My BA friends.... Time for another journey to Europe.... my first was waaaay back in 1980, fwiw! Cross-posting this here and the Netherlands and General Europe forums, btw... Departing Boston tomorrow, 14SEP, and flying to Krakow.... my first visit to Poland. Mainly looking to visit Auschwitz, and hopefully the Schindler Factory Museum and Plaszow.... staying 4 nights.... Overnight train on the 19th to Munich, for a 7-night stay. Oktoberfest beckons, of course, but trips to Andechs, Bamberg, maybe Nürnberg are on the schedule. Lastly, departing on the 27th for Maastricht for 4 nights.... there I'll visit the local pubs and perhaps Amsterdam and Brugge.... I'll try to post updates as I go..... And maybe I'll run into some of y'all! Prost!!
Enjoy your trip! You might consider visiting the Wieliczka Salt Mines as it is near Krakow. When I visited in the 1990s, it was well worth the visit. Auschwitz is sobering to say the least, as the Soviets ensured there were very good exhibits showing the atocities of the Third Reich. I seem to recall the beer wasn't bad either! Enjoy!
Nice travels! Can only offer a note after a recent trip to Amsterdam if you end up there. Great options there. I would highlight Arendsnest Proeflokaal, which was wonderful. It is specialized in the Dutch scene and centrally located. It would be a nice closer to the trip (Bruges too... Been a while since I was there. But there is so much to enjoy in that city.) Cheers
Trip recap.... Day 0/1 (14-15SEP25)... The wife, offspring and I headed out of Nashua NH for a lunch stop at the Yardhouse.... then a drop-off at BOS.... uneventful flight to Copenhagen on SAS... not overly impressed. Easy connection there to Kraków, with on-time arrival. Trained into the city and checked my backpack at the station. Finally made heads and tails of my city orientation and the tram lines. Got to the Schindler Enamel Factory in time for their free-entry Monday. Sobering exhibit.... back to town, got my bag and checked into my Airbnb. 10 minutes from the station, a small apartment. Sweet! Out and snagged some Maczanka for eats... a local take on pulled pork. Tasty! Then found the House of Beer. Had what they called a recently revived, traditional Polish beer called Owsiane Podhalanski... a smoked amber brew. Quite tasty! Had 2x and planned on a 3rd but it kicked! Third round was Podziemie Coffeelicious... a coffee, chocolate milk stout. Pretty good!! Happened to notice that right across the street was a place called Beergallery Luxury, specializing in Belgian brews. Since I love Belgians, thought I'd take a look-see. Well, they had bottles of Gulden Draak 9000, which is an old, very dear friend. What the fuck, Gus! I sez. Was pricey at 35PZL for 0.33l, but damn it tasted good! PS - I had 2! Wasn't too late yet but I called it a night. Was dead tired upon arrival this morn but it somehow never caught up with me! Hit my room and time for Zzzzsss... an excellent first day for my first Polish sojourn.... Prost!!
Dave, I have limited familiarity with the beer styles of Poland. Most of the Polish beer brands I have had were just OK Eurolagers but I have consumed a number of tasty Baltic Porters that were Polish brewed (I have a BIG bottle of Zywiec Baltic Porter in my refrigerator). I am familiar with Grodziskie since I have homebrewed a batch. Any other insights/experiences with ‘traditional’ Polish beers would be appreciated. Na Zdrowie! @Bavarican Jack P.S. In my homebrewing I feature Lubelski (Polish grown Saaz) hops in my annual batches of 1896 Michelob beer. This hop provides an enticing floral aroma/flavor. I would be interested in knowing if you see any beers that feature Tomyski hops which is described as being a revived traditional hop: https://polishhops.com/portfolio/tomyski/
Jack.. The guy at this place said it was something not brewed since before WWII. Unsure if qualifies as a Grodziskie or not... Na Zdrovia
Dave, that is an intriguing question. Since you made mention of “amber” I personally did not think Grodziskie. Below is a photo of my homebrewed Grodziskie which was very pale (almost straw yellow) in color (tough to discern behind the stupid photobucket banner. The eponymous Grodziskie brewed in Poland (as I understand it) is Piwo Grodziskie which as you can see below is also very pale in color. Maybe you will learn more during your continuing adventure(s) in Poland? Na Zdrowie!
