Even if you have already been to the breweries in Żywiec or Tychy, you still must visit the Perła Brewery Undergrounds. Its interiors look like a combination of a techno club with a secret laboratory or a museum of modern art. Take a look at our photo report and you will see what we mean.
Eastern Poland is beautiful! See the best attractions of Lublin and the surrounding area.
Perła Brewery – Lublin – photos
Perła Brewery Undergrounds – history and interior
This is a real pearl (or rather: Pearl) on the map of the Lublin. Beer has been brewed here continuously since 1846 and is the undisputed pride of the entire region. How did this happen? We know. And we’ll tell you in a moment. Once upon a time, specifically in 1844, entrepreneur Karol Vetter moved from Poznań (Western Poland) to Lublin (Eastern Poland). That businessman was a wealthy man, so he could act on a large scale. He bought the building that once belonged to the order. Then beer began to be brewed in the monastery’s basements.
It was a Bavarian beer of excellent quality and with a good reputation. Did Karol choose this type because he came from Poznań, located close to the German border? We don’t know this for sure. However, we know for sure that he used the most modern technologies at that time for production. At one point he even made the groundbreaking purchase of a steam engine. After Vetter’s death, the thriving company passed into the hands of his two sons. They were worthy successors – they developed the inherited business not only with pride, but also with efficiency.
Unfortunately, World War I and II caused significant damage to the production plant. After the end of both armed conflicts, Karol Vetter’s brewery and the nearby Brewery Parowy Jeleń were nationalized. Thus, in 1948, the Lubelskie Zakłady Piwowarsko-Słodownicze was established, which in 1963 changed its name to the Lubelskie Zakłady Chmielarsko-Piwowarskie, and in 1974 it was renamed Zakłady Piwowarskie w Lublinie. Today, after absorbing several breweries and malt houses from the Lublin region, they operate as Perła – Browary Lubelskie S.A. And we, tourists, can visit the former underground factory of the golden drink at 15 Bernardyńska Street. This is where our trip begins.
The interior of the brewery gives the impression that no renovation or construction team has entered it for hundreds of years. It is hard to resist the impression that the last painter here was one of the monks in the 17th century. The raw, industrial space is decorated with either gray-white “hospital” tiles or holes in the walls through which bricks can be seen. Metal pipes run along the walls and ceilings. The warming of the atmosphere is not helped by the fact that during a winter visit, the cold draws from the concrete floor. Even the open backs, instead of being a decoration of the brewery, resemble simple metal bathtubs.
If we didn’t know that we were visiting the interior of a former beer production plant, we would have thought it was a secret bunker. Or that some interior decorator decided to manifest his post-apocalyptic visions in an abandoned, long-forgotten building. Of course, don’t take this as a negative review. The atmosphere in the Perła Brewery Undergrounds is completely different than in the breweries we have visited so far. But we liked it very much because we finally saw something original.
Perła Brewery Undergrounds – what to see?
The mysterious aura of the underground is illuminated by interesting, unconventional and eye-catching artistic installations. Someone gave free rein to their creative thinking here, refreshing ascetic interiors in an inventive way. Effect? So nice!
Did you know that according to the Bavarian Purity Law from the early 16th century, the only ingredients of beer could be barley malt, water and hops? You can admire the first one, in a beautiful entourage, in the photo above. It is malt that contains sugars and enzymes, without which the golden drink could not be made.
Although beer is commonly called “hop soup”, in fact there are few hops in it, even trace amounts. So we can safely say that compared to other ingredients, pine cones are more of a spice. But it is an extremely characteristic and simply irreplaceable spice. It is responsible for the bitter taste and characteristic aroma of the drink. In Lublin you can take a photo on a wall… full of hops!
Today, probably each of us lists yeast among the basic ingredients of beer. So why weren’t they on the list of ingredients in the Bavarian Purity Law? Well, because they were isolated as microorganisms only at the end of the 19th century. How do artists imagine the effects of yeast? As seen in the image above.
In the underground of the Perła Brewery, we also came across a room that looked like a fairy-tale treasury. The difference is that in fairy tales there was usually a mountain of gold there, and in the Lublin chamber you can rather find a sea of bottle caps. Nevertheless, the whole thing looks great live. If we just close our eyes (blinded by the glow of metal caps) and use our imagination, we will feel like we are in Arabic sesame.
Last but not least, a work of art that is an object of desire for every true beer lover – a corridor filled with cans. This amount can make anyone’s head spin, especially Patryk. By the way: did you know that metal packaging protects the drink better against harmful sunlight than a glass bottle? Just remember not to drink it directly from the can, but pour it into a glass.
