A Polish historical style — “Polish Champagne” — a low-alcohol, highly carbonated, smoked wheat ale from the town of Grodzisk Wielkopolski. Typically 2.5–3.3% ABV, pale gold. The entire grain bill is oak-smoked wheat malt, producing a distinctive smoky character over a light, dry, effervescent body. Highly hopped (noble hops) for its gravity, bone-dry, and sparklingly carbonated. Nearly extinct by the late 20th century and revived by Polish craft brewers in the 2010s.
In the glass
Origin
Grodziskie originated in the town of Grodzisk Wielkopolski, in the Greater Poland region southwest of Poznań, where oak-smoked wheat beer was being brewed by the 14th or 15th century. A maltsters’ and brewers’ guild documented in 1601 enforced strict quality control — each barrel was tasted and approved by the town’s mayor and a council of elders before it could be sold or exported — and the beer developed a reputation as a premium product. Records from the late 17th century show it commanding prices well above ordinary local beer in Poznań, and by the 18th century it ranked among the most expensive beers in Poland.
After Grodzisk passed to Prussia in 1793 the town was renamed Grätz and the beer became known as Grätzer; under both names it was the same oak-smoked wheat ale. Brewing flourished in the 19th century: by the 1890s the town’s breweries produced over 100,000 hectoliters (roughly 85,000 US barrels) of beer in total, with Grätzer made in the largest quantities, and between the world wars the beer was exported to 37 countries. After the Second World War the breweries were nationalized and the style entered a long decline, as Poland’s communist-era economy favored large-scale staple production over regional specialties. Production continued under the state and later private ownership until the last brewery closed in 1993 for lack of profitability and a shortage of brewers who knew the style, ending centuries of commercial production.
The style survived among Polish homebrewers, and in 2011 the Polish Homebrewers Association formed a commission to revive it and codify its character. In 2015 a brewery reopened in Grodzisk under the name Browar Grodzisk and resumed commercial production of the original beer; it remains in operation in 2026. Several international craft brewers have also released tribute examples since the 2010s.
Notes
The style is sometimes called Grätzer, the German name dating from the town’s Prussian period, or rendered in English as Polish smoked wheat beer. Grodziskie is distinct from Rauchbier, a German smoked lager made from beechwood-smoked barley, and from modern smoked IPAs and porters — what sets it apart is the combination of an all-smoked-wheat grist, very low gravity, sparkling carbonation, and a hopping rate that is high for the strength. The “Polish Champagne” nickname comes from that brilliant clarity and lively effervescence; the historic beer was bottle-conditioned to a carbonation so vigorous that a small fraction of bottles routinely burst in storage.
Defining examples
Browar Grodzisk Grodziskie·Live Oak Grodziskie·Browar PINTA Grodziskie·Off Color Troublesome (adjacent, Gose/Grodziskie hybrid)·Various Polish craft revivals