Trip recap... Day 2 (16SEP25).. Had a nice, comfy sleep. Freshened up then hit a small store around the corner... milk, muffins, loaf of bread, cheese, salami and more for the next few breakfasts. Out later via tram and walked around the remnants of the Plaszow Labor/Concentration Camp. This is the camp depicted in Schindler's List... Very little remains but if you aren't moved by being there then you're not alive. Done there and back via tram to the old town. Parked at House of Beer for a spell... had a very tasty west coast IPA from Podziemie called Baltic Thunderbolt... afterwards I quaffed a couple of bottles of Bock from Kumpli. Quite tasty! Enough bier, need food. Walked through town to a cafeteria-style place called Pod Temida. Had a plate of the tastiest Pierogi evah, plus some frittes. Damn tasty!! Out and walked around a bit... ended up at Beergallery Luxury, like yesterday. Had a Komes Baltic Porter.. Pretty good overall... done there and one more Kumpli Bock at House of Beer... all set... tram back to my room. Day 2 of Poland is in the books! Na Zdrowie!!
I've never heard of it either but a bit of googling suggests it is made from alder and beechwood smoked oat malt, a rural style from Podhale (which is at the other end of the country from Grodzisk so I doubt there is any relation).
Trip recap...Day3 (17SEP25)... Slept well, grabbed a quick BF in my room, then to the train station. Off for the 65 minute trip to Oswiecim, home to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Death Camp... led around by our very capable guide through Auschwitz I... it was formerly a Polish Army barracks, hence all the buildings are brick and intact. The first gas chambers were experimented with here. Then we bussed over to Birkenau. It's massive... there were a few intact brick barracks here, but the scores and scores of wooden barracks are gone. Just foundations. The 4 gas chambers were blown up by the ****s, but their ruins remain. This was an extremely chilling and sobering visit. Trained back to Krakow... then a tram to my supper destination - a Bierhall type place called Pod Wawelem. A tasty Gulasch soup and a sausage platter were washed down with a couple of pours of Kozel Cerny, a pleasant dark Lager. Made my way to House of Beer again. Tried a Birbant Navaya, a tasty, west coast IPA. Finished with a Birbant Apple Bourbon Aged Barleywine. It was quite tasty, like a liquid apple pie! And that's a wrap for day 3!!
Trip recap...Day 5 (18SEP25)... Up, had BF, went to the train station and got a seat reservation for my overnight train tomorrow to Munich. Then a tram back to the Plaszow Concentration Camp and located the villa in which camp commandant Amon Göth lived. Around the camp, then to a nearby old cemetery before going to Kazimierz, the old Jewish Quarter. Found a nice little Biergarten and first had a Zwyiec IPA. Nothing to write home about. Next a Zwyiec Pale Lager. Decent at best, drinkable. Around a bit more. Stopped at a pub called Klub Wodka... there had a tasty Fortuna Czarne Miodome Ciemne... a slightly honeyish amber bier.... Back to the old town where I had a supper of Goulasch with potatoes and a side of frittes. Then to a nearby brewpub called Tea Time. Had a variety of brews, all on cask/hand-pull. Tried a Grodziskie, a Polish smoked wheat beer. Honestly? It was watery and nasty. Next was an IPA which was semi-decent.... Trammed over to House of Beer to end the night. Had some more of the Birbant Navaya and Birbant Apple Barleywine... both of which I had earlier on my stay.... One more day here then overnight tomorrow to Munich.... Cheers!!
Trip recap.... Day 5 (19SEP25)... Now day 5! Last entry was day 4... ;-) Had breakfast then packed my bags. Out and to the station where I stored my backpack in a locker. Then a tram to the Ghetto area from WWII. Have 1 still existing section of the Ghetto wall... To the Jewish Quarter where I had a tasty local treat called Zapiekanki... like a French bread pizza with your choice of toppings. I had chicken, jalapeños, cheese and Andalouse sauce. Damn good! Around Wawel castle then to the Old Town. Stopped at a brewpub called Bierhalle. Had a litre of their tasty amber lager called Marcowe. Then a 1/2 of a so-so APA. Was entertained by a group of Brits out on a stag party pub crawl. Next, a supper of great Pierogi and frittes hit the spot! Got a few souvenirs then to House of Beer... Started with a Nieczjana IPA... not bad... finished the evening with 2x Kumpli Bocks.... Really enjoyed House of Beer!! Out of there.... got my bag at the station and boarded an overnight train to Munich.... in 12 hours I'll be back in Bavaria... Prost!! PS - follow along for the Germany portion here: https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/heading-back-again-to-germany.681538/
