Where does Poland rank in terms of beer production?

Poland is the 3rd largest beer producing country in Europe. Only Germany and the United Kingdom produce more beer.

How many breweries are there in Poland?

There are over 100 different breweries in Poland, varying in size from the international mega-breweries such as Żywiec and Okocim (producing up to 6mln hectolitres beer annually) through to smaller independent breweries (producing as little as around 10 hectolitres each year).

How many beers are produced in Poland?

There are over 1,000 different beers brewed in Poland. The number of different beers available is currently increasing as breweries continue to expand their range and introduce new beers to the market. In theory, the choice of beers that you could drink from all these different brewers is huge. However, what is produced is not the same as what is available. In recent times it was rare that you could get a chance to try anything different than a product from one of the bigger international brewers.

Which brands dominate the Polish market?

Most of the top selling beers in Poland are produced by one of the big 3 international brewing companies:

SAB Miller (Kompania Piwowarska) controls about 45% of the Polish beer market. Their flagship brands include Tyskie, Lech and Zubr.

Heineken (Grupa Zywiec SA) controls about 35% of the market. Its flagship brands include Zywiec, Warka, Leżajsk, Tatra, Brackie and Zywiec Porter and Heineken.

Carlsberg (Carlsberg Polska) controls about 14% of the market, with flagships brands Okocim, Kasztelan, Harnaś, Piast, Karmi, Książ, Bosman and Carlsberg.

Source of Beer Statistics: 2009 report by Ernst & Young.