Where to Get Tyskie in Tarnowskie Gòry

Should you find yourself at a loose end in Tarnowskie Góry and in need of refreshment you could sample a fine Tyskie in Inny Śląsk — popularly known as Galeria. This was the first pub I drank in when I came to Poland — it was my then boss’s favourite — and it’s the pub I’m drinking in as I write. The Tyskie is as cold as the atmosphere is warm.

Galeria has a hipsterish vibe, with modern art on the walls and cassette tapes heaving in the back room. I think it’s a favourite of local leftists. The owner, Mr Krzysztof, is friendly, curious and as tough as a walking shoe. As well as drinking here on innumerable occasions, I’ve had the pleasure of singing from the stage at different festive and charity events. The cheerful and artistic atmosphere also makes it a fine spot for dates.

Tyskie is a fine drink for an evening at home. Ideally, though — as you will be aware if you have seen my Tyskie review thread on Twitter — it should be drunk in a bar (or, perhaps, on top of a mountain). The taste is indefinably but distinctly improved.

Up the road from Galeria is Guinness, where the Tyskie is equally fine — even if the warm, tolerant landlord, Mr Wojciech, thinks I am a bit of an oaf for drinking it. (Polish drinking culture has been somewhat gentrified, with craft beers moving in like upwardly mobile marketing executives keen to invest in artisan bakeries.)

Guinness used to be a favourite of my friends and I in our more vodka-happy days. We caused some chaos — though we also filled the cash register. Many memories were made and many memories were lost as we emptied bottles and monopolised the music.

Round the block is Praga. There’s no Tyskie here, unfortunately, though the kwas chlebowy — a low-alcohol, cereal-based drink — is very refreshing if you’re taking it easier on the sauce. Goethe apparently stayed at one of its previous incarnations, and it still has a mellow literary vibe, though I miss the days when you could smoke in a room at the side.

Down a side street off the market square used to be Valhalla. This was my favourite bar. It was a place where you could never guess what was going to happen on any given night. You might get punched for absolutely no reason or meet your next girlfriend (I did both, though on different nights). Doing an acoustic concert there on my 25th birthday is probably the most enduringly happy memory of my life. Valhalla closed down once its landlord, the always entertaining Adrian, had reached a zombie-like state of fatigue, but I still miss it. The next bar in the location, Beczka, was also a fun place, though I didn’t visit as much because it didn’t serve Tyskie.

Up the street and around the corner used to be another old favourite, Bakaraj. Oddly, I never used to be a beer drinker. My dad cannily gave me a sip when I was young and that repulsive experience put me off the stuff. Here was where I learned to love Tyskie. The barman, Oskar, became my best friend. We probably spent as much time in Bakaraj in 2015 than we spent in our respective homes.

The excellently named Ministerstwo Śledzia i Wódki — the Ministry of Herring and Vodka — was the local karaoke bar. I used to visit every Thursday night (I didn’t work on Fridays) for hours of mutual musical abuse. I can’t remember if they served Tyskie but it didn’t matter. Żywiec is also good and I’m not that religious.

A walk outside the town, if you’re up for a scenic afternoon drink, takes you through dense forests to a lake — Jezioro Nakło-Chechło. At Costa Del Chechło you can enjoy a cold Tyskie in the sun, with a view across the water. It’s best visited if you have a weekday off. On weekends, it can be busy and you might be drinking to a soundtrack of disco polo.

I could mention other bars. Stara Stajnia U Wojtachy is a nicely rustic, much-loved local institution (no Tyskie). Kosmata was the club that you would hit at the end of the night when you could barely stand, never mind dance.

Of course, as much as I love beer, what I remember when I think about the nights that I have spent in these fine establishments is not the drink. It’s the people. The interesting people. The beautiful people. The funny people. The mad people. The aggressive people. You don’t even need to drink alcohol to meet these people. But you have to be out.

I hate to introduce a mournful note to this piece but it saddens me that all these places have grown a bit quieter since the pandemic. Some people seem to have got used to six-packs and Steam. But people need to meet people and you can’t do that at home.

I’m so privileged to have had the opportunity to come to this town and have so many valuable encounters. I hope to maximise them in 2024 — over Tyskie or over kwas chlebowy. Life can be experienced valuably in isolation but I think it tends to be most valuable shared.

Happy New Year to all of my subscribers. I hope your 2024 will be filled with fun, and love, and learning — and, perhaps, a few pints of Tyskie too.

This post has not been sponsored by Tyskie — though it damn well should have been.