Zywiec (beer)
Encyclopedia
Żywiec beer is a Polish medium-light bodied pilsner beer that is popular in Poland
and gaining popularity in the United States and all over the world.
Żywiec beer has been brewed in the village of Żywiec
, Poland for almost 150 years at the Żywiec Brewery
. Żywiec Brewery began exporting its products in 1913. They began exporting and extended its distribution to other towns of the Austro-Hungarian Empire which include Budapest
, Ostrava
and Cieszyn
.
Żywiec beer spread all over the world when Polish residents traveled and immigrated to other countries and brought Żywiec beer along with them. It spread to such countries as France and Great Britain mostly due to WWII. Żywiec is by far the most popular beer in Poland, and has had good success in other countries and continents, and is quite popular in heavily Polish populated cities in the United States such as Chicago and Buffalo, NY.
In the 1990s, the brewery was acquired by Heineken International and was also thoroughly modernized. It is currently considered to be one of the most modern breweries in the world. Żywiec Beer has become a symbol of Polish pride and Polish recognition for many Poles
.
dancing clothes. Krakow’s coat of arms
is represented with the crown in the middle of the couple. The coat of arms is also represented by the three Spruce
trees displayed on the bottom of the label and the year 1856 on top underneath the crown. The name Żywiec is placed on the red sash across the middle of the label with the golden trimming. The Żywiec logo is the most famous mark and brand of beer in Poland and the trademark
of the entire brewery.
Żywiec Beer is sold by the 1pt. can, 1pt. bottles and by the keg
. In the United States, it also is sold by 12-pack and 6-pack bottles (12 oz.). It is still brewed by means of traditional methods using all-natural ingredients and mountain spring water.
Żywiec pours with a pale yellow color with a good sized head leaving a lace behind and is very clear. Streams of carbonation
rise from the bottom of the glass to the top.
Its aroma consists of clover
, honey
, hops
and malt
, backed by a spicy noble hop, and finishes with just a note of sweetness.
While drinking, the “mouth feel” is thin and lightly carbonated, crisp while medium-light bodied.
The taste is lightly hopped (Saaz
detected) and a balance of maltiness. There is some light crispness in the middle, and finishes with the sweetness increasing exponentially and leaves quite a fruity trace behind it along with a trace of alcohol. Clean, crisp and a fairly narrow flavor profile as would come from a good Lager
.
, Tyskie
, and Warka
are somewhat comparable.
Other beers=
Żywiec come is three varieties:
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...
and gaining popularity in the United States and all over the world.
History
Zywiec
Żywiec is a town in south-central Poland with 32,242 inhabitants . Between 1975 and 1998, it was located within the Bielsko-Biała Voivodeship, but has since become part of the Silesian Voivodeship....
, Poland for almost 150 years at the Żywiec Brewery
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...
. Żywiec Brewery began exporting its products in 1913. They began exporting and extended its distribution to other towns of the Austro-Hungarian Empire which include Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, Ostrava
Ostrava
Ostrava is the third largest city in the Czech Republic and the second largest urban agglomeration after Prague. Located close to the Polish border, it is also the administrative center of the Moravian-Silesian Region and of the Municipality with Extended Competence. Ostrava was candidate for the...
and Cieszyn
Cieszyn
Cieszyn is a border-town and the seat of Cieszyn County, Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland. It has 36,109 inhabitants . Cieszyn lies on the Olza River, a tributary of the Oder river, opposite Český Těšín....
.
Żywiec beer spread all over the world when Polish residents traveled and immigrated to other countries and brought Żywiec beer along with them. It spread to such countries as France and Great Britain mostly due to WWII. Żywiec is by far the most popular beer in Poland, and has had good success in other countries and continents, and is quite popular in heavily Polish populated cities in the United States such as Chicago and Buffalo, NY.
In the 1990s, the brewery was acquired by Heineken International and was also thoroughly modernized. It is currently considered to be one of the most modern breweries in the world. Żywiec Beer has become a symbol of Polish pride and Polish recognition for many Poles
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
.
Bottle and packaging
The Żywiec logo includes all of the most important historical symbols of the brewery and Poland itself. Żywiec Beer’s prominent front label displays a dancing man and woman. This dancing couple is dressed in classic KrakowKraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
dancing clothes. Krakow’s coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
is represented with the crown in the middle of the couple. The coat of arms is also represented by the three Spruce
Spruce
A spruce is a tree of the genus Picea , a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the Family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal regions of the earth. Spruces are large trees, from tall when mature, and can be distinguished by their whorled branches and conical...
trees displayed on the bottom of the label and the year 1856 on top underneath the crown. The name Żywiec is placed on the red sash across the middle of the label with the golden trimming. The Żywiec logo is the most famous mark and brand of beer in Poland and the trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
of the entire brewery.
