Running from October 13th to October 15th, the latest installment of Poland’s premier craft beer festival will see over 1,200 beers poured from 500 taps. Priced from PLN 20 (for single entry) to PLN 39 (3-day pass), the festival will again take place in Legia’s sprawling hospitality lounges.

Beer aside, it’ll also present street food vendors, arcade games, workshops, lectures and panels. Set to attract over 20,000 visitors, it’s an event that simply can’t be missed – and as such, it would remiss of us if we did not use the opportunity to once more wheel out our ever timeless cheat sheet compiled in collaboration with the festival’s head honcho, Paweł Leszczyński…

Thursday
That’s beer geek day! It’s for those that are ready to take time off work to be the first to try the new beers. With everyone rested, it’s also the best time to chat with the brewers.

Friday
That’s when we all become one and the stadium become a giant party pub! It’s when the brewers really to try to show-off and present their best beer and snacks. It’s all about great people and great atmosphere!

Saturday
Much slower – great for hanging out with your family. Some beers will already have been finished off, but hey, you’ll still have around 350 others to choose from.

First-timer?
Paweł  says: “Bring your mates and find the dream beer that suits your taste. Treat it as a game: you have limited time, limited resources and dwindling control of your senses. Don’t drink excessively, but explore. Talk to people: staff, other guests, etc. Think of them as your guides on this epic journey of discovery!”

Argh… Queues!
Big queues suggest something unique that’s unavailable elsewhere. Will it be worth it? Well, that depends on personal taste, but those people aren’t standing in line just for the sake of it. Top tip: queues pass quicker when you’re already holding a beer!

Etiquette…
“Don’t do anything you wouldn’t do in a normal pub,” says Paweł. “Really, it’s nothing different from real life: trust your senses, be nice to others, have fun and don’t make things hard on yourself by being an asshole.”

What’s On Tap?
For the full list, CLICK ME!

Special Events
Reflecting the international spirit, a series of English-language workshops and lectures have also been planned, among these a beer sensory workshop on Friday at 6 p.m. (first floor), and two lectures at 6.30 p.m. and 7.30 p.m. on Saturday that will detail ‘the top Polish craft beers to try this season’, and also ‘the six legendary Polish beers you can’t miss’.

Glass or Plastic?
Plastic ain’t cool! They’ve got a limited number of special edition handmade glasses that haven’t just been designed to look good, but to also straighten out the fruity, hoppy aromas in a beer. Remember, rinse the glass before the next beer.

I’ve Got Kids!
No problem, say the organizers. According to them: “Children up to the age of 18 can enter for free. There is only one rule: they must not drink ANY beer for which their guardians are directly responsible.”

What About My Dog?
Again, they’re welcome, so long as they don’t mind large crowds. It’s a beer festival Einstein, so expect lots of people staggering about, some in spectacular states of drunkenness.

Merch
The official festival glass aside, look out for other gadgets, gizmos and keepsakes: among them, festival socks, t-shirts, tote bags, pin badges and water bottles.

Strategy
There’s many to pick from: “personally,” says Paweł, “I prefer to start with light, refreshing, sour beers before moving onto stronger ones in the evening. It’s important to clean the palette from time to time with fruity / acidic beer and to drink water regularly.”

Bloody Sunday…
So says Paweł: “I’m a hangover specialist! You’ve got to start working on the cure during the festival by drinking plenty of water and ensuring you’ve eaten – avoid heavy food. Take breaks between drinking and give some time between boozing and going to bed. Next day, avoid deep-fried or unhealthy foods, instead choose fish or eggs. Get plenty of Vitamin C inside you and… fresh garlic: that really helps your organism, especially after craft beer. Avoid grapefruit juice and only take aspirin if you really need think you need it.”

WARSAW BEER FESTIVAL

Legia Stadium

warszawskifestiwalpiwa.pl