Region & History

Where does Grodziskie come from? From Grodzisk Wielkopolski, a small town southwest of Poznań in Greater Poland, the heartland of the medieval Polish state. Under Prussian administration the town was called Grätz, which is why older German sources refer to Grätzer beer. The Polish name says it more simply: beer from Grodzisk.

As early as 1601, the town's maltsters and brewers drew up regulations to protect the quality and reputation of their beer. Under these rules, the mayor had to taste the beer together with the council elders. Anyone caught cheating lost the right to brew forever.

The beer was light, clear and highly carbonated, which earned it the nickname "Polish champagne." According to Polish sources, at its peak it was exported to 37 countries. In 1922 the town's breweries were merged into a single company, the Zjednoczone Browary Grodziskie.

After the Second World War, the communist state nationalized the brewing industry. The last remaining operation passed to Lech after 1989 and was shut down in 1993, reportedly because it was no longer profitable. For the first time in centuries, the beer had vanished from its hometown.

Its revival came from the grassroots. In 2011 the Polish Homebrewers Association launched the "Grodziskie Redivivus" project to redefine the style, and in 2015, after 23 years, the brewery in Grodzisk reopened as Browar Grodzisk. Grodziskie has no EU protected designation of origin, so recreations also come from other Polish craft breweries.