Drinks in Poland

It was fun to taste the variety of drinks and juices offered in a different region of the world. During many of our meals, we were offered a pitcher of a traditional Polish juice called Kompot. Kompot is a fruit juice served with fresh fruit in the drink. In Poland, the most popular fruits are apples, cherries, strawberries and pears. I enjoyed tasting the different types of Kompot, and particularly the pieces of fresh fruit at the bottom of the glass. My personal favorite was the peach kompot.

I also had the opportunity to taste a variety of Polish beers. During some of our free time, I chose to walk around Old Town Krakow and check out a few of the local pubs. One of my favorites was a bar called House of Beer - Krakow: Strona Glowna. This pub was a unique looking spot tucked away on a quiet side street. I went to this bar mid-day, while a few locals watched the soccer game on the small TV mounted on the wall. The bar had around 50-60 Polish beers on tap, and a few dozen offered in bottles and cans. After talking with the bartender for a few minutes, I found out that Poland has a strong history of beer and is actually Europe's third largest beer producer. Poles take pride in their beer, and after I had the chance to taste a few, I understand why. The most popular Polish beers are Zywiec, Okocim, and Tyskie. Together, these three breweries make up approximately 80% of the beer produced in Poland. There is also a large number of microbrews in Poland. which are also definitely worth trying. One of the most interesting beers I had the chance to try was called Wrzoskaw. Wrzoskaw was a raspberry sour beer, something I had never heard of before. I was pleasantly surprised at the taste, and highly recommend it! Cheers!