Częstochowa – Piwiarnia Piw Regionalnych Multitap & Pub

Going back a couple of weeks to my little trip to Częstochowa in Poland, this was one of the few craft beer bars that seemed to be open at times that I could visit. It’s located not too far from Jasna Gora, so they might get something of a tourist trade to add to their local custom.

Very nicely done, the list of available craft beers is chalked up on the boards outside the entrance. I like it when they’re chalked up above the bar, but tempting in customers walking by seems a particularly clever idea. I thought that the beer selection had a suitable range of different styles and from a number of different breweries, so it all felt well thought through.

It wasn’t packed when I visited, but the atmosphere was warm and homely. It was slightly awkward when I went in as there was quite a lively discussion going on between what looked like an angry Polish man and the barman. I stood there trying to look nonchalant in my British manner, but probably to not much success. As the discussion finished after a couple of minutes I ordered my beer and the angry Polish man came back to talk to me, telling me that his daughter was working in London. It transpired that he wasn’t an angry man, he was a friendly character with an excellent English speaking ability.

I went for a Stormy Pacific from Funky Fluid brewery who are based in Warsaw, and this was a very decent Double New England IPA. It felt an odd environment to be drinking it, a quiet bar in a relatively rural Polish city with a traditional atmosphere, but yet it was an on-trend and quite exciting beer. The prices were moderate for the quality of the beer, but these are premium products and I’m impressed at how the bar owner has managed to get quite a local following and such positive reviews.

There weren’t any other customers during the time I was in my little corner and the barman was off doing some bar related things judging from the banging of barrels and the like. That meant I just sat and read a book on my phone for an hour, really quite comfortable in this warm environment. Certainly not a bad way to spend a Saturday afternoon and I very much hope bars like this continue to open up across Poland. I’ve seen the future and I like it……