Żywiec Beer is sold by the 1pt. can, 1pt. bottles and by the keg
Keg
A keg is a small barrel.Traditionally, a wooden keg is made by a cooper used to transport items such as nails, gunpowder., and a variety of liquids....
. In the United States, it also is sold by 12-pack and 6-pack bottles (12 oz.). It is still brewed by means of traditional methods using all-natural ingredients and mountain spring water.
Taste
Żywiec Pilsner beer is a light pilsner beer that is 5.6% ABV. It is made as naturally as possible using Poland’s mountain spring water. The taste is quite unique, yet simple.Żywiec pours with a pale yellow color with a good sized head leaving a lace behind and is very clear. Streams of carbonation
Carbonation
Carbonation is the process of dissolving carbon dioxide in water. The process usually involves carbon dioxide under high pressure. When the pressure is reduced, the carbon dioxide is released from the solution as small bubbles, which cause the solution to "fizz." This effect is seen in carbonated...
rise from the bottom of the glass to the top.
Its aroma consists of clover
Clover
Clover , or trefoil, is a genus of about 300 species of plants in the leguminous pea family Fabaceae. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution; the highest diversity is found in the temperate Northern Hemisphere, but many species also occur in South America and Africa, including at high altitudes...
, honey
Honey
Honey is a sweet food made by bees using nectar from flowers. The variety produced by honey bees is the one most commonly referred to and is the type of honey collected by beekeepers and consumed by humans...
, hops
Hops
Hops are the female flower clusters , of a hop species, Humulus lupulus. They are used primarily as a flavoring and stability agent in beer, to which they impart a bitter, tangy flavor, though hops are also used for various purposes in other beverages and herbal medicine...
and malt
Malt
Malt is germinated cereal grains that have been dried in a process known as "malting". The grains are made to germinate by soaking in water, and are then halted from germinating further by drying with hot air...
, backed by a spicy noble hop, and finishes with just a note of sweetness.
While drinking, the “mouth feel” is thin and lightly carbonated, crisp while medium-light bodied.
The taste is lightly hopped (Saaz
Saaz hops
Saaz is a "noble" variety of hops.It was named after the Czech city of Žatec . This hop is used extensively in Bohemia to flavor beer styles such as the Czech pilsener.Saaz hops accounted for more than 2/3 of total 2009 hop production in the Czech Republic....
detected) and a balance of maltiness. There is some light crispness in the middle, and finishes with the sweetness increasing exponentially and leaves quite a fruity trace behind it along with a trace of alcohol. Clean, crisp and a fairly narrow flavor profile as would come from a good Lager
Lager
Lager is a type of beer made from malted barley that is brewed and stored at low temperatures. There are many types of lager; pale lager is the most widely-consumed and commercially available style of beer in the world; Pilsner, Bock, Dortmunder Export and Märzen are all styles of lager...
.
Comparison
Żywiec Pilsner can be compared to Grolsch, which is another European Pale Lager but really stands on its own. There are many beers that taste similar to Żywiec but the taste is said to not be matched by beer connoisseurs. Other Polish beers like OkocimOkocim
Okocim is a village in Brzesko County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland. Less than away from the village is Brzesko city. Okocim lies approximately south-west of Tarnów and east of the regional capital Kraków....
, Tyskie
SABMiller brands
SABMiller, one of the top five global brewing companies, owns a portfolio of over 150 brands, including international beers such as Pilsner Urquell, Peroni Nastro Azzurro and Miller Genuine Draft, and local brands, such as Gambrinus and Castle Milk Stout.-Botswana brewery:Chibuku Shake Shake is...
, and Warka
Warka
Warka is a town in central Poland, located on the left bank of the Pilica river , with 11,035 inhabitants . It has been situated in Grójec County, in the Masovian Voivodeship, since 1999; previously it was in the Radom Voivodeship from 1975 to 1998.Warka obtained its city charter in 1321...
are somewhat comparable.
Other beers=
Żywiec come is three varieties:
- Żywiec Full a pilsner
- Żywiec Full Light a light pilsner
- Żywiec Porter is a dark porterPorter (beer)Porter is a dark-coloured style of beer. The history and development of stout and porter are intertwined. The name was first used in the 18th century from its popularity with the street and river porters of London. It is generally brewed with dark malts...
and brewed in 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...