Polish beer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Beer has always been important for Poles.It is said that one Polish ruler (prince Leszek I the White), encouraged by the Pope to take part in a crusade, refused because, as he wrote to the Pope, the holy land has no beer.
Traditional Polish beer (Polish: Piwo) is usually pilsener, lager or porter. The most popular Polish brands are Żywiec, Okocim, EB, Lech, Leżajsk, Tyskie, Królewskie, and Warka.
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[edit] Polish beer industry
According to a 2006 Ernst & Young report, the Polish beer industry is among Europe's leaders, being the continent's fifth-largest market and the tenth largest in the world. It is also one of the fastest-growing markets. The market grows at the rate of 3-5% per year, much above the EU average.
Polish brewers made more than 30 hectoliters of beer in 2005, or 7% of the entire European production volume. Statistically, a Pole drinks some 80 liters of beer a year, which is the EU average, but domestic producers believe beer consumption is likely to grow to 100 liters per person a year, which is the consumption level recorded in Germany and the Czech Republic.
In 2005, breweries paid some PLN 2.5bn in excise taxes and a total of PLN 6bn in all types of taxes to the state and local budgets.
[edit] Foreign investment
Heineken owned Żywiec, SABMiller owned Kompania Piwowarska, and Carlsberg owned Okocim control a total of 85% of the Polish market. Foreign investors have so far invested about EUR 1bn in Poland and relocated some of their production to the country, thanks to which Polish beer exports, mostly sold under flagship international brands, rose to 3% of the total production volume in 2005.
