Browar Funky Fluid are one of two new Polish breweries to our portolio starting March 2025. I first contacted them in 2022 wanting to get some of their beer to Oz, so I was stoked when we got the nod last year to order some of their delicious beers.
The business was started in 2018 by Michael Langier, Karol Mizielski and Grzegorz Korcz, they were Ratebeer's '3rd Best New Brewry in the World' in 2019. While they are well-known throughout Europe and the UK, most people in Oz probably won't have heard of them. To help introduce Funky Fluid to the Australian beer lovers I thought I'd ask a few quick questions to better get to know the brewery and the people behind it.
What is your name and your role in the brewery?
Grzegorz Korcz, Creative and Export Director. A lot of different things actually, from sales, through social media, to ideas for labels and new beers and series :)
When did the brewery commence operations?
We started our operations in 2018, just a bit before COVID hit. For all these years, we’ve been brewing as a gypsy brewery, but recently, we bought land and will soon begin building our own brewery—right near Warsaw, Poland’s capital and main beer hub.
Can you describe your brewery, and without getting too technical, how big is your brewery?
We’re still a contract/gypsy brewery, brewing our beers in five different locations across Poland, depending on the style. For a craft brewery, we’re actually pretty big - right now, we’re the third-largest craft brewery in Poland, producing over 15,000 hl of beer in 2024.
How long have you personally been involved in the beer industry?
I've been into craft beer since 2013. I started as a bartender at one of the first craft beer bars in Warsaw, then went on to manage bars, run my own craft beer spot, and eventually, just before COVID, I joined Funky Fluid to help grow it from the early days.
Do you have a favourite beer (or more than one) that you brew, and if so why?
Sure! I’m always a big fan of good lagers and IPAs, and we brew a lot of them all the time. Lately, I’ve been really into anything dry-hopped with New Zealand hops!
Other than your own beers, are there any beers that have had a big influence on you?
Of course! Early in my craft beer journey, I was really inspired by breweries like Mikkeller, which was leading the European craft scene back then. These days, I draw a lot of inspiration from U.S. breweries, especially some of my favorites like Side Project, Monkish, Fidens, and Suarez. I also have huge respect for lambic breweries and small, traditional lager breweries - especially German ones like Knoblach and Zehendner.
If you weren’t involved in the beer industry, what would you be doing instead?
I guess I’d be involved in another creative industry that’s always been my passion - cinema. Fun fact - one of my favorite movies in recent years was actually made in Australia! Wake in Fright (1971).
Who is the most famous person you have welcomed into your brewery?
We’ve done collabs with people from different industries, including well-known Polish chefs and rappers. We’ve also brewed a bunch of collabs with some big names from Europe and the U.S., like WeldWerks, Moksa, Forager, Omnipollo, Mikkeller, Lervig, and many more!
Do you have a favourite festival, city or even country that you travel to for the purpose of beer?
I’d say our favorite beer destination is definitely the U.S., but we always love going back to Belgium and Franconia to enjoy our favorite beer styles. It’s tough to pick a favorite beer festival, but we always look forward to MBCC (Mikkeller Beer Celebration Copenhagen) - it's a great chance to meet the people who drink our beers and catch up with all the breweries we know from visits, collabs, and shared beers. We also have a special place in our hearts for the Warsaw Beer Festival, the biggest craft beer fest in Poland. We’ve never missed a single edition in over 10 years!
Have you ever been to Australia?
Not yet, but we’re definitely planning to go! Maybe we’ll even tie it in with a trip to New Zealand for hop selection? Sounds like a great future plan! ;)