Krakow pubs

[ErikNorway]

Sorry for writing in English, but I don’t speak any polish. Hoping to get an answer on this request anyway. I am a Norwegian beer enthusiast that will attend on a company trip to Krakow in next month. Of course I will try to seek up the best pubs and probably one or two shops to be me some polish beer back home. C.K. Browar is already on my list, but I will appreciate a lot to get some tips on a few more pubs and shops with a good selection of good Polish beer. A pub with a big selection of foreign beer is less interesting than polish beer in this case, and I’m also interest in polish mead. Mainstream pilsners is also not on top of my priority list. I have to stick to my group, so I will not be able to travel far away from the city center.
Thanks for the attention, I’m really looking forward to sample some nice polish beer, cheers!

[VanPurRz]

In my opinion:
1. Św. Marka 27, Non Iron (mainly czech beers but you can try Smocza Głowa (Dragons Head beer from Zawiercie/Karczma U Stacha (Polish brewpub)
2. Kupa 3, Omerta (widely choice of polish beers)
3. Podbrzezie 2, Szynk (Smocza Głowa/Dragons Head - Zawiercie)
4. Stolarska 6, Pierwszy Lokal Na Stolarskiej Po Lewej Stronie Idąc Od Małego Rynku (I dont try to translate it Smocza Głowa (Dragons Head)
5. Mostowa 2, Marchewka z Groszkiem/ Carrot with (green) Peas, Brackie beer from Zamkowy Brewery (Cieszyn) - i think -probably the best polish pilsner
6. Rajska 22, Sklep Benedyktyński (non-pasteurised beers from Fortuna brewery - Miłosławiec)

[Pankracy]

shop

"Maria", ul. Kobierzyńska 61

location
Google Maps

[Pendragon]

... and:

7. Miodowa 43, Smocza Jama - Fortuna brewery
8. Poselska 9, Katedra Pub - widely choice of polish beers
9. Podwale 6, CK Browar - brewpub

[delvish]

To sum up.

Your choice should depend on the amount of time you plan to spend in Krakow. Luckily, you may spend a day or two in Kazimierz district, where you can find nearly everything from your list of whishes.

In Kazimierz:
1. As it comes to the variety of beers served, no. 1 in Krakow is a small pub Omerta (Kupa 3). That’s absolutely obligatory for any beer enthusiast. They have 6 draught beers and tens of bottled ones. Just remember that they open quite late, as for Kazimierz standards, ie. from 4 pm from Monday to Friday. I don't remember how it is Saturday-Sunday. Their stuff is very helpful when it comes to recommend which beer to choose.
2. A good place for snack & beer is Szynk (Podbrzezie 2). They have 2 draught ales. Dark one, which resembles English porter or stout and Amber (bitter). Those beers are brewed in Zawiercie at a small brewery Browar na Jurze. That brewery is not a brewpub as VanPurz wrote, however you can get their products in the restaurant adjacent to the brewery. You may find Dark in a few pubs outside of Kazimierz, like Pierwszy Lokal Na Stolarskiej Po Lewej Stronie Idąc Od Małego Rynku (Stolarska 6), Non Iron (Św. Marka 27) or Imbir (św. Tomasza 35), however for these beers my first choice is always Szynk.
3. It’s worthy visiting Smocza Jama at Miodowa 43, which is in a way the pub of Fortuna brewery from Miloslaw. You’ll get there almost all of their products. If I were you, I would focus on draught beers there. The difference between draught and bottled beers from Fortuna is that the first group is always non-pasteurized, and second the opposite, ie. always pasteurized.
4. At Mostowa 2, you’ll find Marchewka z Groszkiem where you could try draught Brackie beer from Zamkowy Brewery (Cieszyn). That’s as VanPurz wrote, absolutely one of the top Polish pilsners.
5. My choice for polish meads would be Restauracja Pasieka (Miodowa 25).
6. When you’ll finally have enough of Polish beers you might drop into Pub Wręga (Józefa 17) for draught Tuchers.
7. The best beer (and other alcoholic beverages) shop in Kazimierz is to be found at Miodowa 13.

Excluding point. no. 4, Marchewka z Groszkiem, all of these are in 5 minutes walking distance from central point of Kazimierz, Plac Nowy. Reaching Marchewka would take additional 5 min.

Outside Kazimierz:
8. CK Browar is obligatory, however their weizen and pils tend to vary in the quality. They may be decent but as well poor, you’ll never know. Dunkel and Ingwer are usually at least OK. Try to visit this place the earliest possible. In the evenings it becomes really noisy.
9. Non Iron (Św. Marka 27). That’s mainly sport pub, run by people connected to Krakow rugby team ie. Juvenia Salwator. You’ll find there the widest choice of Czech draught beers in this town. If you plan to visit Krakow after 12th of February and you’ll fancy to watch something from Winter Olympics 2010 then, that’s the place.
10. Not far away from CK Browar you’ll find Sklep Benedyktyński with Fortuna brewery products. That’s the contract production for Benedictine Monastery in Tyniec (Krakow). All of the products have their equivalents in Fortuna brands. They usually have one or two of their “own” beers in draught version, too.
11. A stone's throw from Royal Castle (Wawel) you'll have Karczma SMiL`Y (Kościuszki 16) with a perfect perspective for the castle from adjacent Most (Bridge) Dębnicki. Another reason to go there is draught Żywiec Porter from Zamkowy Brewery (Cieszyn).
12. As for shops in the Old Town, my choice is Baryłeczka (Szczepańska 9), just next to the Main Market.

There are still a few pubs more to visit, but as far as you and your friends are not 100% beer maniacs and you have some other points in your plan than drinking beer, I would not recommend you to visit them

[ErikNorway]

Thank you very much for all this useful information. This will be to good help for me to have a nice beer experience in Krakow. This forum is fantastic. Cheers!