Cieszyn Alcohol-Free Beers

Arcyksiążęcy Browar Zamkowy Cieszyn is the castle brewery in Cieszyn, southern Poland. Archduke Karl Ludwig Habsburg founded it, and it opened in 1846; it still ferments its beer in open vats. Its one alcohol-free beer is Cieszyn Lager Bezalkoholowy, at under 0.5%, which we couldn’t find on sale in the UK.

Who are Cieszyn?

The brewery was founded by Archduke Karl Ludwig Habsburg, and it opened in 1846 on Castle Hill in Cieszyn, to a design by the Viennese architect Josef Kornhäusel, with cellars cut into the rock of the hill, the brewery says. His son and successor, Archduke Albrecht Friedrich, continued its development, and later founded the Żywiec brewery. Today it calls itself one of the oldest breweries in Poland; in 2026 it celebrates 180 years.

It was part of Grupa Żywiec, which is majority-owned by Heineken, until 2020. That year Żywiec announced it would close the brewery, and instead it found a new investor, the brewery says. It changed owner again in 2023 and took back its historic name, Arcyksiążęcy Browar Zamkowy Cieszyn, or Archducal Castle Brewery. We used to describe it as the smallest brewery in the Żywiec group, which hasn’t been true since 2020.

How Cieszyn brews

“Since 1846 we have brewed beer traditionally, and we carry out fermentation in open vats,” the brewery says. It’s on the Silesian region’s Industrial Monuments Route, which describes it as a living museum of brewing.

Cieszyn’s alcohol-free beer

Cieszyn Lager Bezalkoholowy is the alcohol-free version of its Cieszyn Lager: a bottom-fermented pale lager at under 0.5%, brewed with water, barley malt, hops and yeast. The brewery describes a full, refreshing taste with noticeable bitterness and a distinct hop aroma. It doesn’t publish calories, and we haven’t scored it.

We used to list it as “Cieszyn Polish Lager” at 0.5%. We found no product of that name, and the brewery gives its strength as under 0.5%, so we’ve corrected both.

The Cieszyn beer in our directory

Strength as the brewery gives it. Checked October 2026. Scores are Unhopped ratings out of 10.

Where to buy Cieszyn Lager Bezalkoholowy

We couldn’t find it on sale in the UK on 28 October 2026: Dry Drinker, Wise Bartender and Sainsbury’s don’t list it, and we found no Polish specialist importing it. The brewery’s own shop sells cartons of 12 bottles for 69 zł, but delivers only within Poland. For alcohol-free lagers you can buy here, see the best alcohol-free lagers.

Facts checked against the brewery’s website and shop, the Silesian Industrial Monuments Route, the Polish trade press, Dry Drinker, Wise Bartender and Sainsbury’s, October 2026.