The first documented mention of the town of Grodzisk Wielkopolski was from around 1257 as part of lands owned by the Cistercian monastery in Paradyż.
The town grew in prominence due to its location on the road between Poznań and Gubin, a road that continued onward to Saxony.
By the 16th century, the Ostroróg family in Greater Poland (Wielkopolska) controlled the town.
The Ostroróg family was a source of support for the Protestant Reformation in the area, and the town became a center of Protestantism in the country and attracted dissidents from the Czech lands and Western Europe.
Craftsmen, scholars, and writers gravitated to the area, which became a center of reformist thought in Wielkopolska.
Industrial-scale brewing developed when Johann Volanus, the administrator of the Ostroróg estate and father of Andreas Volanus, a famous Reformation writer, imported skilled brewers from Moravia and Bohemia.

A legend associated with the history of this beer relates to the Benedictine monk named Bernard of Wąbrzeźno.
Around 1603, he arrived from the Benedictine monastery in Lubiń to find the residents starving and the town's wells depleted.
The brewery was the primary source of income for the city and the hospital.
Bernard prayed for the wells and a new source of water suddenly filled the Old Market well.
Legends claimed that the newly refilled well had the ability to make whoever drank from it healthy again, and the beer that was produced from the water was far superior to any of the beer the brewers had been able to produce before.
The well became a municipal treasure and was given credit for the commercial success of the breweries over the centuries to follow.
For over 200 years after the event, the residents of Grodzisk would make an annual procession to Bernard's monastery to bring a keg of the beer that they made from the well as a show of gratitude.

 
A maltsters' and brewers' guild existed in the town in 1601.
The guild created a monopoly on the right to produce malted grain and beer for sale, and kept it in the hands of a select few families, strictly controlled by the guilds.
It also implemented rules and regulations on the production of the beer that was designed to protect the quality and reputation of the beer.
A system of quality control was put in place; each barrel of beer that was produced was subjected to a beer tasting by the mayor of the town and a council of elders who evaluated its quality and strength and approved the beer for sale or export with a distinctive stamp.
Brewers who attempted to cheat the system of quality control were permanently stripped of their right to produce the beer.
The guild also organized the production of beer by the major breweries, which shared the Old Market well.
In 1843 and 1844, there were two breweries in Grodzisk that shared the well.
By 1866, the city had begun taxing the breweries for their use of the municipal wells.
Two private breweries built their own wells, and found that the water was just as good as the water from the Old Market.
Following this discovery, all of breweries eventually built their own wells.

The earliest documentation of the beer being exported to other regions is from records in the nearby town of Wschowa from 1671.
Rules established by the local hatters' guild established that the penalty for charging less than 12 groschen for dying a hat was a barrel of Grodziskie.
In 1694, the nearby city of Poznań listed a bill for expenses that included entries for "Grodzisk beer" at the rate of 15 guilders per barrel that had been purchased as gifts for important people.
At that cost, it can be seen that the product was valued as a premium beverage, since local beer produced in Poznań at the time cost only five to six guilders per barrel.
Other records from Poznań in 1712 show that the two mayors of the city were receiving Grodziskie beer as a portion of their compensation for their service.
By the 18th century, the beverage's reputation had spread throughout Poland, and it became one of the most expensive beers in the country.

Between 1793, when Grodzisk became pa
The first documented mention of the town of Grodzisk Wielkopolski was from around 1257 as part of lands owned by the Cistercian monastery in Paradyż. The town grew in prominence due to its location on the road between Poznań and Gubin, a road that continued onward to Saxony. By the 16th century, the Ostroróg family in Greater Poland (Wielkopolska) controlled the town. The Ostroróg family was a source of support for the Protestant Reformation in the area, and the town became a center of Protestantism in the country and attracted dissidents from the Czech lands and Western Europe. Craftsmen, scholars, and writers gravitated to the area, which became a center of reformist thought in Wielkopolska. Industrial-scale brewing developed when Johann Volanus, the administrator of the Ostroróg estate and father of Andreas Volanus, a famous Reformation writer, imported skilled brewers from Moravia and Bohemia.
A legend associated with the history of this beer relates to the Benedictine monk named Bernard of Wąbrzeźno. Around 1603, he arrived from the Benedictine monastery in Lubiń to find the residents starving and the town's wells depleted. The brewery was the primary source of income for the city and the hospital. Bernard prayed for the wells and a new source of water suddenly filled the Old Market well. Legends claimed that the newly refilled well had the ability to make whoever drank from it healthy again, and the beer that was produced from the water was far superior to any of the beer the brewers had been able to produce before. The well became a municipal treasure and was given credit for the commercial success of the breweries over the centuries to follow. For over 200 years after the event, the residents of Grodzisk would make an annual procession to Bernard's monastery to bring a keg of the beer that they made from the well as a show of gratitude.
 
A maltsters' and brewers' guild existed in the town in 1601. The guild created a monopoly on the right to produce malted grain and beer for sale, and kept it in the hands of a select few families, strictly controlled by the guilds. It also implemented rules and regulations on the production of the beer that was designed to protect the quality and reputation of the beer. A system of quality control was put in place; each barrel of beer that was produced was subjected to a beer tasting by the mayor of the town and a council of elders who evaluated its quality and strength and approved the beer for sale or export with a distinctive stamp. Brewers who attempted to cheat the system of quality control were permanently stripped of their right to produce the beer. The guild also organized the production of beer by the major breweries, which shared the Old Market well. In 1843 and 1844, there were two breweries in Grodzisk that shared the well. By 1866, the city had begun taxing the breweries for their use of the municipal wells. Two private breweries built their own wells, and found that the water was just as good as the water from the Old Market. Following this discovery, all of breweries eventually built their own wells.
The earliest documentation of the beer being exported to other regions is from records in the nearby town of Wschowa from 1671. Rules established by the local hatters' guild established that the penalty for charging less than 12 groschen for dying a hat was a barrel of Grodziskie. In 1694, the nearby city of Poznań listed a bill for expenses that included entries for "Grodzisk beer" at the rate of 15 guilders per barrel that had been purchased as gifts for important people. At that cost, it can be seen that the product was valued as a premium beverage, since local beer produced in Poznań at the time cost only five to six guilders per barrel. Other records from Poznań in 1712 show that the two mayors of the city were receiving Grodziskie beer as a portion of their compensation for their service. By the 18th century, the beverage's reputation had spread throughout Poland, and it became one of the most expensive beers in the country.
Between 1793, when Grodzisk became pa
Grodziskie