Elbrewery
Encyclopedia
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
's largest brewery
Brewery
A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....
and belongs to the Żywiec Group
Zywiec Brewery
Żywiec Brewery is a brewery founded in 1852, in Żywiec, Poland, then part of Austria-Hungary. It was nationalised after the Second World War. Grupa Zywiec S.A. consists of five main breweries: Żywiec Brewery, Elbrewery, Leżajsk, Warka Brewery and Cieszyn Brewery...
, established in 1998 after merging Zakłady Piwowarskie Żywiec SA and Brewpole B.V.
Brewpole
Brewpole B.V. is a defunct company. It was a Dutch holding company for Polish breweries founded in March 1993. During the period from March 1993 through December 1997, Brewpole acquired controlling shareholdings in four leading Polish breweries: Elbrewery, Heveliusz, Warka and Lezajsk. The...
.
Brewery
The history of the ElblągElblag
Elbląg is a city in northern Poland with 127,892 inhabitants . It is the capital of Elbląg County and has been assigned to the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship since 1999. Before then it was the capital of Elbląg Voivodeship and a county seat in Gdańsk Voivodeship...
brewing tradition dates back to 1309, when Teutonic Master
Teutonic Knights
The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem , commonly the Teutonic Order , is a German medieval military order, in modern times a purely religious Catholic order...
Siegfried von Leuchtwangen granted the town brewing privileges. In 1900, the Elbląg brewery was the exclusive supplier of beer and pilsner for Emperor Wilhelm II’s court.
1998 was landmark year when Żywiec S.A. and Brewpole BV (Elbrewery, Warka, Leżajsk) merged to form Grupa Zywiec S.A.. The Dutch Heineken
Heineken
Heineken is a Dutch beer which has been brewed by Heineken International since 1873. It is available in a 4.6% alcohol variety in countries such as Ireland. It is the flagship product of the Heineken company and is made of purified water, malted barley, hops, and yeast. In 1886 H...
Group (Heineken International Beheer B.V.) then became a majority shareholder in Grupa Zywiec S.A. with a 61% shareholding. Harbin B.V., a private investment company and the former owner of Brewpole B.V. owns 36.2% and the remaining shares are publicly traded on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. The brewery has a capacity of approximately 2 million hl.
EB beer
"EB" was a popular brand of beer introduced by Elbrewery in 1993 and marketed toward young consumers. Although Grupa Żywiec no longer includes EB in its product line, the beer is still available in the United States, Germany and other export markets. According to the Grupa Żywiec website, Elbrewery currently produces the following beers: Specjal Jasny Pełny, Specjal Mocny, Warka Gdańskie, and Hevelius Kaper.See also
- Polish beerPolish beerBeer in Poland has always been important for the Poles. There are 70 breweries in Poland . Most breweries in Poland are named after the city in which they were founded. Following World War II, after centuries of financial independence, most breweries were nationalized under the communist regime...
- Żywiec BreweryZywiec BreweryŻywiec Brewery is a brewery founded in 1852, in Żywiec, Poland, then part of Austria-Hungary. It was nationalised after the Second World War. Grupa Zywiec S.A. consists of five main breweries: Żywiec Brewery, Elbrewery, Leżajsk, Warka Brewery and Cieszyn Brewery...
- Leżajsk Brewery
- Warka BreweryWarka BreweryThe Warka Brewery is one of Poland's oldest breweries and belongs to the Żywiec Group. Żywiec Group has five main breweries: Żywiec Brewery, Elbrewery, Leżajsk Brewery, Cieszyn Brewery and Warka Brewery, and is majority owned by the Dutch Heineken Group...
- Cieszyn BreweryCieszyn BreweryThe Cieszyn Brewery is a brewery in Poland and belongs to the Żywiec Group. Żywiec Group has five main breweries: Żywiec Brewery, Elbrewery, Leżajsk Brewery, Cieszyn Brewery and Warka Brewery, and is majority owned by the Dutch Heineken Group...