Perła Brewery – tasting
The last point of visiting the Perła Brewery Undergrounds is the tasting, loved and awaited by all tourists. There are two types of beer to try: light and dark. Something good for everyone, because in our lineup Wiolczi prefers porters and Patryk prefers lagers. Of course, we do not promote the consumption of alcohol in larger quantities. Remember that “everything is poison and nothing is poison.” So let’s taste and go home, Dear Friends!
Perła Brewery Undergrounds in Lublin – tickets
Ticket prices are as follows:
- normal ticket (18+) – PLN 30.00 (includes guided tour and tasting of two types of beer).
- reduced ticket (from 6 to 18 years of age) – PLN 15.00 (includes guided tour).
- children up to 6 years of age as well as group guardians can count on free entry.
Due to high demand, reservations must be made in advance:
- by e-mail, sending a message to: podziemiabrowaru@perla.pl (this should be done no later than the day before the planned visit, the reservation is valid only after receiving confirmation).
- by phone at +48 669 611 981 from Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Perła Brewery in Lublin – opening hours
Visiting the Perła Brewery Undergrounds in Lublin is possible:
- From 01/09 to 31/05 on Saturdays from 12:00 to 16:00 (last entry at 15:00).
- From 01/06 to 31/08:
- standardly on Saturdays from 12:00 to 16:00 (last entry at 15:00).
- additionally from Wednesday to Friday from 18:00 to 20:30 (entry at 18:00 and 19:30).
The brewery can also be visited by organized groups on other dates – after prior arrangement of the date and time.
Perła Brewery Undergrounds – Lublin – visiting time
A guided tour of the Perła Brewery Underground takes approximately 1 hour.
Perła Brewery – Lublin – directions
The Perła Brewery Undergrounds is located at Bernardyńska 15 in Lublin (the exact location can be found at the bottom of the page).
- On foot/bike. The attraction is less than 700 meters from the Market Square in Lublin (10 minutes on foot or 5 minutes by bike).
- Bus. The nearest bus stop is Zamojska. A little further you will have Plac Wolności and the Brama Krakowska.
- Train. The Perła Brewery Undergrounds is located just over 1.5 kilometers from the Lublin Główny Railway Station – less than a 25-minute walk.
- Car. We visited Lublin on foot, so we didn’t need a parking lot. Due to the short distance of the brewery from the Market Square, you should easily find a free place in the city. Try to ask about parking when booking. As far as we know, in the building next door there are Apartamenty Browar Perła, whose guests have access to a free parking space.
Perła Brewery Undergrounds in Lublin – interesting facts and tips
- Perła Chmielowa has been present on the market since 1974. This means that in 2024 it celebrated its 50th birthday.
- And speaking of numbers: did you know that almost 83 million grains of malt are needed to prepare one batch of Perła Chmielowa beer?
- Perła beer travels all over the world. The farthest country where you can buy it is Australia.
- Interesting fact straight from the brewery: the perfect beer foam will be created when you pour two-thirds of it along the side of the mug and one-third of it from above.
Perła Brewery in Lublin – opinions / reviews
- Patrix – 6/10. Visiting a brewery always adds a lot of magic to the beer consumption. It was no different in this case. During the trip, I learned a lot about the history of this legendary Polish beer. Unfortunately, the entire facility is severely damaged by time. Apart from the guide, who tells great stories, there are no interesting exhibits in the facility.
- Wiolczix – 7/10. The Lublin brewery is – as its name suggests – a real Pearl of Lublin! The underground labyrinth of tiled and concrete corridors creates a somewhat mysterious atmosphere. I would probably be afraid to walk along it alone, but in a group it’s pure pleasure. What I liked most were the artistic installations that imaginatively presented hop poles and yeast. A corridor full of cans or a ‘gold vault’ are also impressive. To make matters better, we found a great guide – one from the “intelligent and funny” category. Visiting the Perła Brewery Undergrounds provides a completely different experience than a trip to Tyskie Browary Książęce or the Żywiec Brewery Museum, but it is really worth experiencing.
Perła Brewery Undergrounds – Lublin – frequently asked questions
Who invented Perła beer?
The production of Perła beer was started in 1846 by Poznań industrialist Karol Rudolf Vetter. He came to Lublin, bought buildings that once belonged to the FPO monastery and started brewing beer there. It took place at 15 Bernardyńska Street in Lublin.
Who owns the Perła brewery? Whose Perła Breweries are they?
The Perła – Browary Lubelskie joint-stock company formally belongs to the Marconia Enterprises concern from Cyprus (50.7% of shares). The minority owner is Royal Unibrew A/S from Denmark (48% of shares).
Where does Perła beer come from?
Perła beer comes from the Lublin region. Its production began in 1846 in a brewery located in the heart of Lublin.
Where is Perła produced? Where do they make Perła beer?
Perła beer is produced in Lublin. The modern production plant is located at 106 Kunickiego Street.
Perła Brewery – Lublin – map
The Perła Brewery Undergrounds is located right next to the Old Town in Lublin.
