Żywiec Brewery
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| Type | Beer |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | Poland |
| Introduced | 1856 |
| Alcohol by volume | 5.6 % |
| Style | Pale lager |
| Website | www |
Żywiec Brewery /ˈʒɪvjɛts/ (Polish pronunciation: [ˈʐɨvjɛt͡s]) is a brewery founded in 1856, in Żywiec, Poland, then part of Austria-Hungary. It was nationalised after the Second World War. Grupa Żywiec S.A. consists of five main breweries: Żywiec Brewery, Elbrewery, Leżajsk, Warka Brewery and Cieszyn Brewery. Currently the Dutch Heineken Group (Heineken International Beheer B.V.), with a 61% shareholding, has control over major operations. The brewery has the capacity of producing 5 million hls a year, making it the largest brewery in Grupa Żywiec.
The brewery started operating in 1856. It was owned by the Habsburgs until it was confiscated by the post-WWII Communist government of Poland. At the beginning of the 1990s a court case was started by the descendants of the original owners, who sued the Polish government demanding $77 million compensation for the nationalisation and the use of the Habsburg family name and coat of arms for marketing purposes. The case was settled out of court on undisclosed terms in December 2005.
Żywiec Brewery began distribution to other towns of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1913. 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.
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