Tyskie
Polish pale lager brewed in Tychy since 1629.
Tyskie is a Polish beer brand from the Tychy Brewery, located in the Upper Silesian town of Tychy. The brewery was established in 1629. Today, the brand is owned by Kompania Piwowarska, a Polish brewing group that has been part of Asahi Breweries since 2017. Its flagship product is Tyskie Gronie, a pale lager.
Beer has been brewed in Tychy without interruption for nearly 400 years. From 1629, the brewery—then called the "Fürstliche Brauerei Tichau" (Princely Brewery Tychy)—was owned by the noble von Promnitz family. In 1861, it became known as the "Fürstliche Brauerei in Tichau" and came under the management of the German princely House of Pless. Between 1918 and 1939, the brewery merged with nearby competitors but was placed under provisional Polish state administration from 1934 due to unpaid taxes. During World War II, the occupying authorities took over its management.
In its early days, the brewery made three types of beer: mailings, yeast, and tableware. Only the high-quality beer was sold; the other two were a beer allowance consumed mainly by brewers and their families. By the early 1800s, the brewery produced just two beverages: beer and Bavarian malt, both top-fermenting. The Bavarian malt was brown, sweet, and low-hopped. The standard favorite was a dark, weak beer meant for immediate drinking. After the brewery expanded in the 1800s and introduced bottom-fermenting methods, it began producing Tyskie lager, a relatively short Bavarian beer. The first light beers were sold under the Książęce brand. In the interwar period, popular Tyskie brands included Książęce Tyskie Pilsen, Książęce Tyskie Export, Książęce Tyskie Beer full, and Tyskie Porter.
In 2009, Tyskie accounted for 18% of the Polish beer market. The brand has a large export network through its parent company. The main export brand is Tyskie Gronie, a 5.0% pale lager (5.2% ABV when produced by Tychy Brewery Princely). For the UK market, Tyskie Gronie (5.0% ABV) is also brewed and canned by the Grolsche brewery in Enschede, Netherlands, and imported by Asahi UK Ltd.
Tyskie bottle labels feature a royal crown, commemorating King John III Sobieski of Poland, who was born in 1629—the same year the von Promnitz family founded the brewery in Tychy.
In 2004, the Tyskie Brewing Museum opened on the brewery premises in Tychy.
Quick Facts
- Abv
- 5.2 % (5% in the UK)
- Manufacturer
- Tyskie Browary Książęce (Tychy Princely Brewery)
- Style
- Pale lager
- Distributor
- Asahi Group Holdings
- Origin
- Poland
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Beer has been produced in Tychy continuously for almost 400 years. From 1629, the brewery, then known in German as the 'Fürstliche Brauerei Tichau' (Princely Brewery Tychy), was in the ownership of the noble family von Promnitz. From 1861, the brewery became known as the 'Fürstliche Brauerei in Tichau' and came under the management of the German princely House of Pless. Between 1918 and 1939, the brewery merged with neighbouring competing companies, but came under provisional administration of the Polish state intermittently from 1934 due to unpaid taxes. During World War II, the brewery was put under the management of the occupying authorities.
In its beginnings, the brewery produced three kinds of beer: mailings, yeast and tableware. Only the high quality beer was intended for sale. In the early nineteenth century the brewery produced only two beverages: beer and Bavarian malt, both top-fermenting. After the expansion of the brewery in the nineteenth century and the introduction of bottom-fermenting, they started to produce Tyskie lager. The first beers were light and sold under the Książęce brand. In the interwar period, popular brands included Książęce Tyskie Pilsen, Export, Beer full, and Tyskie Porter.
Reader's Guide
Tyskie holds a significant place in Polish brewing as a brand with nearly 400 years of continuous production in Tychy. Its main export brand, Tyskie Gronie, is a 5.0% pale lager (5.2% ABV in some markets) and is also brewed and canned by the Grolsche brewery in Enschede, Netherlands, for the UK market, imported by Asahi UK Ltd. The brand's bottle labels depict a royal crown commemorating King John III Sobieski, who was born in 1629, the same year the von Promnitz family established the brewery. Tyskie sales accounted for 18% of the Polish market in 2009, and it has a large export distribution through its parent company. The Tyskie Brewing Museum was founded on the brewery premises in 2004. The brand has received multiple international honors, including the Gold Medal and Grand Prix at the Brewing Industry International Awards in 2002, the Grand Prix at a global beer fair in Munich in 2005, and the Gold Medal du Monde Selection in 2011.
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