Launched in May 2013, Cześć began life as a neighborhood café bar with an accent on quirky, regional brews. Over time, however, it has morphed into something else: a cult ‘mini-tap’ renowned for its friendly welcome and experimental Polish beers. Piotrek Ptaszyński, one half of the team behind it, gives his thoughts on the beers of Poland.

“I’d probably go for Artezan as my favorite brewery, I like nearly every beer they’ve ever made. Of the lesser known ones, Browar Podgórz is great – I think my favorite brewery this year. Every beer they make is exciting. It’s all made by just one guy and the quality is amazing.”

“In terms of design I loved Deep Love by AleBrowar and Nogne O. And the beer was great as well: strong, complex and a mix of different tastes and flavors. It was made using West Coast hops, Belgian yeast and rye malt – an interesting combination.”

“I’d rather drink a glass of water than have one of the low-cost beers from the three big breweries in Poland. Even though the craft beer revolution hadn’t began when we opened, we knew from the start we didn’t want anything to do with the principal breweries.”

“I’m not a guy who suffers much from hangovers. Of course, the easiest solution the next day is a beer, but that’s not a good thing to do. I recommend getting rid of the poisons with spicy food like a good Indian vindaloo, some sweaty physical work and then a cold shower. After that you can have a beer.”

“For a long time my favorite beer was Pacific, it felt like Poland’s first perfect beer. This year, I’d say my top choice is Spacesheep: it’s light, hoppy and very drinkable. But it’s impossible to choose a favorite, we’re getting at least one good beer a week now in Warsaw.”