If you close your eyes, you’ll maybe even get a sense of the vast wilds of the mountains in every sip. Plus, part of the revenue from beer sales goes back to conservation efforts in the Bieszczady region. Beer with a story and for a good cause? Pour us another one, please.
Best places to drink in KrakowRaise a glass at some of the best-loved local pubs and unique watering holes in Krakow. Here are some of the best places to drink in Krakow, where you can sample regional beers and Polish vodka, or hang out in a true sailors’ tavern.
Ursa Maior pub
Inspired by the Ursa Maior (Big Bear) constellation, Ursa Maior beer is a unique product made by passionate locals, and is connected to the wild Bieszczady region. And while you can try it on location at the brewery, you can also find it in the Ursa Maior pub and store in Krakow’s Kazimierz district.
Our Made In Krakow tour takes travellers to the Ursa Maior pub to sample the beers. If you close your eyes, you’ll maybe even get a sense of the vast wilds of the mountains in every sip. Plus, part of the revenue from beer sales goes back to conservation efforts in the Bieszczady region. Beer with a story and for a good cause? Pour us another one, please. 10 Wolnica Square.
This beer is inspired by the Ursa Maior constellation | Photo by Krakow Urban Tours
Bonobo
A visit to Bonobo will leave you feeling like a better world exists. While you can come to listen to great music while enjoying a cup of coffee and a vegan cookie, it’s best to sample one of the many regional beers Bonobo serves. The Red and Black Cat strong lagers are worth trying. Enjoy a drink in the hidden garden, or at the bar while debating social issues with Bibi (Bonobo’s barman and one of the most recognisable locals in the city). Interesting meetings, concerts and discussions take place almost every night. All of this surrounded by important and valuable books from around the world, sold in the bookstore which is an integral part of the place. 4 Small Market Square.
Mleczarnia
Mleczarnia actually consists of three venues — and every single one is amazing. There’s a regular pub, with a nice interior just behind the corner of the famous New Square. There’s also a great summer garden located nearby in the middle of the courtyard, where Spielberg filmed Schindler’s List. Finally, what I like best: a hidden cafe at the bottom of the Centre for Jewish Culture, connected with the roof garden. You get panoramic views of the whole Kazimierz neighbourhood from there, and the best part is that so few tourists know about it.
READ: A local’s guide to Kazimierz, Krakow
Krakow Urban Adventures ends our food tour here with a piece of a nut cake (a local specialty) and we say goodbye in the Polish way — meaning everyone enjoys a shot of Bison vodka. If you’re a fan of strong liquors and vodkas, Mleczarnia is an ideal place for you. Besides Zubrowka (Bison vodka), they also have a good selection of flavoured Soplica vodkas. Try the cherry flavour, and maybe order a taxi in advance, as Polish vodka is strong. You won’t win a drinking competition with the locals! 17 Meiselsa Street.
Alchemia
Fair warning: they don’t like hordes of tourists at Alchemia, so either go alone or with a few friends, not with some 30 people following behind. It’s a super cool place to have a local beer or coffee, with the interior made to resemble a private home set in the past. Vintage furniture, a doorway made out of a wardrobe, candles and old family portraits on the walls create a cosy atmosphere. Come to listen to live music in the hidden basement. If you like modern jazz, you won’t be disappointed. 5 Estery Street.
Raise a glass at Piwnica pod Baranami in Krakow | Photo by Krakow Urban Tours
Piwnica pod Baranami
An amazing place connected with the cabaret of the same name, Piwnica pod Baranami was created as an antidote to the communist country by founder, Piotr Skrzynecki. The spirit of Piwnica pod Baranami (Cellar under the Rams) is reflected in the words of the artist himself, “We are an island in the sea of bestiality, drabness, stupidity, villainy, cynicism, intolerance and violence.” The cabaret exists to this day, with performances taking place every Sunday. On other days, you can see different types of performances and concerts, and on Wednesdays, dance the tango.
READ: Forget the folk songs; in Poland, locals dance the tango
During the day, grab a craft beer, wine or vodka, along with typical Polish paluszki (similar to pretzel sticks) and admire the original decor, including pictures from old performances and stage props. It’s also worth listening to the lyrics of the original songs, although they are sung mainly in Polish. The songs reflect the atmosphere of the place and will persuade you to stop and pause for a moment. 27 Rynek Główny.
Stary Port
Walk five minutes from the Rynek Główny (Main Market Square) and find yourself in totally different reality. Stary Port (Old Harbour) is a true sailors’ tavern, situated on the outskirts of the medieval university district of Krakow. The stunning interior is all about sailing and cruises; the taven is decorated with old maps and navigation tools, and serves alcohol strong enough for any sea-goer. Each February, the Stary Port pub hosts the International Shanties Festival. There’s always plenty of live music events and sailors’ meetings at other times of the year. Why does a sailor’s tavern exist in the middle of a city connected by mountains, with no access to the sea? Don’t ask. This is Krakow, where magic is in the air. 27 Straszewskiego Street.