Last summer, for the first time, I visited the museum at Zwierzyniec Brewery. As a local, I’d been to Zwierzyniec countless times, but I always assumed the brewery had been taken over by Perła, a large beer manufacturer that, in my mind, had probably wiped out all the history and flavour. I was convinced there was nothing worth seeing—or tasting. Back in high school, we wouldn’t touch Zwierzyniec beer. Why would we? It was just Perła with a different label.
But now, as the proud owner of Sosnowy Taras and Wóz Działy, I’ve been making more of an effort to explore local attractions. There’s an old Polish saying: "You praise the foreign without knowing your own," and I think it holds some truth. Until recently, I probably knew more about sights in Croatia than the ones in my own backyard.
One sunny morning, my mum and I set off to Zwierzyniec, making a short stop in Guciów to admire the Konik Polski. Forty minutes later, we stepped into the brewery—about which, it turns out, I knew absolutely nothing.
First off, it’s just a museum now. The beautiful old heritage building is no longer used for production; beer is brewed in a modern facility nearby. But don’t worry—you can still grab a pint in the original building at the end of the tour.
Tours are guided and scheduled, so check the timings before you visit. I learned this the hard way after two failed attempts—missing the tours and not wanting to wait another two hours for the next one.
A Bit of History
The brewery was built by the Zamoyski family, who, at the time, were probably the most powerful family in Poland. To this day, I’m still trying to figure out why none of them became king. (For context—Poland no longer has a monarchy, and after WWII, when the system changed, the state took over the factory, as it did with pretty much everything. This often led to things being stolen or sold off.) Eventually, the brewery was privatised and has remained in private hands ever since. Naturally, the Zamoyski family wants it back—but that’s tricky, considering the state already got its money from selling it.
Interestingly, the most famous Zamoyski—Jan, Hetman Wielki Koronny—did not build the brewery. It was one of his successors. This surprised me, as they kind of teach you that everything old around here exists thanks to him. Turns out, that’s not entirely true.
A Tour Worth Taking
So, is the tour worth it? I’d say yes. It won’t knock your socks off, but I did learn a few things—like the fact that the wild hops growing around Wóz Działy can’t be used to make beer. Even more surprising, if I wanted to plant proper beer-making hops (yes, it’s the same species, but you need female plants), I’d have to get rid of all the wild male hops in a several-mile radius. Apparently, once hops are pollinated, they’re useless for brewing. Who knew?
On the plus side, I found out you can eat young hop shoots in spring, similar to asparagus. And they’re supposedly worth a fortune.
Beer, Beer, and More Beer
Now, about the beer itself. Zwierzyniec Brewery produces two beers for commercial sale outside the brewery:
1. Zwierzyniec – Sold in 0.33L bottles, made using the original water source and an older recipe. It’s so much better than the other one. You can only find it in the region.
2. Zwierzynieckie – Mass-produced using tap water. I’d never even noticed they were different beers.
On-site, you can also buy two more types of beer, which you can either drink in the beer garden and pub or take home in a bottle. Weirdly, they use plastic bottles—but hey, I’m not their finance director.
Part of the tour includes a beer tasting. I was driving, so I couldn’t fully indulge, but from what I saw, there wasn’t much of a limit on how much you could pour yourself. Definitely an Instagram opportunity.
Zwierzyniec Brewery isn’t some small, trendy craft brewery, but it’s worth a visit. Even if you’re not keen on walking through rooms full of old, unused equipment, just head straight to the pub and enjoy a pint. And if you’ve got an unlucky designated driver, grab them a bottle—just make sure you buy Zwierzyniec, not Zwierzynieckie, so they can enjoy the real deal later.
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