The Best Bars in Poznan for Beer

Yes, it’s me again, the German lady who doesn’t like beer, and I am going to talk to you about… beer! No, I still don’t like beer, but I gained a whole lotta respect for beer culture, and I thought I’d spread the word.

Okay, I’m saying that like I ever thought there was such a thing as beer culture, which I didn’t. In Germany, you mostly drink the regional beer, god forbid you order a beer from somewhere else (don’t worry about not noticing the faux-pas you’ve committed; it will be pointed out to you). But how is this interesting, really?

And many places are like that. I remember Australia, where I mentally added the ‘right’ beer to each state or territory on the Australian map, just to not endure lengthy sermons about finding my way to the proper brew.

I’m not saying that I don’t get that it also has something to do with loyalty to where you are coming from, and feeling you belong, because you share a preference – I dig that, that’s cool. But if you ever feel bored by the choice of beer in your local pub and you want to have a serious beer adventure, I urge you to find your way to the wondrous beer haven that is the town of Poznan.

I’ll hereby introduce you to five pubs/bars that we visited and thought were awesome, and after that it will be up to you to discover the rest of them. All our readers drink responsibly, of course, so I don’t even need to say anything in this regard, but I will remind you to make sure you have eaten well beforehand (there’s a Poznan food post, if you need inspiration)!

Best Bars in Poznan for Beer

1.Basilium

This cosy place serves only Polish beers, and only from micro-breweries. They claim to have at least 150 different types! You can basically tell them what taste you are into or would like to try, and they’ll suggest a few beers you can then choose from. It’s pretty impressive.

It’s also a pretty small bar – depending on how busy it is, you will need to have made a reservation. I kid you not.

2. Setka

This pub certainly holds a name in Poznan, but you’d probably walk past it if you weren’t looking for it. But then you’d miss out! Sure enough, it’s in a basement, and sure enough, it seems to have a bit of a rough vibe, but that’s because it’s an unpolished diamond.

The really cool owner and the friendly staff are true beer sommeliers (they even have a beer menu with specialties), but don’t call them that, because fancy words are not what it’s about here – it’s about the beer, dammit! With the over 300 different beers from all over the world they sell here, I tend to agree.

3. Brovaria

We talked about this one in our Poznan Food Post, because apart from being a micro-brewery, it’s also a restaurant. And a hotel. To be honest, we never went into the bar (which was on the left side of the corridor), because we had dinner in the restaurant (which was of the right side of the corridor).

We did drink the beer, though: they brew and sell Pilsner, wheat beer, and… honey beer! Hot honey beer! Revelation! This place is the poshest of our selection, and very popular with expats and business travellers, and – us!

4. Klub Dragon

Yes, there’s beer here, lots of room, alternative art, music, and a crowd of potential new friends to have a fun evening with. And you will always find your way back to the bar, because there’s a gigantic dragon head coming out of the wall above it – why don’t they have that e v e r y w h e r e? So smart.

Okay, admittedly by that point of the tour I had already had a few beers and chose having another hot mulled beer while enjoying the atmosphere over investigative bloginism. Sue me. Party!

5. Lot Chmiela

Decent choice of beers aside: this place is so stylish! And it’s not the kind of stylish that makes you feel that you’re not stylish enough, if you know what I mean (of course you don’t. You’re always stylish.).

A lot of vintage items have found their way here and team up with the funky modern interior to create a nice homely atmosphere. And I’m not even using the word “homely” lightly: we saw people play Monopoly here! Monopoly!! While drinking beer. Because this is a post about beer.

6. Bonus: The Communist pub.

There are at least two reasons to check out a “Communist” pub:

1) they are cheap (not that that the other pubs are very expensive compared to Western Europe’s standards)

2) they are an experience

We went to one as our last stop on a little pub crawl (‘t was the PRL, FYI) – and got seriously stuck. So if you accidentally step into one of these pubs and are stunned by memorabilia from the Soviet era, asking yourself where the heck you have landed – do not walk out! It’s all good fun. I found the decorations pretty darn fascinating. Also, did I drink too much? Yes. Yes, I did.

So these were our favourite Poznan Bars for Beer which happen to include all the pubs we went to. By which I mean to say: if you like pubs and beer, you are not only going to love Poznan – you’re are probably going to move there. We only went to a few pubs and they were all awesome, but we also walked past countless other little places that all looked funky and inviting.

And now it’s up to you, guys! Go to Poznan to not only discover your many new favourite pubs but also to unleash your own inner beer nerd. And if micro-brews and -breweries deeply frighten you, despair not: Poznan also sports the Lech Brewery, one of the largest breweries in Poland! But that’s something for another time.