Food & Beer Culture

In Kraków, a bowl of Żurek goes with beer — a sour soup made from fermented rye flour with sausage and egg, often served in a hollowed-out loaf of bread. The acidity and smoky sausage call for a beer that isn't too sweet. A pale lager suits it better than a heavy Porter.

Bigos is the classic for cold days: sauerkraut and fresh cabbage, slow-braised with meat and sausage. The longer it simmers, the better it tastes, and a dark beer picks up the dish's roasted notes. Pierogi — dumplings filled with potato and curd cheese, cabbage, or meat — belong alongside it.

From the mountains comes Oscypek, a smoked sheep's milk cheese from Podhale, south of Lesser Poland. It's grilled and eaten with cranberry preserve. Sweet cranberry, smoke, and salt pair well with a Porter, whose roast aroma mirrors the smokiness.

On the streets of Kraków, people eat Obwarzanek krakowski, a twisted ring of yeast dough that's boiled and then baked, along with Zapiekanka from Plac Nowy in the Kazimierz district. For dessert, Sernik, Kraków-style cheesecake, pairs nicely with Porter.

Poland also has beer with a dash of fruit syrup, called piwo z sokiem. Many beer halls, known as piwiarnia, also pour craft beer from small breweries. A large beer is usually 0.5 liters. A Porter at around 9 percent alcohol, given its strength, tends to be drunk slowly and in small amounts.